[pct-l] Hiking without a stove

[DERKKR at aol.com]

In 1999 I thru-hiked 2/3 of the AT without a stove.  I hiked the  remainder 
with a stove.  Without going into why I chose the no-stove route  to begin 
with, I found I ate a lot better with the stove, and my pack was much  lighter 
carrying the dehydrated food than when I was trying to haul the much  heavier 
hydrated food.  Nothing beats a hot meal after 20+ miles.   Some of the 
ultra-lighters on this list may have figured out some way to  compensate for the weight 
of hydrated food (vs dehydrated), but I didn't have  the time or interest 
back then to get into the details.  My personal  experience has been that I was a 
lot happier and healthier when I cooked my  evening meals.  You can find 
stoves and fuel that are extremely  lightweight.  I haven't attempted the math, 
but even if this somehow weighs  more that the alternative food, it can't be 
much more.  So unless you're a  fanatic about weight, the stove will make for a 
much more enjoyable hiking  experience (IMHO). 
 
Muleboy
AT 99