Swedish Candle

So,
Last weekend the puppies and I met up with a few of our brethren from the "International Order of the Rocky Mountain Goats"  to work on new campsites for our upcoming WADI in September.

Ya See, since the Forest service asked the they be paid a fee (extortion ) for using public land for 3 days ...  the foundation decided to "decline" ( plus being photographed by "Government Agents") (forest service personal) for any infraction they could muster, ( which they found none)  :(  was not cool..

We the Goats had a very generous offer by a private land owner, (across the road from said forest service spot) to move our events to his property .... WE Accepted   :)   ,,,  No extortion necessary

So, since we have a new spot to camp, cook, hold an auction for charity, reconnect with like minded friends, who enjoy the outdoors, like in hunting, fishing, hiking, and pretty much anything else that has to do with the outdoors, we are in the process of clearing areas for campers, fires pits, large tents, and easy walking,

Work is needed to clear underbrush, trim trees, do some grading, and haul away trash (as in stuff that can cause forest fires)

So, last weekend we traveled to the southern part of Colorado to pitch in. We made great progress and will return in about 10 days to do more..

I stayed another day and returned on Monday ( to stay away from horrific traffic)

Doing research on the internet (you tube) awhile back I came across a fella that made Swedish candles out of logs. So I decided to try one out while I was here.

You take a small log and cut a section with a chainsaw, take a butterfly drill-bit ( mine is 1 1/2 inch), drill a hole down from the top, as far as the bit will allow, and then drill another hole from the side.

This candle is  aspen wood.
I started the fire using dry pine needles, it smoked for about 2-3 minutes, then flame came from the top.

,

I let it burn for about 20 minutes, after that time it became apparent it may start burning to the outer layers of the log, I then placed it in the fire pit to finish burning.

So. this test made me aware that the Swedish Candle is fun to watch, and must not be left unattended.
They would be great for keeping the fire pit going, and maybe a great way to cook above it in a metal enclosure, taking advantage of the rocket stove effect.