Laboring on Mt. Langley, 14,026 ft.

Mt. Langley viewed from the Cottonwood Lakes

With summer coming to an end it was time to try to squeeze in the last backpacking trip of the season. A friend who had done Mt. Whitney with me the summer prior had been wanting do Mt. Langley at 14,026 ft. ever since. A few of us at the office chatted about it and figured the Labor Day weekend would be a nice chance for us to sneak away for a 3 day backpacking trip to another of California’s fourteeners.

Getting our permit proved a little difficult. We had planned on taking the Cottonwood Lakes trail and doing an out and back in either two or three days. When we called for a permit they could not accommodate our group on our selected weekend. It just so happened I was heading by the ranger station in Lone Pine the following weekend so I stopped in to talk with them. They confirmed that we could not reserve permits for the Cottonwood Lakes trail that weekend. I then asked the magic question, “If I wanted to climb Mt. Langley on Labor Day weekend what other route might I take to do it that does have available permits.” Funny how a “no” becomes a “yes” so quickly as I was advised I could head out on the Cottonwood Pass trail and approach Langley from the western side, cross over and exit by way of the Cottonwood Lakes trail. It would be less populated, more scenic, and most importantly, we would be descending the eastern side of the Army Pass rather than going up it which would be much easier. Needless to say, I reserved the permits immediately!

Our group ultimately consisted of coworkers Mike and Clark as well as Clark’s wife Michelle and another friend of mine, Kevin. We had all done Mt. Whitney together the year prior as a day trip and were looking forward to a 3 day backpack trip up another of the easier fourteeners.

Clark and Michelle headed out on the Friday afternoon prior to our start date to pick up the permits in Lone Pine before the ranger station closed at 6PM. They got the permits with no problem and headed up to Horseshoe Meadows to get a couple campsites for the night. I headed up with Mike and Kevin later that night and arrived about 1AM. We all wanted to spend a night at the trailhead to acclimatize as it is at 10,000 ft.

Leaving the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead.

Morning came and we all packed up our stuff. We decided what we had duplicates of and  left some things behind. One water filter was all we needed (more on that later) and we trimmed down on a few other small items. By 9:30 we were ready to go and hit the trail.

The first issue on our hike happened less than a mile in. I always bring my big Canon digital SLR camera on trips up fourteeners as the views are so incredible that I hate sacrificing the picture quality with a lightweight point and shoot. Unfortunately my camera began misbehaving and electronically locking up. I debated running back to the truck and dropping off the 2.2 pound millstone hanging from my yoke strap. Fortunately we made a stop and I removed the battery and memory card and reseated them and all was well.

A little foot surgery for Michelle.

Not too much farther along as we were climbing the Cottonwood Pass, Michelle needed to stop for a foot issue. She had gotten a blister on her foot two weeks prior walking around the Del Mar race track while playing the ponies. It had acted up a week before on a conditioning hike as well. Fortunately we had the technique down and out came some blister bandaids as well as some duct tape to keep them in place. Patched up, we moved on.

Wildflowers at Chicken Spring Lake.

We crossed through the Cottonwood Pass and the huge valley between the Western Sierra ridge and Eastern ridge was before us. Big Whitney Meadow was due west, down in the bottom of the valley and it looked wonderful. We stayed high on the ridge and travelled north to Chicken Spring Lake, our lunch and water stop.

Kevin's pizza masterpiece!

The lake was beautiful and we were all ready for lunch. We dropped our packs and prepared our feasts. Kevin had the most interesting lunch consisting of a fresh made bagel pizza topped with some fresh tomato he sliced up right there. We all agreed that if we had an extra day, spending the night here would be great.

Our first view of Mt. Langley.

We proceeded on, traversing along northward toward Rock Creek and the Soldier Lakes. Our official destination was lower Soldier Lake but from the map it looked a little past our trail we would be taking in the morning up Rock Creek so we decided if Rock Creek had water, we would camp there instead. Having passed on filling up with water at Chicken Spring Lake to keep our pack weight down, we were all running low. Before we had made it to Rock Creek we all went dry. The last 45 minutes or so to Rock Creek were tough as we were all tired due to the 11 mile long hike and we were thirsty!

Michelle cools her feet in Rock Creek.

We arrived at Rock Creek not only to find a wonderful little meadow and the creek flowing but also to discover a great place to make camp just off the trail. We dropped our packs and headed down to the creek to drink plenty of water to replenish our depleted bodies. We all took the opportunity to cool off and put our feet in the water as well.

