[at-l] Springer fever; AL Stoves

[hiker_00@hotmail.com (T. Woodworth)]

>From my past year of cat-food-pop-can stove use (~400miles) I've come to the 
realization that AL pop can stoves are not suitable for cold/winter weather 
backpacking.  IMHO, they sorta suck.

For example, Our latest saga in Pennsylvania, January, lunch time, 20*, 
light snow, tough wind.  I needed food and preferably something hot.  It 
took too long to get the stove running, it took too long to get enough heat 
to boil water, it took too much fuel for a simple meal.  I was not at a 
protected AT Shelter with a wall to block the wind, a flat spot to setup the 
stove and someplace to sit, I was out in the woods, cold and lacking energy 
with a full 6 hours of hiking needed to get to the trailhead.

It’s my fault for depending on the stove but that’s sort of the information 
we need to have before we set out on a long hike.  Sometimes when you need 
some hot food, you need some hot food.

This past summer/fall I never felt this way.  This winter it’s something 
different.

Tim –Fosco Foxburr of Loamsdown


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