Help! Where to find denatured alcohol and aquamira inside Tetons or Yellowstone Park?

Brendan, Here are a few options…

You can use a product called HEET which is gas line anti freeze (I think). It is sold in many gas stations and truck stops. It is much easier to find. It will burn just fine in an alcy stove.

I think you should be able to fly with aquamira. Anyone know differently. But if not you can use Mircopur tablets instead. I have flown with these no problem.

Jamie

190 proof Everclear is sold legally in WY. It's an excellent fuel for alcohol stoves and being ethanol it contains more BTUs per ounce than methanol products such as HEET. As a bonus it can add a nice flavor note to hot chocolate. Here's some liquor stores in Jackson:

http://liquor-stores.dapeem.com/Jackson-wy.html

Be sure to ask for and get the 190 proof. 151 proof Everclear contains too much water.

G

I would say your best bet is in Jackson. I seem to remember there being a hardwear store there and they usually have it.

Like Jamie noted, HEET (in the Yellow bottle) may be your best bet. I purchased some in Jackson a couple of times at convenience stores. I would bet that little gas station off the Rockfellar Parkway at Colter has it. You can also ask the rangers when you pick up your permits if they have any left from other hikers. You can't carry that stuff on a plane (as you seem to know) so in some places rangers will take what wasn't used by hikers and give it out to people (note: I know they do on BLM land – not sure about the NP's though)

Good luck…

Hitch hike into jackson from the airport. Teton Mountaineering will have Aqua-Mira.

And the hardware store will have de-natured alcohol.

THe gas station in Moose will have HEET. And so will DORNANS in Moose.

M!

Thanks for the help.

Moosley Seconds in Moose has Aquamira but no alcohol. I called Dornans and spoke to the trading post/gas station. The person I spoke to said they did not sell HEET. Everyone says they sell white gas and propane and don't know anything about alcohol stoves.

I will keep my eyes open when I am in the stores and gas stations.

The devil is in the details.

I flew from the US to Canada two weeks ago with Aqua Mira in my carry on. I was a little uneasy about it too, but I put it in a ziplock bag with my contact lens solution and other liquids and they didn't ask any questions about it.

Dornan's in Moose is a normal resupply for me for GTNP. They have Aqua Mira drops – usually. It's just N of the airport a few miles, at the S end of GTNP.

All the gas stations there, and in Y-Stone, have HEET. So does the general store at Flagg Ranch, at the N end of GTNP.

I would take Gordon's advice. You can't get the high alcohol Everclear in every state, so it seems like a shame to not take advantage of where you are. It is probably the best stove alcohol out there (no need to worry about nasty fumes). It is probably a bit more expensive than denatured alcohol, but Wyoming probably doesn't have really high alcohol taxes (I have no idea, but I'm just guessing).

THe airport in J'Hole is close to town. Just take a shuttle from the airport to town, walk into the hardware store in Jackson, and you'll be set.

That's a 20 minute drive. And a 10 minute walk. Then, sticking yer thumb out will get you to Moose in less than a half hour. Easy. All done.

I got aquamira from Moosely Seconds in Moose. And it turned out I was able to meet up with my dad who came down from Bozeman and he brought me a can of denatured alcohol.

But I did look out for HEET when we stopped for gas. I found one bottle of the red HEET in the gas station at Colter Bay Village. I looked for it in the gas stations general stores etc. at Old Faithful and Mammoth in Yellowstone and down in Jackson but did not find any type of HEET or alcohol.

Teton Mountaineering had one can of denatured alcohol.

I saw a lot of white gas, and canisters.

The trip was with my wife and 7 year old daughter. We did Hellroaring to Gardiner over 4 days and 3 nights. Base pack weight was about 10 pounds. My wife carried her share and I carried 15 with my daughter at about 5. I will try to post a trip report in the next could of days.

Thanks to all for your help. This was my second trip with the family with lightweight gear which I mainly learned about here on the forum and from the book.

Right ON! I love that area, and you did it with your 7 year old daughter??? Wow, more power to you!

Mike C!

I posted the whole vacation on my facebook and I think you can access the pics from this link, or friend me. The Black Canyon backcountry trip is in the middle.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030836&id=1412104751&l=a853587388

Summary of Gear list was as follows:
Golite Pinnacle packs
Jacks R Better Quilts
Neoair pads
Rainshadow II Tarptent
Cat food can stove, beer can pot/cup, car sunshade coozy, freezer bag cooking. Home made dehydrated foods.

With a 7 year old, coming from hot, flat, suburban florida, with airline flights and baggage weight restrictions, etc. I don't know if we could have done it with traditional heavy gear. But with the simplified gear, light pack weights, and the small baggage amount everything was very managable. The trip was super fun.

Mike, I learned to ski from your really cool telemark tips book!

link doesn't work… just takes to homepage to log in

Brendan wrote:

"Mike, I learned to ski from your really cool telemark tips book!"

Right ON Tele-Brother!