[pct-l] Greetings all! Pop can stove contribution...

[Tim Reid" <ideashare1@hotmail.com (Tim Reid)]

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As a newbie to the list I would like to say "Hello" to everyone.

My name is Tim Reid. And while I am from Washington state, I am currently l=
iving and working in Seoul, South Korea. I'll be back in the states in May =
2003 and I am planning to do the PCT in 2004 -- can't get the logistics tog=
ether from here to do it in May -- darn!

Who am I? Let's see....36 yr old, divorced, ex-Navy corpsman (EMT) who spen=
t 5 years with the grunt Marines (and put more than 2,100 miles on my feet)=
, who has hiked all over the Northern Cascades, loves the outdoors, loves t=
o tinker and improvise, is working as a TOEFL (English) instructor and PR c=
onsultant and is dreaming of spending days and months outdoors!

Whew! Anyway.... I have enjoyed everything I have read so far (except for t=
he goofy spam postings). As I am in Korea, and the Korean version of hiking=
 and camping seems to be an afternoon hike with trailside bathrooms and put=
ting up a tent in the park (got to have those public bathrooms), I am dying=
 to do some serious camping and hiking.  It has been more than a year that =
I have seen a tree that I can't put my arms around and touch my fingers (I =
am sort of a tree hugger -- nothing strange though) -- and I miss those gia=
nt hemlocks and firs around Mt. Baker and Snowking Mountain.

I have been experimenting with the soda can stoves and it is a kick. I wish=
 I had known about these when I was in the service!! Military heat tabs in =
the late 80's were lousy -- I would have carried one of these stoves everyw=
here!

Here is my contribution to the pop can stove (more to come as I play a bunc=
h more). Making the holes exactly was a challenge considering that I have m=
inimal tools, everything is in Korean and I don't have a gentle enough touc=
h with a thumb tack. So, as I was walking past a clothing repair shop an id=
ea hit me -- sewing machine needles! These things are great for making the =
holes. They come in specific sizes (I would give you sizes but I think they=
 are different over here) and points (sharp, ball -- go with sharp). Regula=
r sewing machine needles are tough, but commercial ones are awesome. They a=
re the perfect shape to hold, the top is big and easy to tap with a tack ha=
mmer, they punch through aluminum cans like butter (barely dimpling the can=
!) and don't seem to bend or break. I have made 11 stoves with the same nee=
dle and no problems (had to touch up the point a bit is all). Ok, I admit i=
t -- I am slightly obsessed at the moment.  ;-)

Sometime in the future, I will have to post the blister prevention method w=
e used in my unit (a closely guarded secret--yeah right!) that reduced blis=
ter occurrences to less than 12% (battalion wide -- about 800 troops) when =
doing 24-30 mile hikes (humps) with light packs (65 lb + weapons, flack jac=
ket,etc) or combat (85+lb & everything else). No mole skin or duct tape - d=
o people really do duct tape? Mole skin I understand -- but Duct tape? I ha=
ve a copy of the "Duct Tape Bible" and use duct tape for nearly everything =
-- but on your feet?

Anyway, take care everyone. Have a great time on the trails and breath some=
 of that clean and beautiful conifer air for me!!

Tim Reid (aka Ideashare)