From: CoopWright@aol.com
Date: Mon Jan 14 2002 - 05:39:05 CST
I have included the section on Stoves and Cooking from the Philmont Advisor's Guide
Stoves
When Coop first went to Philmont in 1958 as a Scout, all cooking was done over an open fire. Backcountry cooking changed a great deal since then (so has Coop!!) and stoves have become an essential part of crew equipment. We typically bring our own stoves
from home. This way we can ensure that they have been thoroughly checked out before hitting the trail. However, most airlines will no longer accept stoves and fuel bottles as baggage and you will have to send them via parcel post or UPS to and from Phi
l
l fuel that may be left in the bottom of the tank and in the generator. Once the stove goes out, pump it up again and let air perform a final purge of the system. Make sure that all fuel bottles are empty and have had a chance to air dry. Remember that
you will have to perform these same procedures when you come off the trail in preparation for your trip home.
Philmont recommends that one stove be carried for each four crewmembers. However, because we use 4-quart pots, we only use two stoves, but carry a third for backup. MSR Whisperlite white gas stoves seem to be the most popular at Philmont, but Peak I, Col
eman Apexes, MSR Dragon Flys, and the new Peak 1 Max butane/propane cartridge stoves have also been seen in the backcountry. White gas and Peak 1 Max cartridges (introduced at Philmont in 1998) are sold at all commissary stops so you need not carry eleve
n
Whatever stove is chosen, it is important that you are familiar with it before you leave home. In his book, The Complete Walker III, Colin Fletcher says that most of the trouble with backpacking stoves comes from stupidity and neglect. Stupidity isn't re
adily curable; neglect is. Check your stove before you leave home and know how to safely operate and maintain your stove on the trail. Stoves demand your crew's respect and care.
Use a wind screen (store bought, natural protected area, or packs and people) to keep your stove lit in windy conditions. Make sure that your crew tops off the stove's fuel tank before starting a meal. It isn't easy to interrupt meal preparation for a re
fill and it can be dangerous with a hot stove. Make sure that your crew does not overfill their stoves. Both Peak 1 and Whisperlite stoves need an air space that can be pressurized when the stove is being pumped up. Beware of large pots. They spill ea
s
k (before you hit the trail) that the gaskets are not cracked and do not leak. Use a funnel or pour spout when filling a stove. Always empty your stove when storing it; old fuel can separate and gum up the generator. Carry a maintenance kit for your sto
ve with you and KNOW how to use it. Better yet, give your stoves a complete check up before you go to Philmont and make sure they are ready for the trail.
The first rule in lighting a stove is not to light it until something is ready to be cooked or boiled. Likewise, never leave a stove burning with nothing on it. Crews waste gas by lighting the stove and waiting for someone to find the pot and get the wat
er. The second rule is to make sure that the fire circle is established. When the cook crew starts working, everyone seems to migrate to the fire circle, drooling at the mouth with cups and spoons in hand. If someone walks through the fire circle, he c
a
A question that is often raised is how much fuel is required? IF 4-quart pots with tightly fitting lids are used for heating water instead of the large 8-quart pot that Philmont issues, and IF dish washing is performed as described in this booklet, and IF
stoves are never lit until the pot is ready to be put on the stove, and IF the pot is taken off the stove immediately after the water reaches a boil and then the food is mixed in, two 32 ounce fuel containers is all that is required and one will last for
Cooking
Although Philmont has both 6-quart billy pots and 8-quart cooking pots available for issue, we recommend bringing your own. You never know what condition Philmont's pots are in and some may be in pretty rough shape after having been used so often. If
you don’t bring your own pots, don’t use Philmont’s 8-quart pots. We have found that backpacking stoves are geared for much smaller pots. At campsites where it is cold and windy (Ute Meadows, Miranda, Copper Park, Ewells Park, Comanch
e
Both Wally and Coop use 4-quart pots only. We have found that most four person supper packs require a quart of water to rehydrate the contents. A 4-quart pot will just barely handle two 4-man supper packs. If you have more food, you may want to spli
t your supper packs, so that you are cooking in two 4-quart pots, a more manageable situation.
Cooking isn't complicated. If you can boil water, you can make a great tasting supper. There are only four rules:
a. Cooks must wash their hands before handling any food. Philmont now provides anti-bacterial hand sanitizer for the cooks. Remember, cooks must also wear closed toe shoes.
b. Read preparation instructions TWICE before starting to cook. There is a big difference to "add contents to boiling water and simmer" as compared to "add water to contents and bring to a boil".
c. Never light the stove until the pot with water is ready to be placed upon the stove.
d. Always measure the water to be heated so that no excess water is heated, thus wasting fuel. Be sure not to measure by removing water from a “supposedly” known quantity in the pot. You’ll probably be wrong and wind up with a wate
ry main dish.
e. Never simmer food on a stove. The water will retain its heat long enough to rehydrate the food and trying to mix food in an 8-quart pot on a hot stove can be dangerous.