Big Dipper setting over Joe Devel Peak.

We had a fun evening cooking up different meals, playing a little Uno and finally heading off to bed. We were not looking forward to the elevation gain in the morning but we all were excited to summit. The weather had been great so far and the forecast called for clear skies, little wind with nights around 30 and days just under 50 degrees. The clear skies meant excellent night skies and the stars were plentiful. I set up my tent hoping to get a picture of the Big Dipper setting over Joe Devel Peak later that evening which I was able to get just before falling asleep.

The morning was cold as expected but we were all up by 6:30. It took us awhile to get going and we rolled out of camp at 9AM. Surprisingly the trail up Rock Creek to the Army Pass was not as bad as any of us had anticipated. Bt 10:30AM we had made it to the top of the pass where we would stash our full packs and transition to lightweight summit packs as there was no need to carry stoves, tents and sleeping bags up and back down.

Kevin on a class 3 section.

I had estimated that morning that it would take about 4 hours from camp to the summit of Mt. Langley. We headed out along the ridge leading to the steeper climb up Mt. Langley. The route was easy to follow although no official trail exists. As we approached the steep section, Kevin and I had pulled away from the others. We have all found it best to just hike our own pace at these high elevations and regroup at the summit. We were all faced with a decision, what route to take. Faint use trails were everywhere and you could see people both ascending and descending on numerous different paths. Kevin and I picked one and went for it. We did need to pack our poles away as at times we needed our hands for some easy class 3 work. Before long we were through the hardest part and looking for the highest point ahead of us.

The crew on the summit.

Unlike Mt. Whitney, you do not see 50 or more people hanging out on the summit. Kevin and I headed for what looked like the high point but we only saw a couple people there. We figured it must be it as they had their packs off. We finally arrived, 5 minutes ahead of my SWAG (Scientific Wild A** Guess) figure of 4 hours to the summit. Here we were at 14, 026 ft., my fifth California fourteener and third this season. The altitude has certainly slowed us down but we both felt good and had an appetite. We ate lunch and celebrated and kept an eye out for the rest of crew who were out of sight.

About an hour later the rest of the crew arrived. They too were very hungry and quite tired, just as Kevin and I were an hour ago. They ate, signed the log book, got pictures taken and were ready to head down by 2:30PM. The wind had picked up considerably from when we had first arrived and lots of smoke was blowing in from the Central Valley from a fire over there. Kevin made a SWAG on our return time to our packs at the top of the pass. When everyone arrived at the packs, his prediction was dead on!

Army Pass. Glad we came down it rather than up it!

We had met some very nice folks on Langley that day. A really nice guy by the name of Dave asked us where we were headed to. We told him we were going to overnight at the Cottonwood Lakes at the bottom of the Army Pass. He laughed and said, “Well the good news is that you only have to go about 20 ft.” We walked the 20 ft. to the top of the Army Pass and understood exactly what he meant. The pass is a darn near vertical wall with one of the lakes at its base. It was hard to envision there was a trail that would take us down this but there was. It was very steep and blocked by some rock falls in a few places but we managed to make our way down.

We had spotted the lakes below earlier in the day and had a good idea where we were headed to camp. We finally found a prime spot near the largest of the Cottonwood Lakes and made camp. We were all hoping for a swim but the sun dropped over the pass about 10 minutes after we arrived at the lake and I did not want to be wet and in the shade. Clark however went for it and fully submerged himself in the frigid lake. His speech was temporarily impaired as the cold water played tricks with his facial muscles.

Back at camp we set up a perfect little kitchen complete with granite counter top and comfy granite chairs. As this was our last night and we did not want to pack out any extra food, we really had a feast. Clark got things going with some freshly made chicken quesadillas that he shared with everyone. We all made our individual meals and did some sharing of those as well. I had brought a raspberry crumble dessert that was a favorite on a recent Cub Scout backpacking trip and all agreed it was great. The coup de grace was when Clark cooked up some fresh popcorn on his backpacking stove. We ate for over two hours that night and capped the evening with another game of Uno.

Clark's Cranberry biscuit.

The morning came and it was time to pack up for the final hike out. Clark made some cranberry biscuits that morning that were quite good. The water pump had developed an issue the day prior and made water purification a little difficult. I had opted to go all natural on this trip and filter nothing while everyone else relied on the filter and later on the purification tablets we had brought as backup. We boiled water as well and topped off our water bladders for the trip out.

