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Re: [pct-l] going stoveless?



Hello Ajax -

You asked:

>...I would like to throw another one out there...  I am
>considering going without my stove, pot, and fuel to save weight and room in
>the pack (this would also eliminate the previously mentioned dilemma).  Does
>anyone have experience doing this over a sort-of extended period (I'll be
>out 4 weeks)?...

I decided to try "going cold" for six weeks on the AT.  Worked out OK until
the weather got down to freezing and I started liking hot food/coffee more
than I hated hauling the cooking stuff <g>.

>...My primary concerns would be lack of variety and lack of good
>nutrition.  Does anyone have any good ideas for lightweight,
>energy-sustaining, non-cook dinners?

I used the opportunity to take a break from being tied to the post office
resupply.  I just found the largest supermarket I could "easily" get to and
would forage.  I would usually eat a can of tuna or chicken each day.  I
enjoyed the fresh veggies, breads, and cheeses (carrots, flour tort's and
white cheeses lasted longer than I would ever let them <g>).  I would
"borrow" the back room of the grocery store and wash/trim the fresh
veggies/fruits before I left.  Often, the smaller stores didn't have much
variety...especially on the fresh produce.  Hey...two/three days of celery
and then two/three days of carrots ain't that bad!

I will probably go cold during the warm/hot stretches of future distance
hikes.  I find that I am not a picky eater and it takes a week or two for
me to really notice a change in diet <g>.  I don't particularly like the
resupply technique I used on the AT...I often had no real choices in the
trail-close grocery stores, I found that I spent a LOT more time in town
hunting stuff, and I certainly was NOT saving any money (what do you call
the economic opposite of bulk buying?).

One of the PCT hikers (*** Hi "Sugar Lump" *** ) went cold with a technique
that I think I might try next time out.  She cooked and then dehydrated her
meals at home (as I do, bulk buying and the whole nine yards).  I noticed
that most of her meals were based on rice (cooked and then dehydrated along
with the other veggies, etc.).  Each morning she would put water in a
plastic bag with her meal choice for the evening.  She would let it
rehydrate all day and then would eat it (cold, right out of the bag) just
before hitting the hay.  Seemed to work very well for her (VERY strong
hiker!)...until late September in the Cascades.

I found that hot food (and an occasional hot drink!) became very important
to me as temps dropped.  On the PCT we usually hiked til dark, ate a hot
meal, and were often snoring within a half-hour of stopping.  I am guessing
that on future PCT-like hikes (where I was going cold), I would probably
fall into a pattern of eating my main (cold) meal while the day was still
warm (late afternoon, perhaps) and then would snack again as I made camp in
the cooler night.

I knew a buckskinner years ago who went out on "re-enactment" hikes for
weeks/months at a time.  He had a recipe for "pemmican" that he almost
completely lived on (dried berries, dried meat, dried corn, and some kind
of fat...all pounded into a fairly fine mixture).  He loved it...the only
time I tried it I couldn't get my taste-buds past the heavy fat content.
Had I been on the trail for a few weeks, I probably would have been craving
that (high calorie) fat and would have really enjoyed it <g>.

Good luck on getting "going cold" to work for you!

- Charlie II  AT (MEGA'93)
             PCT (Mex@Can'95)


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