Three inches of split wood under the fire, or the wet ground wins
Plus the flue that has not been swept since last winter, and a one match drill.
Issue #058 Friday, October 16, 2026 Emergency Skills
Wet ground pulls the heat out of a new fire faster than wind does. Your tinder can be perfect and the flame still dies in the mud.
Today’s Skill
Lay the floor before the flame
Split wood is dry inside even after days of rain. Lay three inches of split pieces flat and tight on the ground as a floor, then build on top of that. Shave a dry stick into curls with the blade angled shallow, and leave the curls attached. Light low on the upwind side and shield the flame with your body until pencil wood catches.
On The Radar
The first long burn of the year
October is when the stove and fireplace get their first real fire. Creosote from last winter still lines the flue, and a hot burn can set it off. Get the chimney swept, or at minimum look up it with a mirror and a flashlight before you load it. Burn seasoned hardwood only. Test the carbon monoxide alarm the same day.
The Drill
Soak it, then light it
This weekend, pick three pieces of firewood and run a hose on them for a full minute. Take them to a safe outdoor pit or ring. Split them, build the platform, carve your curls, and light the whole thing with one match. No paper, no fluid. If it fails, split smaller and go again until it holds.
Stay ready. Rise.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Tomorrow: the three things in your pantry that will not survive a long outage.