[pct-l] saying no to alcohol

[hayden wilson]

As an observer of stoves, rather than a user (I haven't carried a stove in over 7000 miles), I have a few thoughts on stoves in SOCAL.  I have a photo of the cooking table at Muskrat Creek Shelter (mile 78.2 on the AT).  The table is about 3'X6' and is made of what looks like 4"X8" timbers.  I can count well over 50 stove rings burned into the table top.  A couple that I actually measured were nearly one half inch deep.  It takes a lot of burning fuel and a lot of flames to do go that deep into solid wood.  Not too dangerous in NC in the spring, but with the heat of SOCAL alcohol is much more volatile, the grass drier, and winds stronger.  That said, alcohol stoves are not the only stoves that have flareup and not all alcohol stoves ( I probably own 10 of them) flare up. I was never able to start my old Whisperlite without a towering inferno to warm it up and know of at least one person on the AT named Flamethrower for that reason.
So, maybe not just an alcohol fuel problem, but rather a "responsible use," and a "stove selection" problem.  Or maybe do as Radar did in the south and modify stove use in the more fireprone areas.
Hayden 
--- On Thu, 12/11/08, Sean Nordeen <sean at lifesadventures.net> wrote:

From: Sean Nordeen <sean at lifesadventures.net>
Subject: [pct-l] saying no to alcohol
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008, 7:16 PM

The only truely safe method is NO Stove.  But that isn't a realistic
expectation to expect everyone to try it.  Many in the UL community have been
moving that direrction in their never ending quest to cut ounces.  I've
personally done a week long trip without a stove so I know it is certainly
doable.

I'm a long time SoCal resident so I have a good idea of fire conditions
along the PCT.  I've used Alcohol, Esbit, cannister, and wood burning stoves
successfully and safely.  But I know not to use them in the high wind conditions
we often get and to maker sure vegetiation is a lot farther away then would be
normal in a wetter environment.  In the right conditions, dry vegetation 3 feet
away from your stove can light up (and some past PCT hikers have discovered this
the hard way).  Unfortunately, too many people from back east don't have a
proper appreciation just how easily our dry vegetation burns.  And during
certain fire restrictions, only  cannister stoves are legal since alcohol stoves
are considered open flame since they have no shut off valve.

That said, banning alcohol stoves isn't going to happen.  So, rather then
that, educating people how to safely use them (and when not to) would be better
and more realistic goal.  Since a large portion of  hikers do attend the
ADZPCTKO, that would be the best place to do it.  Personally, I think the
Caldera Cone alcohol stove is the safest of the alcohol stoves in terms of fire
safety since it is closer to a closed system then most windscreen/stove setups. 
But even its not perfect and there are times when you'd be better off not
cooking at all.

-Sean

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
with the high fire danger that is persistent throughout southern California
i cant help but think that it is time for the PCT community to take a stand
against the use of alcohol stoves, at least thru the dry sections of
California, All PCT hikers should really think about alternatives that would
reduce the chances of fires starting because of accidents with our alcohol
stoves. comments? opinions?
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