The dense, freezing fog enveloped our surroundings, flocking the pine needles, shrubs and grass with a layer of heavy frost. A light breeze hastened the icy buildup. Every breath on the steep hike up the ridgeline was a white cloud of steam twisting and swirling into the near whiteout conditions.
Sweaty backs chilled in the foggy breeze, and our feet ached from constant submersion in eight inches of powder snow. It was the late archery deer season in Washington State for me and my son-in-law, Chris. We had climbed nearly 1,500 feet of elevation, and now with the dreaded fog, we were ready to take a break, hoping it might soon lift. It was time to build a fire.
“Damn, it’s cold.”
“No shit, this is brutal.”
Late archery deer season has been one of my favorite hunts for over three decades. Deer hunting can be fantastic, especially with wintery conditions moving deer from summer range in the high country to their winter haunts on the lower treeline above the valley bottoms.
Hunting in cold, snowy, windy, foggy weather brings its own unique set of challenges. Bows squeak in the sub-freezing temperatures, and mechanical rests sometimes seize up. Hiking the steep, rugged Cascade Mountains covered in snow can seem impossible.
Keeping warm may be the hardest part, as the Pacific Northwest dishes out massive winter storms and temperatures in the teens or much colder.
I learned a long time ago that a warming fire can be a life saver, literally. A fire warms cold fingers, dries wet clothing, and has the bonus of providing a hot meal. Midday breaks with a small fire have become a tradition, which I was now passing on to Chris.
Making Fire, Making Memories
“Did you bring your breakfast burrito wrapped in tinfoil like I told you?”
“Yep, got it right here.”
“Perfect, we need to get this fire going and build a little coal bed first.”
We set about gathering the driest branches from Ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir tree trunks. We searched pine trees for globs of pitch to assist other fire-starting materials. The snow was scraped away with our feet at the base of a large, old pine tree to serve as the fire bed.
Finally, the little smoldering fire gathered strength, and we took turns quickly adding more tender until smoke gave way to flames. At last, the penetrating cold from fog was at bay with our warming fire. A few minutes more and we could start cooking our burritos.
It always amazes me how a small fire can change your attitude and rejuvenate the body. Researchers have suggested that humans throughout history have used campfires for social gathering, reducing anxiety, and other practical uses such as cooking or deterring predators.
A big part of the warming fire to me is the chance to make some hot food. A warm meal also improves attitude and helps handle the tough weather.
“Bunch some of those coals with a stick and just lay your burrito against them.”
“How long does it take?”
“A few minutes, but you got to turn it often to get that perfect 360 warming and a little bit of crispiness to the tortilla.”
The Perfect Field Burrito
Over the last few years, the burrito contents and perfect cooking on the fire has become a bit of a competition. Standard ingredients include bacon, sausage, eggs, onions, cheese, and hash browns. Thanksgiving leftovers are especially envious fixings. In the end, browning the tortilla to a perfect buckskin brown is the goal of the unspoken competition.
Browning the burrito is facilitated by perfect coals. Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine branches about one inch in diameter work well to quickly generate glowing coals. Small branches burn rapidly, so there is some work to gather a pile of dry branches broken into short lengths to feed the fire.
Glowing embers are heaped with the help of a stick on the edge of the flaming part of the fire. Now the cooking can commence.
Heavy duty aluminum foil wrapped at least twice around the burrito works best for warming the contents and crisping the tortilla. We call the cheap aluminum foil “thin foil,” and burritos will burn easily, especially if not tended. Burning the tortilla can make the entire burrito uneatable as the foul smoke permeates the contents, making it taste like a burnt sock!
The time around a warming fire watching for deer movement has made some of my most cherished memories. A midday fire and eating warm food has become an integral part of the hunt. We tell our stories of difficult hikes, details of stalks on bucks, or other wildlife seen. It’s a time to bond as family or strengthen friendships by sharing the challenge of the hunt and ribbing each other — “Hey, don’t burn your burrito.”