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Re: [pct-l] going stoveless?

> Does
>anyone have experience doing this over a sort-of extended period (I'll
be
>out 4 weeks)?  Does anyone have any good ideas for lightweight,
>energy-sustaining, non-cook dinners?     -Ajax

   Well, I went on a 13-day solo trip without a stove (which isn't nearly
what you propose, I realize, sorry) and my pack *was* a bit  lighter, but
my sense of no-fire Moral Superiority kinda evaporated after a couple
days. I live in a warm climate, & am used to eating cold food alot as a
result, but...  This was my personal experience:
   Much of the (strenuous) hike was at altitudes above 9-10,000' and I
was often pooped, which makes for poor appetitite as you know. I found it
was difficult to choke down unheated meals, especially on cold
mornings/chilly evenings. (And I definitely missed warm drinks at
bedtime, or when the weather took a "turn" - maybe it was psychological,
but I felt I slept colder initially as a result, also...) The nutrition
*in* the food was no problem, but forcing myself to eat was! 
   For extended periods, one *must* carry foods with much of their water
removed (to save weight) and it's time-consuming to rehydrate in cold
water. Some things sat in water *forever*and still stayed hard. I think
"regular" dishes had basically two textures 1) mushy, from the lengthy
submersions and 2) wet n' crunchy, from submersion-resistance [G]
   Also, the re-hydration factor made me bring some things that had a 
higher water-content (for quicker eating), like softer cheeses & salame
(yum! admittedly) which defeated the weight-savings purpose, and there
was alot less menu variety. Normally, I can pack anything I'd eat at
home, but dry pasta, rice, instant mash, gravies sans hot water is not
the way-to-go! It's easy to pack 'energy" in the form of various
sugars/starches (candy, instant drinks, granolas/gorps, bars, dried
breads, instant puddings) and fats (nuts, nut butters, ghee, the
aforementioned cheese/salames, fatty chocolates - altho I hear there's a
world chocolate-shortage in the offing :-<,  jerky for those who like it
), and many dehydrated fruits/vegetable re-hydrate ok -ish, but "instant"
mixes need *hot* water not to remain cups o' water with hard/salty bits
floating in them... I think I lived on bars, candy, gorp, and instant
"shakes" of powdered milk, pudding mix, &/or soy-based
"energy"/protein-powder - and the usual multivitamin/mineral supplement.
I lost a couple pounds - which was fine by me [G] and usual for a trip of
its type -  but that was because I packed a smallish *amount* of food,
not because cold food has less calories than hot. I had what seemed to be
normal energy, but mealtime was definitely not the fun part of the
day.Basically, I didn't eat "meals" at all, just noshed on  "raw" snacks
and drank the rest. One very-positive result of this style eating was
that I was always well-hydrated, and we all know the advantages of that!
   On low-mileage sunny days, I took the time to set the rehydrating pan
(wrapped in a black plastic bag) in the sun for "solar" heating, but that
took quite awhile for tepid results.
   I think you have to have a certain mind-set for long-term backcountry
cold-eating: flexible ideas of what constitutes a "meal" (or "good food")
and discipline to make sure you do not lose the stoveless 
weight-advantage by packing a greater food-weight. I discovered I enjoy
the comfort of a hot meal too much to go stoveless except in an emergency
or  maybe a hot-weather desert hike. 
      Where are you going for *four weeks*?       bj

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