Certainly can't argue with anything ST has put forth.......

That being said.......and in no way intentionally trying to be argumentative allow me to flesh out my perspective.

If you don't have a "mission", a "purpose" or a "goal" to achieve while going solo I have found (again just my experience) that a trip can quickly devolve into a melancholy and somber affair.

Smell the roses? Absolutely! I often make it a point while solo to stop after finishing a portage for 5 minutes or so and just observe. That is usually about how long it takes before the local residents go back to doing what they typically do. But then it is back on task! And of course writing is a big part of any outdoor endeavor for me. Not unusual to be writing after breakfast or on a slab of rock in the evening while watching my rod.

What I have noticed is if you stay busy.......put in long hard days you are apt to be less (if at all!) lonely. Plus there is a supremely satisfying feeling of accomplishment when all is said and done. As in........Wow, what a trip!

On the other hand........one must not confuse long hard days with hurrying and being in a rush. Therein lies the trap. There is much that can go wrong when speed becomes the taskmaster.

Perhaps I am sorry to have deviated from the discussion about the stove as what Mat has said has much merit and is worthy of thought.........particularly the solo stove being "tippy" (burns from cooking are the #1 injury) and his tip concerning keeping soot from cross contaminating your entire kit.