[pct-l] stoves?

[Paul Robison]

my wife and i do this on the short stretches.
we go stoveless if we can get a resupply 3 or 4 days,  long weekend trips etc.

not sure why this wouldn't work on the pct...  i made some day bags today and 
they beat 100 calories an ounce with packaging and everything.  the only 
downside is finding a good variety of granola bars etc.  but on shorter 
stretches, all the more reason to celebrate with a delicious steak dinner when 
in town ; )

there is something to be said for hot chocolate, and hot dinners...  but in 
short runs, or in the dessert, perhaps a sacrifice could be made.  it'd save me 
10 ounces to do so.
~Paul




________________________________
From: Matthew Edwards <Hetchhetchyman at aol.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Sun, December 12, 2010 3:38:11 PM
Subject: [pct-l]  stoves?

Alcohol stoves.. I used one on the PCT in 2009. I noticed immediatetly it had a 
tendancy to set anything and every thing on fire that I did not clear out from 
under the "cone". I also witnessed another hiker burn a large black ring into 
the picnic table at Hyatt lake. They are great, inexpensive, light weight pieces 
of gear but they burn with hot, invisible flames, with fuel that spills easily 
and is difficult to extiguish once it has been spilled.
Anyhow, people are going to continue to be drawn to the light weight simplicity 
of alcohol stoves.
I would like to offer an alternative. Particularly in the dry regions of the 
trail, why not go cookless? Myself and others have discovered many of the same 
foods we were cooking actually rehydrate just as well on their own, cold, given 
time. For instance: Knoor sides in a cheap light ziplock container with a few 
cups of water stored in the top of your pack while you hike will rehydrate to 
edibility in as little as an hour. Potatoe Buds and Idahoans rehydrate within 
minutes. Quick oats take between 10 to 30 minutes to reach the same consistency 
as if they had been set in boiling water. Minute rice takes an hour or more in 
cold water.
This ain't gonna be everybodies "cup 'o' soup". Some of the flavors are 
downright nasty when eaten cold (Alfredo eek).
Others such as Teriyake, Oriental spice, and tomato can be quite delicious cold.
Hey, not carrying a stove and the fuel eliminates 100% of it's weight. 
You can always resume cooking once you reach the Sierra by sending your stove 
ahead to KM.
Just a thought, I originally did not think there was anyway i would be able to 
eat cold food every day. It turns out to be a much simpler, cleaner, and lighter 
solution to mealtime. My food is rehydrating while I hike!
This is nothing new as Ray Jardine has it in his PCT Handbook from 1992. I 
myself only started doing it after getting encouragement from Sarong at the 
beginning of the CDT this year. Ya know what? I might never carry a stove again 
except in snow country where there is some survival value in being able to boil 
water, make hot water bottles, etc.
Anyhow based on my recent experience if i were to hike the PCT again I would go 
stoveless from Campo to KM for the weight savings alone. The fire safety issue 
is an added bonus. 

HYOH and all that. You might find the plan disgusting... I sure thought it would 
be until i tried.
Cheers-Iceaxe
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