[pct-l] Please stop burning up our trail - stoves

[AsABat]

IMO alcohol stoves are like any ultralight gear - you have to use it correctly. 

In this incident the stove type hasn't been mentioned. I was told they didn't have proper clearance around the stove. Any stove could cause a fire if lit in grass. I have seen more problems with white gas stoves, especially those that need preheating, with huge flareups until the fuel warms up. I've also seen canister stoves leak fuel and flame when the canisters aren't attached correctly. Surprisingly while I have heard of alcohol stoves spilling burning fuel I've never seen it first hand. Doesn't mean the policy isn't sound. 

The problem is many aren't being careful. The California fire permit we all have (you do have one, right - it's required) says fires only in cleared areas. I'm guessing the direct cause is simply careless inattention - stretching the tired legs and bumping the stove, stepping over it to reach the food bag/cook pot/water bottle, etc. 

It's fire. We were taught by our parents to be careful with fire when we were little. Why aren't we careful now. 

AsABat
 
AsABat

-----Original Message-----
From: "giniajim" <jplynch at crosslink.net>
Date: Sat, 8 May 2010 19:21:37 
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Please stop burning up our trail - PCT closure San

ok, thanks, that all sounds pretty logical... 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Sean 'Miner' Nordeen 
  To: pct-l at backcountry.net 
  Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2010 7:18 PM
  Subject: [pct-l] Please stop burning up our trail - PCT closure San


  >>Why wouldn't that be true of any hiker stove?  Don't they all have open flames?  

  During the summer months after everything has turned brown, many areas in SoCal often have fire restrictions against any stove without a shutoff valve and no open fires allowed (meaning only cannister/white gas type stoves allowed).  The reason that they make this distinction is becaues a cannister stove can be shut off immediately if there is a problem.  As an example, an alcohol stove can be kicked over and the burning fluid spills out over a wider area igniting the vegetation.  There is no way of shutting the burning alcohol off.  In the case of a cannister stove, it can be uprighted and turned off and is less likely to ignite a wider fire.  Both are capable of starting a wildfire, but one is more likely to as you have less control over it.   And before you say, "But", just be aware that any stove of any type can be banned during really bad fire conditions that SoCal can see in late summer/early fall when we get really high winds on vegeation that hasn't seen rain in 7-9
 mo
   nths.  Hikers are fortunate that currently the fire restrctions in spring are usually more relaxed then summer.  It would be nice if they could remain that way.

  -Miner



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