[pct-l] stoves?

[Matthew Edwards]

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