The hike out made us appreciate the location we were in that much more. It was so beautiful in the Cottonwood Lakes basin with numerous lakes and wonderful meadows. I would enjoy hiking back into this area just to spend time exploring and playing in the lakes and fishing. It was about 7 miles or so back the parking lot and our cars. In total the trip was around 27 miles. We all got to spend some great time on all new trails for us and are inspired to explore this area in the future.

Full album of pictures from this trip are available here.

Organizing our first Webelos Backpacking Adventure

The Den pointing the way.

While many of my adventures are on big mountain peaks, I also enjoy spending time in the backcountry with my kids. As a Webelos Den Leader for my son’s Cub Scout Pack I get to spend time with kids and help educate them on the outdoors and hopefully get them engaged in outdoor activities.

I asked my Den parents if they would be interested in an overnight backpacking trip. They knew I enjoyed this sort of thing and they were supportive of the idea. To help prepare the boys for future outings we had built alcohol stoves as a Den project early in the year so that they all at least had a good backpacking stove. We begged and borrowed enough gear to get the small group of Webelos Cub Scouts outfitted with the appropriate gear for the trip.

In preparation for the trip, we held a couple of Den meetings to discuss backpacking. We covered appropriate clothing for hiking, backpack fitting and packing, sleeping bags and pads as well as cooking and water purification. I did my best to emphasize that the lighter your pack, the more fun you will have.

As you may recall from prior posts like Taking Your Child on Their First Backpacking Trip, I want to make the trip fun to encourage future participation in hiking and backpacking. I have found that shorter, flatter hikes with some feature or cool destination seems to be the key to making a trip fun for kids. I also like to have water available when I get there to minimize the weight that must be carried and it makes for good playtime as well. Cooler temperatures found at higher elevations are also a must for a summer hike to avoid wearing out these youngsters.

Making our way to camp.

With these requirements for a location, I have to look long and hard for somewhere local that meets my expectations. I was fortunate enough to find what I was looking for in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. I have backpacked and day hiked there several times in the past but they have been trips to the high mountain peaks. Fortunately there are also some great hikes there that met our needs for this trip. We would start at the Forsee Creek trailhead at about 7,000 ft. The temps in the summer are mild at this elevation and our forecast was for days in the mid 70’s and evenings in the mid 50’s. Perfect hiking weather! Our destination was John’s Meadow, a 3.9 mile adventure along a very slight incline.

We gathered the group at the trailhead. We had three of our Webelos, our Boy Scout Den Chief and his older brother, a Boy Scout, plus three adults including myself, all leaders. We would have an additional Scout and his much older brother joining us later in the day. We headed out on the trail after emphasizing proper hydration and trail etiquette.

Looks heavy but he is carrying less than 20 lbs.

The hike starts out going uphill which fortunately did not generate too many complaints. We arrived rather quickly at our first trail junction and took the opportunity to go over the topo map I had distributed to all the boys. I made sure to point out where we started, where we were at currently as well as what features to look for along the trail to help identify exactly where we were on the map.

We made surprisingly great time getting to camp. We took a couple or rest stops and snack breaks and made it to John’s Meadow just a little after noon. The boy’s were very excited as they discovered a wood fort in camp which we decided to use as our kitchen area. We all ate lunch and set up our tents. Now it was time to goof off!

Adjacent to camp is Foresee Creek. The boys were heading there to get water and I tagged along as I wanted to get wet. What started as a quick trip to the creek turned into a 3 hour visit with splashing, soaking and for some of the boys, full on submersion in the frigid creek. We filtered water and drank plenty while we were there. It was great to see these boys having such a great time doing something as simple as playing in a creek. It was nice to see kids entertained without a Nintendo or any other electronic device. Our last Scout and his older brother hiked in and met us at the creek as we were about to pack up. We all headed back to camp together and our Den Chief broke out a couple Velcro paddles and a ball and the boys proceeded to play catch for at least another hour. It was so nice to see Scouting in action!

Cooling off our feet in Forsee Creek.

Den Cheif shows the boys how it is done!

Great view up Foresee Creek

Wood fort we used as our kitchen.

Pumping water with our filter.

Brothers on the trail.

Our late arrivers join us at the creek.

