Meet …pk

 

Local folks call me …pk (lower case).   I’m retired, living in a small town along the Schuylkill River near Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.  I volunteer my time and energy on town environmental issues such as street tree preservation, establishing a greenway trails system, and river advocacy issues.

 

An avid outdoorsman, I enjoy challenging backpacking and paddling adventures, and sharing my experiences with others through my writing and crafting.

 

My outdoor philosophy is simply, “to become one with the environment —not to fight it.”  That point of view was shaped via experience.  As an eleven year old city kid I spent my first night of a winter Scout campout sitting up shivering and hugging my knees.  “That’s roughing it!” an encouraging leader told me.  Even as an eleven year old Tenderfoot I knew I didn’t want to rough it, I wanted to enjoy it.  Twenty years later an extended course at the North Carolina Outward Bound School sealed my conviction.  Upon emerging from the laurel tangles of North Carolina’s high Smokey Mountains, I knew that a oneness with nature would be my path.  Being prepared for the environment one travels in is key, and fire building is part of that.  While I encourage “Leave No Trace” ethics, anyone who has flirted with hypothermia knows the necessity of a warming campfire and the urgency of getting one started.  After all, stuff happens; the unplanned dunk during a stream crossing, that flipped canoe, the ubiquitous leaky tent, —— bottom line, “When you need a fire, you need a fire!”  To that end I’ve explored fire starting techniques and have refined a simple firestarter that is reliable and easy to pack.  To boot, my firestarters reflect my environmentalism in that they are made from recycled materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.

 

I’m pleased that over the years a loyal cadre of users developed, and my fire starters can be found in backpacks, survival kits and next to woodstoves and fireplaces across North America.  I hope you will give them a try.         …pk

Hi!  Local folks call me ...pk.