wood fire cooking?

[NorthCountryWoods]

Some of the GMC may give the token sermon about responsible fires at established sites, but most won't care about a hobo stove as long as you're responsible.

BTW, almost all of VT has been deforested (including the peaks) due to logging and fires in the last 2 centuries so the odds of endangering an old growth stand is almost zero. The Lamoille County forester told me that all of the bald peaks in the state were due to fires raging thru logging slash and incinerating the peaks and duff layers so that nothing has been able to re-establish.

[Panzer1]

In the winter I've cooked hot dogs on a campfire. Had them on buns with ketchup and mustard. real good.. Otherwise, I usually always cook using one of my many stoves. The current one I'm using is the pocket rocket.

Panzer

[Rockhound]

Did Earl Shaffer use a Jetboil? I cooked with wood when I hiked last year. I plan to cook with wood when I hike later this year and any hikes in the future. You will not find any of my fuel canisters in a landfill.

[rafe]

Did Earl Shaffer use a Jetboil? I cooked with wood when I hiked last year. I plan to cook with wood when I hike later this year and any hikes in the future. You will not find any of my fuel canisters in a landfill.

That is interesting. In the two or three years that I carried a Zip stove on my section hikes, I never saw a thru-hiker carrying one.

[Wise Old Owl]

I only use existing fire rings, usually at shelters or established camping areas. Otherwise I'll use a stove. But by getting rid of all the existing rings, don't you in some ways just wind up getting more new ones? Just wondering. It would seem that the best scenario is that people lessen impact by using existing rings rather than find all the old ones unusable and wind up building a new one.

I am not sure, my source was watching a PBS program on Trail Maintaining in the Whites. I found it very interesting as they were taking state parks that were trashed by too much traffic and discussing in detail how to fix the areas. The before and after was very dramatic. The work of the young volunteers was impressive.



Earl Shaffer didn't even have a tent, less a jet boil... yes he did use wood - someone mentioned his book Walking with Spring and I am into the first three chapters, very good read...

[shelterbuilder]

I know that when I find a new firering on my section of trail, I'll toss the rocks as far into the brush as possible, scatter the ash/charcoal, and try to cover the evidence as best I can. It's a never-ending battle, but if you stop trying, I really think that you're saying that one person can't make a difference. And we can, you know....

Just sayin'.

terrapin, I get the feeling that most thru-hikers feel that, after "day after day" of hiking, there are better uses of your "down time" than having to gather fuel for a cook fire. I can understand this. Still, a "campfire" of any size - even one contained in a ZipStove - is psychologically re-assuring (at least to me) on some very ancient, primal level.

[rafe]

terrapin, I get the feeling that most thru-hikers feel that, after "day after day" of hiking, there are better uses of your "down time" than having to gather fuel for a cook fire. I can understand this. Still, a "campfire" of any size - even one contained in a ZipStove - is psychologically re-assuring (at least to me) on some very ancient, primal level.

Agree on all counts... I eventually got tired of the fuss & bother of the Zip.

[Appalachian Tater]

Alcohol is pretty environmentally-friendly. An alcohol stove with fuel weighs less than a Zip.

On the other hand, gathering a few twigs for cooking takes little time. Wouldn't the main objection be the mess? Smoke also prevents you from stealthing.

One trick is to select nice firewood on the way to get water and pick it up on your way back to camp.

[TACKLE]

If I got to a shelter before anyone was there,I'd light my Zip Stove in the shelter,and smoke out the bugs and mice so bad,they'd split for the night.

[take-a-knee]

If you like to cook with wood just buy a Bushbuddy, that eliminates the firering/scar problem.

[cowboy nichols]

I've used my zip for years and love it . It also is great when we have power outages. I have to have my coffee .

[Tinker]

I used a Zipp for a few years and still have it. Occasionally I think about taking it, but, really, it is a bit heavy compared with a few Esbits and a Heineken pot.
Its best aspect, in my opinion, is that you can build your fire in a contained area, and when your cooking is done, you can dump the ashes into a stream to make sure they're out. Try that with a campfire!
AND......... they're good for cooking (grilling) hot dogs, sausages, etc. Just bring a skewer about 16" long (I guess you could use it as a tent stake, but you never really know what's in the dirt your stake goes into.........).

[Nearly Normal]

Nothing wrong with cooking over a fire except the extra clean up. Keeping things "clean" is problem enough without the soot.

[TACKLE]

and toasting bagels

[Sailor (The other one)]

A cooking fire involves collecting sticks from the ground that are no bigger around than your finger and using those. Green, freshly cut wood will not work. So no living tree is harmed in collecting the wood and I submit that the small amount taken will not adversely affect the environment unless many, many take the smll amount - something that is unlikely as most will not accept the downside to wood stoves -- soot.

Exactly.
You only need a tiny fire to boil water so you need little wood and there need be no trace at all. Learned this when I joined the scouts 40 years ago.

[NorthCountryWoods]

Exactly.
You only need a tiny fire to boil water so you need little wood and there need be no trace at all. Learned this when I joined the scouts 40 years ago.

Yup.

The little woodstoves can't consume much anyway, but learned as a kid from my Native Alaskan friend how not to make a "white mans fire".

[Lost Boy]

Alright, glad to hear we are all on the same page with this. Is there an easy way to find out when there is a fire ban?

If you haven't already, pick up the 2007 Long Trail Guide. It breaks the trail up into sections and at the beginning of each section it gives you info on fires - whats allowed and whats not. If your allowed to have a fire in that section then there is no reason why you cant cook on it...

[weary]

A cooking fire involves collecting sticks from the ground that are no bigger around than your finger and using those. Green, freshly cut wood will not work. So no living tree is harmed in collecting the wood and I submit that the small amount taken will not adversely affect the environment unless many, many take the smll amount - something that is unlikely as most will not accept the downside to wood stoves -- soot.

The dead sticks that are used for trail fires will soon decay anyway, releasing the same CO2 and other gases that burning releases. At least that is what the chemists I've talked to tell me. So burning is truly carbon neutral.

Fire closures in Maine, anyway, aren't announced in advance. They totally depends on what the weather has produced. You can't get a fire permit when conditions are dry. Once it rains burning over night becomes legal again.

I've been trying all spring to burn some invasive multi-floral roses and choke cherry brush I cut last fall to reopen my view of the water. I've managed to burn most of it. I'm waiting for a good rain before I finally burn the left over unburned ends and a few scattered piles of brush.

Weary

[NorthCountryWoods]

Alright, glad to hear we are all on the same page with this. Is there an easy way to find out when there is a fire ban?

Nothing easy. Fire restrictions change on a daily basis. It's been quite a few years since there were any summer time fire bans that I remember. They are usually early season, before thing green up and the trails are still snow covered.

The NOAA website has fire forecasts and warnings here.

They used to have fire danger scales on the ANR website, but not anymore.

Links to info about camping fires and fire statistics on the Division of Forestry site, but nothing up to the minute.

If I remember correctly the GMC website would have any fire dangers posted, but not sure if they post anything at trailheads into risky areas.