Around 6PM or so we decided to begin our dinners. I left meal planning up to each parent/child combo as I cannot predict who will like what. I also like to see the boys involved in choosing their meals based on some of the guidelines we had taught them in our preparation meetings. Most of the boys used their homemade alcohol stoves to heat their water and prepare their dinners. For a treat I had brought along a couple backpacking desserts I picked up at REI the day prior. We whipped up a dark chocolate cheesecake as well as a raspberry crumble and shared them. The raspberry crumble won the taste test unanimously.

Dinner time. Alcohol stove in center of picture.

As it was getting dark we all broke out our headlamps. There were a few more orders of business to attend to. We had all the boys brush their teeth and then put all their smellables in the bear canisters we had brought. We discussed why our kitchen area was away from our tents and the importance of rounding up all of our smellable items and keeping them in this area. The final order of the day was a few games of Uno played by headlamp using a bear canister as our card table. By about 8:30PM we called it a night and headed off to our tents.

Packed up and ready to head out.

We rose early the next morning. The boys were really getting the hang of camp life out on the trail. Again the alcohol stoves came out and breakfasts were made. We picked up camp quite quickly and were back on the trail heading out. We had our Boy Scouts lead and the Webelos followed. For a first backpacking trip for many involved it was wonderful to see them all doing so well. We made it back to the trailhead in about 2 hours and all headed nearby for a nice lunch. While there I was able to ask all the boys if they had a great time. I was very pleased when they all answered “yes!” I then asked the most important question, “would you like to go backpacking again?” Fortunately I got the same reply!

It would appear that I have created a few new backpackers along with the help of my fellow Scout Leaders. We would like to get more of our Den involved and are already thinking of where and when to go out again. If you know a youngster in need of a first backpacking experience, please get them out on the trail. It not only gives them a great experience but also will reward you in ways you can only discover for yourself.

Fabricating Your Own Alcohol Stove System

So you want to build an alcohol stove do you? Well I was faced with this same question a little over a year ago after my son won a Pepsi can alcohol stove at a Scout Fair. I was impressed with the weight but it lacked what looked like any type of self contained useable system so I began to research the topic. For a great resource I would suggest Zen Stoves.

I will save you hours of searching for a stove design and all accompanying items that make the stove a useful tool. It is not just the stove but also the pot, pot stand, windscreen and other pieces that make the system I will describe into a complete cook system. I have used it many times on day hikes as I got tired of eating a sandwich at the summits and wanted more. I have taken it on 4 day backpack trip as my sole cooking setup and been very pleased. When combined with freezer bag cooking you have an ultra reliable and ultra simple system. Best of all, your complete stove and cooking set will weigh in at about 5 oz!

I want to stress that I did not invent any of this. I have taken many peoples different ideas and refined them into this stove system. I have spent hours in my garage on rainy days testing different ideas and concepts to develop this system. There are plenty of ideas out there that sound good and even look impressive but when tested fail miserably.

The Stove and Fuel:

After much research I chose the Super Cat alcohol stove for my design. Please view this link as it provides everything you would want to know about the stove, how it works and excellent instructions on making one. I have used them with holes made from a hole puncher at ¼ inch as well as ones with holes at 3/16 inch from a Whitney punch as described. Both work just fine but I prefer the 3/16 holes as my testing proved a faster boil and less wind interference. While several variants are discussed I just use the basic supercat. I chose it because it was simple to make, does not require a pot stand or priming pan and you can easily see how much fuel you have added to it. Make sure to use the 3 oz. Fancy Feast or potted meat can as the flare fits the pot I recommend perfectly. He also provides lots of great information on fuels. I just stick with SLX Denatured Alcohol from Home Depot but I have used the Ace Hardware house brand and had identical results.

The Cookpot:

There is plenty of info out there to overwhelm you. While you can spent over $60 for a lightweight titanium mug to cook in I have found that a $3 25oz. can of Heineken works perfectly, and you get to drink the contents as well! This can is better than the large Fosters can as it is more sturdy due to the shape and the bottom fits the supercat stove better when built with the Fancy Feast cat food can. All you need to do is use a side cutting or safety can opener and remove the top of the can. It can be a little tricky and some openers work better than others. Save the top you removed for a lid or a little heavier but a great fitting lid is the top from an Altoids Citrus Sours can.

One of the reasons this pot/stove combo works so well is that the thin wall pot absorbs heat all the way up the sides giving a much larger surface area to conduct heat through. There are many people out there that like to wrap their pot with fiberglass wick or other non flammable material to keep from burning their hand when grabbing the pot. I have wrapped one with a fireproof blanket I trimmed down to cover a 2 inch wide section of the middle of the pot and as I had expected, my boil times went way up. While the fireproof material is cooler to touch, it takes away pot surface area that was transferring heat. My suggestion is to either wear a glove or use a handkerchief to keep from burning your hand on the hot pot.

