John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) is known as the author Jack London. Among his short stories is the 1908 classic "To Build A Fire", set in the Yukon. English 12 student, Owen St. Pierre, donned snow shoes and ventured out on the WCC trails in February to find out what it's really like to build a fire... in a snow squall!
What kinds of trees are back here? (We found White Pine, Red Spruce, Balsam Fir, Hemlock, Red Oak, Beech and Birch) Where is the driest wood in a forest? (dead branches still on the tree). What types of materials make the best kindling? (Birch bark and pine twigs) How do you start a fire with flint and steel? (sparks flew but did not start the fire. It's hard!).
Can you start a fire on snowy ground? (yes, lay a foundation of branches first and build the fire on top of them).
https://web.archive.org/web/20180922182151/http://london.sonoma.edu/writings/Uncollected/tobuildafire.html
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/to-build-a-fire.pdf
Little Balsam Fir tree
Laying the fire in a sudden snow squall.
Trying flint and steel... sparks flew!
Matches caught the birch bark on fire