Philmont food is not as bad as most make it out to be. In fact, Philmont food is excellent compared to other backpacking camps that we have attended. There are two types of breakfasts at Philmont. The first is the no-cook breakfast that contains
dry cereal or food bars such as the famed pemmican bar (better known as barf bars or adobe bricks). Philmont does not provide powdered milk for dry cereal. If you have members in your crew that can’t handle dry cereal alone, you will have to brin
g
8220; gut sumping” in the Dishwashing section).
Philmont has three types of lunches, all of which are no-cook. Three lunches are squeeze cheese, four lunches are meat spreadables (tuna, ham, chicken and turkey), and three lunches are peanut butter, jelly, and crackers. In 1999, Philmont began phas
ing out the old spreadables and replacing them with a different brand that were better liked.
All suppers must be cooked. Philmont Rangers recommend that only one pot be used for all ingredients. We have found that you may want to add your dehydrated vegetables or rice soups to the water first to allow them to fully cook and soften. This avo
ids crunchy green beans or rice. We have found the soups contained a lot of salt. In cold, wet weather, a pot of soup in the afternoon before supper makes a great pick-me-up. The soup can also be added to the supper entree to spice up the flavor. Don'
t
- Macaroni and Cheese - Lasagna with Beef
- Beef Stroganoff - Turkey Noodle Dinner
- Santa Fe Black Beans and Rice - Chicken and Rice
- Barbeque Beef and Mashed Potatoes - Beef Stew
- Spaghetti with Meat Sauce - Chicken with Wild Rice
Seasonings can really "spice up" the suppers. Philmont only provides small containers of salt and pepper. Once opened, they are almost impossible to reseal and leak over everything. One way to seal that seems to work is to use duct tape. We rec
ommend leaving Philmont's spices at base camp and bringing your own. Dehydrated food tastes much better when you add some of your own spices. Wally's wife Mary has created her own seasoning that was really a big hit with his crew. She combined two part
s
efinitely add a zing to any meal!
The breakfast drink made with hot water is a great pick-me-up for cold mornings. A final note for adults. At the advisor's meeting during your first night at Philmont, be sure and pick up enough coffee supplies to last the ten days on the trail. In
1986 and 1994 (you thought he would have learned), Coop ran out and he and his other advisors went through caffeine withdrawal until they ran into another crew with extra coffee.
Food is packaged in packets for both 2 and 4 people. A 7 - 8 man crew will receive two 4-man food packets per meal; a 9 - 10 man crew will receive two 4-man food packets and one 2-man food packets per meal. The amount of food provided is usually more
than enough to satisfy a crew. However, crews made up extensively of older Scouts or on longer treks may find themselves renotching their belts. You can augment or modify your food supply by using the "Swap-box" which is located at each commissary and
a
Commissaries are resupply depots located at various points along each trek. They provide restocking of food, fuel (a separate purchase), all purpose (AP) paper (better known in the civilized world as toilet paper), trash bags, and Dutch oven supplies.
Depending on your trek, commissary pickups will vary anywhere for 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 days apart. Normal hours of operation are 8 am - noon and 1 pm - 5 pm, but they may open up early or stay open late if you have special requirements. The crew leader and
t
The crew leader should always count the food packets upon receipt. You can also ask the commissary staff for some additional goodies like canned peaches or materials to make a cobbler! Finally, commissaries will also have a small adjoining trading po
st offering batteries, film (caution: they do not carry all types), postcards, stamps (sometimes), trail mix (junk food of the past has been replaced as a result of the recent bear incidents) and a limited assortment of replacement gear. Trading posts ar
e
One final word on food. If you have a picky eater in your crew, now is the time for him to get over it. He will need all the calories he can get by the food provided by Philmont to keep his energy level up on the trail. If he can't eat trail food on
the shakedowns, perhaps he ought to rethink his Philmont decision. You can't have this crewmember lagging behind or getting cold because he refuses to eat what is given him at Philmont.
Cooper Wright
Advisor, Crew 1519
Alexandria, VA
-------------------------------------------------------
Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
-------------------------------------------------------
Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.7 : Thu Mar 13 2003 - 10:37:53 CST