Places I Have Sleepen: Half-Dome Shelter in the North Maine Woods

One of my more recent outdoor slumberings took place up in Maine back in late October 2013.  For part of the curriculum, students build different types of shelters and stay in them for 3 consecutive nights.  This particular short-term dwelling is called a half-dome shelter.  The foundation and bed are made of logs chopped to fit, and the frame is composed of saplings which are then intertwined and held together by tying their branches together or wrapping them around one another in order to hold onto the tarp (which is the only piece of the structure not sourced from the surrounding forest).  The finishing touches went into the “mattress” which I made out of green pine bough branches topped with wild grasses.  Comfy!
That particular night it got down below freezing and there was frost on the ground.  Even though I slept without a blanket over me (I used my sleeping bag as a pillow), I was just as warm as if I had.  The secret is to maintaining the fire throughout the night.  Cut yourself enough logs which you think will last through the night and then when you think you’ve finished, go and get double that amount.
Our instructor Tim likened maintaining a fire throughout the night as being similar to taking care of a newborn.  You’ve got to get up and feed it at all hours ensuring you don’t get a full night’s rest.  But after doing it for a few nights, you don’t even remember getting up to take care of it.  It’s something you can do in your sleep.
That first night was kind of rough.  I’d wake up cold and roll over to warm whatever part of my body wasn’t facing the fire.  But the half facing away would get colder faster than the half getting warm again.  When that happens you know it’s time to feed the fire.  The logs (if cut) are kept to about a 6-foot length minimum and fed into the fire parallel with the shelter you’ve built which ensures that you entire body is radiated by the heat.  The tarp keeps the wind off of you and reflects the heat back onto your body.
I think something which isn’t thought of much is the psychological aspect of sleeping without a blanket.  Even when I was on my motorcycle journey sleeping on the side of the road, I’d still get into my sleeping bag every night no matter what the temperature.  Not having a cover over your body while Zzz’ing is something we rarely ever do.  From the first night after our birth we’re swaddled in a blanket and continue this practice most every night of our lives.
I’ve always enjoyed sleeping outside but that night was one of the most comfortable by far.  Nothing to complain about except the few ember-burns in my beard.  That morning I made hash browns and eggs over the dwindling fire as the sun rose over the trees.  It was one of those rare empowering moments which caused me to stare at the shelter, reflecting on the night - how it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I said to myself, ‘I just fucking did that!’