I feel that I'm getting close to being able to start a friction fire. This time I got plenty of smoke, but my string broke before I got a stable ember.

The irony is that I used a synthetic string for the bow because I'm trying to do this on "easy mode", but I'm pretty sure one of my own hand twisted strings would have held up better.

#neolithicTech #firebow #fireStarting

#Cedar #tree #sap oozing out from the #bark.
Cedar tree sap/pitch is useful for #firestarting in wet weather.

#nature #TreesAreFriends #CedarTreeOfLife #Wsanec #Saanich #biodiversity #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #textures #OutdoorSurvival #NatureProvidesAll

This is the oldest evidence of people starting fires

We didn’t start the fire. ❲Neanderthals did, at least 400,000 years ago.❳…

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/12/this-is-the-oldest-evidence-of-people-starting-fires/#archaeology #firestarting #hominins #making-fire #neanderthals #science

What's your favourite natural tinder for spark ignition, and why?

For me yucca fibre takes *really* well, cattail fluff has been a good flash tinder to get other ones burning, and some inner bark from cedar that I had processed previously was *superb*.

#survival #fireStarting