Time honored pot rack

Two words come to mind when I see a pot rack in camp: tradition and practicality. While these words appear unrelated, many implements from our past served a very practical purpose. The pot rack eased the burden of cooking over a campfire and gave the cook an efficient way to control the amount of heat under his pots.

In time camp stoves replaced the pot rack and it passed into the history books and museum collections. Except for s'mores and the occasional grilled steak, the campfire was only used for warmth and comfort. Campers no longer cooked over a campfire.

Yet the traditional pot rack works quite well. In this era of modern technology, it gives the camp cook a practical way to suspend Dutch ovens and coffee boilers over a burning campfire. The pot rack lets the cook organize his cooking pots. It even gives him a place to store utensils.

I enjoy the sense of tradition that comes from a sturdy pot rack. It gives me a connection to thousands of camp cooks, most of whom have gone to their reward. Yes, I use modern camp stoves when nessesary. Cooking over the campfire for a week-long trip to the forest gives me a feel for the history of old cooking methonds and for those who practiced ghe craft.