A Burning Ring of Fire

P recently built a few alcohol stoves from empty Bud Light aluminum bottles.  The plans are easy to find on the internet--and luckily we have a friend who likes Bud Light.  P would have hated to pour the stuff out---but it really isn't his kind of beer!

 

The plans are pretty simple, and P managed to make the stoves using really basic hand tools.  A small saw, a drill, some sandpaper, and fifteen minutes later you have a pretty decent alcohol stove. 

 

So how does it work?  It takes a few seconds, maybe twenty, for the alcohol to heat up and start to vaporize through the gas jets.  Then it burns just like the burner on our gas stove at full blast for as long as there is fuel.  And then it slowly dies down and goes out.  This thing puts out lots of heat while there is fuel--and at room temperature, it boiled a quart of water in about three minutes or so, with about one ounce of fuel.  Pretty efficient!

 

But there are some down sides as well.  You can't control the heat--it's either ON, or it's off.  That isn't the best solution for M, who is a chef and likes to be able to moderate the heat as needed.  The burner pattern is pretty big--bigger than many small backpacking pots.  (the perfect combination would be one of these stoves with a cookpot made of a larger Fosters beer can...but most of the flame from this stove would go right past the bottom of that pot.  That's not efficient at all.)

 

And once it's on, it has to burn out.  If you try to blow it out, it will just burn hotter...and maybe blow flaming alcohol all over the forest.  ahem.  (Yeah--there are ways that you can smother the burner once it's lit...but if the goal here is a light stove, taking extra parts complicates that.)

 

These also seem to use more fuel than our MSR Pocket Rocket.  With  the Rocket, we use about one ounce of fuel per day to boil water twice a day--once at dinner, and once for breakfast.  But these alcohol stoves use about twice that amount. Then again, the PR gas canister weighs more that a plastic bottle filled with alcohol...weight probably works out about the same.

 

In the end, everyone will have to make their own decisions about these stoves.  We've give a few to friends, for them to play with.  And we've kept a couple for ourselves, too. 

 

But M doesn't think we'll be using them for backpacking.  She likes her Pocket Rocket. 

Getting Fit--or trying to stay that way

This time of year, we spend a lot of time thinking about summer, and the trips we'll take.  But we also try to stay in shape, despite the obvious temptations of holiday food and drink.  Those temptations are even stronger in our house, since M is a chef and P works in the wine business.  You can imagine how that works.  Well, maybe you can't. 

 

But we do spend some time getting fit, or trying to maintain our conditioning.  M goes to the gym three or four times a week, for a variety of workout classes. That seems to work pretty well for her, especially when she adds an evening walk to the mix. 

 

P is a litte more hard-core.  He loves to ride his road bike--and will do that over 5,000 miles every year.  This year he did over 6500.  That means lots of rides longer than two hours--and quite a few over 50 miles.  His cardio seems pretty darn good these days.

 

We seems to notice a difference once we hit the trail.  M starts out strong, but seems to lose steam after an hour.  P, maybe because of his longer workouts, seems to be able to keep up the pace much longer...maybe because he's used to those long bike rides?

 

But we're curious.  Do you do any endurance training or similar sports?  How much, and how long?  Jogging or swimming fit the bill...are we missing some others?  And how do you think that affects your backpacking? 

It' not about the Big Three

Every backpacking book or website will tell you that it's all about the big three: tent, pack and sleeping bag.  Get the very best of those, and the rest of your backpacking will be a breeze.

 

Well, we disagree.  It's not about the big three. It's really about getting outdoors and on the trail.  And if you are going to obsess about your equipment instead of hiking, you really are missing the point. 

 

Sure, the big three are the main ingredients to your home on the trail.  And sure, it would be wonderful to have the very best, lightest and latest version of each item.  But it isn't a requirement. In fact, it doesn't really make a big difference. 

 

Examples?  OK.  Some of our early equipment would never meet the standards of today's equipment geeks (even though it served us through some of the greatest trips we have ever taken!)  A couple of full sized sleeping bags that weighed five pounds and didn't compress much smaller than an ice chest cost us about $40 each. A three-man Eureka tent that we originally bought for car camping and weighs nearly eight pounds and costs us another $150.  And a pair of Eureka backpacks that we picked up at a box store for under $50 apiece.  

 

Our total pack weights just for the big three were something like 17 pounds for P, and another 9 pounds for M.  And that's without food, water, cook kit, or clothing.  That sounds like a lot.  But then again, when we left for a four day trip in Yosemite that covered over thirty miles in four days...the sutuff worked just fine, and we had a phenomenal trip!  Our total pack weights were 35 pounds for P and 25 for M.  And our total expenditures (including stove and water filter) were just over $420.