Windscreen:

The alcohol stove has a drawback in that it performs very poorly with any type of wind. To counter this you need a good windscreen. For lots of background on windscreens and other wind devices visit here. One can be easily fabricated from thin aluminum roof flashing available at your local home repair store. I use some stuff I picked up at Home Depot although I had to buy a 25 ft. roll. I get the 8 inch wide roll as it covers both the stove and pot. To fabricate, simply cut enough off the roll to form a 4 ½ diameter circle with about a ¾ inch overlap (about 16 inches of material). A good pair of scissors will cut this just fine. Slightly round the corners once cut.

Along one of the long sides of the flashing you will need to punch some holes so your stove can get air to keep burning. Get out your hole punch with ¼ holes and proceed to punch holes on ½  inch centers all along one side about ¾ inch up from the edge. I tested many different openings in calm and wind conditions and found this to be the best based on shortest time to produce a boil.

Now you need a way to hold this in its circle shape as it wants to spring flat. To make this easier you need to remove the temper in the metal itself. Use some old wire (with no insulation) and make a circle with a 4 ½ inch diameter, twist the ends so it holds shape and slide it over your rolled windscreen. Place this in your oven in your home and heat to 400 degrees F. for 45 minutes and then turn off the oven and let it cool with the oven closed. When done it should keep its new curved shape fairly well.

To finish off the windscreen you need a way to hold it together to maintain the proper shape. The wire worked for the oven but needs to be improved upon for field use. I tried combinations of hardware and special slots and folds when I stumbled across a write up for the windscreen beltbuckle. This rather simple device solves the problem and weighs nearly nothing. Cut a strip of flashing about 9 inches long and ¾ inches wide. Slightly round the corners and lay it along the side of your circular windscreen from top to bottom where the windscreen overlaps. You should have about a ½ inch of overlap on top and bottom. Simply fold over the top and bottom to form a clamp and squeeze to pinch the windscreen and hold its shape. Holes can be punched in the buckle to reduce the weight if desired.

The first few times you use the windscreen it will give off a little smoke and smell funny as a coating on the flashing burns off so don’t be alarmed. It will also discolor a little and look burnt. This is normal.

Cozy:

The final item to manufacture is the pot cozy. This is the item that will help your pot retain heat once you have heated your water and keep you from burning your hand when you drink hot beverage from it. This is made from a material called Reflectix and is held together with aluminum tape or duct tape. The aluminum tape is more durable and looks more professional but duct tape can be used. For the background I have provided additional information here under Mods for your Mug, see Mod 3.

Fabrication of the cozy is explained fairly well under Mods for your Mug. You will need an 18” long piece of the 16” wide Reflectix product. Cut a 13” long piece of the aluminum tape and apply half of it to the thin, non bubble section along one edge as shown. Fold the non bubble section over and tape down. Measuring from the folded tape edge, come down 5 ¾” and cut out a piece that is 5 ¾” by 13”. You should now have a rectangular piece with the tape along one side. Fit this to your pot and trim as needed so that the edges just touch, there is no overlap and the pot can easily slide out. The pot will expand slightly with heat so a slightly looser fit is OK. Follow the same instructions to make a second one to go around the first but this time use a 14 1/2” strip of tape and cut a piece that is 14 1/2” by 5 ¾”. Complete the bottoms as shown in the link. Make sure you make the bottom on the end of your circular cozy that does not already have tape on it.

When complete, the smaller cozy will fit the pot and larger one can be either doubled up on the bottom cozy or used like a cover to slide over the top of the pot and smaller cozy to make an insulated chamber.

Accessories:

You now need a few little items to complete the whole package. You need a fuel bottle to store your fuel in. I use a flip top 4 oz. bottle from REI or Sport Chalet but any bottle with a flip top that will fit inside your pot will work. A silicone wrist band (like the Lance Armstrong yellow bands) is another item you need. This is used to place around the mouth of the pot to prevent you from burning your lip when drinking from it. You need a way to light this thing so either matches or a flint and steel (my preference) goes in the pot. Lastly, you need an eating utensil. A plastic spoon is OK but I have broken and melted a few so I now carry an aluminum spork.

