February 28, 2012

I was back out at Umstead SP again today, but early enough to make lunch.  Brother Don was kind enough to send me some single servings of SPAM, now that he and Mary are in Austin, MN -- home of the SPAM museum.  So today I decided to actually use one of the packets and make lunch with it.

At the moment, I'm packing my food in a bear-proof plastic container.  It's a bit heavier than using a bag and hanging it every night, but out west they're become a required item and the latest postings I've seen indicate that the Nation Forest Service has begun requiring them in some spots along the AT.  Along side my food is my cooking kit that includes my 1.1 liter pot, a cup, my alcohol stove, and a windscreen.

Here's basically everything unpacked.  Someone at REI taught me to repackage my couscous (or other food to be rehydrated into 1 qt freezer bags to eliminate the packaging and so that I don't have to clean my cookpot after eating.  It's just used to boil water.  Don and Mary - please note the package of SPAM so prominently displayed.

My alcohol stove runs on denatured alcohol which is readily available at stores and suppliers along the trail.  For this meal, I need to boil about 1 1/4 c of water, so I put about 1 oz of alcohol in the stove and lit it with my handy butane lighter.  You can just see the flame in the center of the stove.

After about a minute, the alcohol heats up and vapors are forced out ports drilled into the side of the stove.  It's very clean burning -- no soot at all, and was hot enough to melt the orginal aluminum foil wind screen that was supplied, so I've fashioned a more durable one from a half a coffee can.

When the ports have lit, the cooking pot with water simply sits on top of the stove, forcing all of the combustible fumes out the ports.

While my water was heating, I broke up that delicious SPAM into my bag with the couscous and spices (I don't care what it looks like  --  TP in this case means toasted pinenuts)

Two minutes later, my water was boiling.

Then the water wad added to the quart bag and in a few more minutes, lunch was ready.

Delicious!

Then everything was packed up 30 minutes after I'd arrived, I was back on the trail.

I don't know if it was the SPAM at lunch or just the glorius February weather (sunny and 63F), but it was a great afternoon for sights on the trail.  Shortly after leaving the shelter where I fixed lunch I happened on pileated woodpecker.

And about an hour later came across trout lilies in bloom along the trail.

Just 3 1/2 weeks before I leave for Georgia.