Denver raft guide invents portable campfire in ammo box

This report first appeared at BusinessDen, a BizWest news partner.

During forest fire season in the heart of the Rockies, Joshua Thurmond joined a group of fellow raft guides and kayakers for one last trip of the year.

Thurmond and the group were testing out a portable backyard fire pit near the Colorado River in September 2020 when someone joked about putting “the behemoth” on a raft, he said.

Everyone laughed. But it sparked an idea.

Thurmond, a 46-year-old raft, kayak and climbing guide with over 25 years of experience, was challenged to create a better campfire. He had always been a tinkerer and…