That sums up the making of the ideal cook kit. I have provided instructions for the packing and use of your new stove system below. I hope you enjoy it and get as much use out of yours as I have mine. I have had my Cub Scout Webelos Den make these and the kids were very excited. You have never seen a child so excited to boil water! They also make great gifts for your backcountry friends.

I am considering offering the materials in a kit. Please contact me if you are interested.

Alcohol Stove Operating Instructions: 

This stove is a complete cookset if used as described below. No additional pots, pans or other cooking items other than your preferred eating utensil are required ( I use an aluminum spork).

Fuel:

Use denatured alcohol from the hardware store. There are other alcohol based fuels out there and you can read up on those but denatured alcohol is the most consistent from my tests. NEVER USE WHITE GAS OR GASOLINE!!!

Setup:

Remove all items from the complete stove set. Set the stove (the small catfood can with the two rows of holes) on a non flammable flat surface. You may want to carry a piece of aluminum foil to place under the stove to protect the ground but that is optional. Next you need to get the windscreen ready so open it up to form a 4 ½ circle. You should just have about ¾ inch of overlap when formed correctly. Use the long metal strip to pinch the windscreen at the overlap to maintain the correct shape.  Add an appropriate amount of water to heat in the Heineken pot and place lid on pot.

Getting it started:

Add alcohol to the stove. The appropriate amount depends on many factors including water temp, air temp, wind, quantity of water and desired finish temp. When boiling 2 cups of water in cool weather I would add fuel right up to the lower set of holes in the stove. You may be able to use less but this is a good start point and will let you see how long your stove will run for. If only boiling a cup of water with no wind you may be able to get away with half as much fuel or even less. You will need to experiment to work this out as each stove is a little different.

With the fuel added, light it and observe. The flame is nearly invisible during the day so use your hand to determine if it is lit by feeling above the stove for heat. You need to let the stove burn until you start to see little bubbles in the alcohol forming near the edges of the stove. This priming phase takes less than 30 seconds typically but may take longer in cold conditions.

Add your pot with water and lid on it to the top of the stove and make sure the silicone lip guard is removed. I would suggest wearing a glove when doing this as some flame does come up the side of the pot as you place it on the stove. With the pot in place slide the windscreen over the pot to protect everything. Make sure the row of holes around the windscreen is at the bottom. Sit back and wait for steam to come out around the lid. If you are going to heat a foil packet of meat or a can of chicken you can place it directly on top of the lid for the stove unopened. It will get warm but not too hot to damage the packaging.

Finishing up:

As this stove is very hot while running, it is suggested you let it burn out before removing your windscreen and pot. Remove the windscreen when the stove has run out of fuel and remove the pot and place in the smaller cozy (the metalized bubble wrap) that snuggly fits the pot preferably with a glove on. Once in the cozy, you no longer need a glove as the pot will be well insulated. If you are making a hot beverage, mix it directly in the pot and place the silicone wrist band around the lip of the pot to make a lip guard so you do not burn your lip on the metal pot while drinking. To keep the fluid warm for a longer period of time, add the larger cozy over the top to seal the pot inside.

Storing:

When finished and it is time to pack it up, make sure the pot is dry. You will first roll up your windscreen and slide it into the pot. Next you need to put the stove into the pot, open end up, and slide it to the bottom of the pot with the windscreen touching the outside of the stove as you slide it down into the pot. Then place your fuel bottle, matches, spork and silicone wrist band into the pot. Place the lid for your pot on top of the windscreen that extends out of the pot. Place the pot lid on the top of the windscreen extending from the pot with the lip of the lid facing down to cover the top edge of the windscreen. Place the smaller cozy over the bottom of the pot and the larger one on the top covering the windscreen and you are all set.

Tips:

 My typical use of this setup includes boiling water, pouring some into a freezer bag meal I have created (adding a can of chicken I heated on top of the pot) and sealing it and placing in the bottom of the large cozy. I will then place the pot with small cozy on top of my meal to trap it between the two. I will them make a hot beverage in the pot while I am waiting on the meal to rehydrate and warm. I will add the lip guard and drink with the whole setup in my hand. Check out freezer bag cooking or FBC as this method is particularly well suited to this type of stove.

I do not claim to be the inventor of any of this stuff, I just came up with a slick way of incorporating several peoples different ideas into one handy setup. If you like it, share it with a friend. For instructions on building one of these please see my blog at http://hikingandscouting.blogspot.com