 

That's not unbearable by any means.  We picked up a great aluminum pot for a buck at Goodwill, and that's also where we bought all of our fleece layers.  And we left the skillet at home, and didn't bring our tuxedos...but we had all we needed, and that's all that really matters.  Those are reasonable pack weights for most people, and if you can carry that, you can have some great adventures in the mountains, even if you don't own the latest ultra-light airskin equipment.

 

Do we still use that stuff?  The answer might surprise you.  Over the years, we've upgraded our equipment a bit.   We picked up a couple REI  Sub-kilo sleeping bags for under $200 each, and that cut almost three pounds off our packweight.  And P made a little two-man tent that cut another found pounds of his load.  But we still sometimes use the Eureka when we have a guest along, and it works just fine.  And our packs?  The same old ones we started with. They work just fine, thank you very much.

 

So now our base weights are lower.  For the big three, M carries just six pounds, and P carries about nine.  Which means that on a an eight day trip last summer over three 10,000 foot passes, our starting trail weight was 36 pounds for P and 26 for M--only a pound more than that earlier trip in Yosemite.

 

That was nice, but we could have done the same trip carrying the extra ten pounds between us. 

 

And so can you. 

 

So don't spend your life making constant upgrades to a kit you don't use.  Get out there with whatever you have, and over time that equipment will take care of itself.  If you REALLY want to look like a pro, it's always better to have older, well-used equipment on your back instead of brand new equipment sitting in your living room.

 

Always.   

 

Permitted

Unless you want to spend more than twelve hours in a tent in the snow, these are not of the best of times for backpacking. And while we're grateful for the massive snowpack in the Sierra and all that it promises for the coming year, it does limit the kinds of trips we can take right now.

But that hasn't kept us from planning some adventures, and taking care of a little business.  Yep--it's time to get a few permits and licenses.  Yesterday I biked over to the local California Department of Forestry Fire station and got our campfire permit for 2011.  That allows us to camp with a stove (or campfire, where they are legal) in any national forest in California.  In 2009 we took a lovely fall hike along the Pacific Crest Trail from Carson Pass north to Meiss Meadows, Showers Lake, and Dardanelles Lake.  And we did it without a wilderness permit, because that section of the trail isn't classified as wilderness--it's just national forest.  All you need is campfire permit.  Which we had.

And now we have one for 2011. 

Not only that, but the fireman who helped me could not have been nicer.  It was more than just service with a smile---he also offered water for the bedraggled cyclist (I declined, since it was about 40 degrees outside, and cold water was NOT what I needed) but also encouraged me to be careful out there.  The weather was cold, a bit foggy, and he was concered about visiblitiy.  I was wearing a high visility vest, and the bike has lights, so everything turned out fine.  Except I still doesn't have much feeling in my frozen nose.

But that's not all.  Today we went over to our local sporting goods store and bought a fishing license, so that I can terrorize trout all over the SIerra.  The cost keeps going up (over $40) this year, and the process is more complicated.  (For the first time, I had to show my California Drivers License, which was scanned, and then assure the earnest young clerk that I had, indeed, resided in California for the last six months.)  But the new licernses are a different shape and color from last year, complete with a bar code.  And the clerk warned me that if they are left in a very warm place, it's possible that the thermal paper will turn black, obliterating all the information on the license. 

That must be a big improvement over last year's model.  sigh. 

But hey--we're ready for summer!

Happy Holidays!

Just signing on today to wish everyone happy holidays, and great advertnures in the back country next year!

Keep hiking!

P&M.

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And who's been nice?

Who's been Nice?

posted 2 minutes ago by Paul Wagner

It's only fair to provide the other list, as well! Who’s been nice? 10.   Equipment companies who keep making better, lighter, and easier equipment.  Yeah, I know they’re in it for the money.  And some of this stuff isn’t cheap.  But it works, and it does make life on the trail better. 9.  Pack train companies that give a wilderness experience to people who might otherwise never be able to enjoy one.  And yes, they are also on the naughty list… 8.  Anyone else who takes the time to introduce a newbie to the backcountry.  Ya done good. 7.  Scout leaders, both boys and girls, because of the above.  Only they do it for larger groups, and work with kids.  Go figure. 6.  Any organization that works to help protect or preserve our wild lands, from Trout Unlimited and Wild Rivers to the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society.  Thank you.  We may not always agree, but we really appreciate the hard work and the passion. 5.  Any government official or politician who manages to forget, just for one second, about getting re-elected and does something that helps protect or preserve our parks, national forests, and wild lands.  You know who you are…and some of us are keeping score. 4. Our park rangers, forest service employees, and fish and game wardens.  You are underpaid and overworked, but at least not unappreciated—not from our point of view! 3.  Anybody who takes it upon themselves to clean up after someone else in the woods.  Thank you.  2.  Volunteer trail crews that tackle big problems on their own free time, and seem to think it is a vacation.  I know you get many rewards for this—but let me add one more:  our gratitude. 1.  Ken Burns, for focusing the nation, if only for a few weeks, on the most wonderful national park system in the world.