Breakfast on the Hill - testing the new Solo Stove

I hike mornings, especially when it's cold outside.  I received my new Solo Stove in the mail yesterday.  It's my belief that you have to figure out how to use something new on your own before you take it with you on a camping trip.  That's why I decided to take my stove with me this morning on my hike.  I was going to have breakfast on top of Fort Hill.

I loaded up my small backpack with water, my stove, my fire kit, and my food.  I left home at 8:20 AM,  I arrived at the bottom of Fort Hill by 8:40,  As I was walking up the path, I pulled hanging deadwood off from the trees,  I completely filled my Honduras bag full of small sticks,  When I got to the top of the hill, I laid out all my gear on a picnic table.

I filled my Honduras bag with hanging deadwood.  I pulled deadwood out of the trees as I hiked up the hill to the Fort.  I didn't realize how wet the wood was until I tried to start the fire.  It'll be dry the next time I start a fire.

I placed two cotton balls with Vaseline in the stove.  It has been my best fire starter for years.  On top of the cotton balls, and after I started the fire, I put very small sticks that I had placed in the pill bottle.  It is the perfect size.

 I put the cup with the lid on it on top of the fire.  It took a long time to get the water boiling because I used mostly wet wood to start the fire.  I think I'm going to need to buy some Fatwood to use along with the cotton balls for a good fire.  The Fatwood will keep the fire hot.

It took about 15 minutes to get the water boiling, and the entire time, I fed wood into the stove.  Since the wood was wet, I used my knife to shave off the wet bark from the sticks.  I also kept the sticks quite small.  I will have to do some prepping on the wood at home before my next trip out to start a fire.  I could let it all dry, and then split the bigger pieces in half or quarters.  That will help with the fire.

I had oatmeal and tea this morning on top of Fort Hill.  It was my plan to see how long it took to get my breakfast prepared while on the trail.  It took too long.  I will no longer try to make breakfast on the trail on a weekday.  Weekdays will be for hiking only.  I will make small meals on the trail only on weekends or on Scout trips.

I cut my finger while shaving off the bark from the wet wood.  It is so important that you put duck tape in your hiking kit even if you already have a first aid kit.  I used my first aid kit, but the bandaids in it are crap.  I had to wrap duck tape around the bandaids in order to keep pressure on my finger.  It was a decent size cut, and therefore a lot of blood.  Crappy bandaids alone would not have stopped the bleeding.

This is my first aid kit and my mess after cleaning up from my own bleeding.

This is Fort Hill.  The house in the background was moved from another part of the county, but it was originally build before the Civil War.  There was an actual battle that took place in the earthworks and surrounding in  1864.  The local militia repulsed an attack by Confederate raiders led by General John Hunt Morgan.

I love Fort Hill.  I hike from my house which is below the New State Capitol (built in 1910) to the top of Fort Hill several times a week.  Round trip it is only about 4 miles, but it is good exercise, and it gives me a chance every now and then to practice my Scout craft.

Military Road is a path that leads to the top of Fort Hill from downtown Frankfort.  It is a good path, and was used by local militia to get to the top of the hill during the Civil War.  During the Civil War, the Old State Capital was at the base of Fort Hill.  If the Confederates had taken possession of the Fort during the Civil War, the Confederate Army could have destroyed the State Capitol from the Fort.