Playing with fire!!

Yesterday I went out for, what I THOUGHT, was going to be a short 2 mile hike, 1 in, 1 out, to play around with a couple stoves. I recently picked up a Svea123R off Ebay for $35. The person selling it said that it was an incomplete set, as it didn't come with the cleaning needle. If you aren't familiar with this type of stove, there were 2 models: the original 123, which was sold with a cleaning needle tool, and the 123R, which replaced it sometime in the 70s, I believe, and had the integral needle. The easiest way to identify the two models is that the older one has a control key that looks like a standard key, and the newer model has a control key with cutouts of the bolts that hold the stove together, so that it doubles as a maintenance tool. Also, on the older model stove, the control stem angles down at 45 degrees, and the newer one comes straight out.
Looking at it online, I assumed this person didn't know the difference, as, even a USED 123R goes for about $50. So, anyway, I took a chance, thinking that, even if the needle WAS broken, I could by the part, and still save money.
Well, come to find out, it was, in fact, the newer model and, sure as hell, the needle worked! So, I picked up a fantastic stove, for a fantastic price!
Anyway, so, I decided yesterday that I wanted to go try it out. I hiked into my local woods about a mile. A place I have been many, many times before. A nice place by a local pond, with a fantastic lunch view. I took a couple pics of my stoves in action, and will attach them below. I still prefer my solo wood gasifier stove, as, in New England, I am never without fuel. The Svea will accompany me on winter trips though, for sure.
So, as to the hike. I STARTED to go back the way I came. Then, I came across a trail I'd never been on before. So, I figured, what the hell, lets see where this goes. Then, another trail. I'm not quite sure how big the town forest is, square acreage wise, but I know that there are 27 miles of trails in the forest that wind back & forth, connecting one with another. Needless to say, by the time I figured out exactly where I was, I figured I was about the farthest away I possibly could be from my jeep, about 2 miles straight line. 3 miles by trail. I had about 2 hours of daylight left, and figured I'd be cutting it close. So, I set to it. And, obviously, made it. I also wanted to give my (fairly) new moccasins a good trial in the woods. Not a 7 mile trial, but, initially, a 2 mile, give or take. Well, after 7 miles, I can attest that the moccasins held up just fine. My feet, on the other hand, are still in tenderfoot mode. They were SORE-largely because they simply aren't used to that long of a walk, without any sort of unnatural support. My guess is, over time, my feet will adjust. It will just take some time. Anyway, I managed to take a couple of pictures while I was out-stove shots, gear, and a couple of interesting trees and burls on my wanderings.
 First shot is the Svea123R. The pot is a Solo Stove pot, which has nice markings on the side-stamped-showing ounces:

 

Next up is my usual Solo stove, doing its thing:

 

Next up, obligatory pipe and coffee shot (this is a Dr Grabow pipe-I call it my Wanderer pipe):

 

An interesting burl I saw on my walk (notice the termite dust):

 

A cluster of mushrooms I haven't identified (I know nothing about mushrooms):

 

 

FINALLY the road home!