After many hours of bushwhacking through pick-up-sticks and talus in the Ferris Mountain Wilderness Study Area, I was hungry. The mile an hour pace through this rough terrain certainly made me want a hearty meal. But also one that would cook quick. And would go down easy.
I had just the meal in my food bag. Something would be just what I needed after a rewarding, but tiring, day. I’d have a TexMex-style dish in the backcountry. Some cheesy bean goodness with a bit of a spice kick. A long da
Ramen noodles. The fifty-cent a pack wonder found in the grocery store aisle in every college town, seemingly in every office vending machine for those corporate workers who work late into the late hours while in a beige box, and found in gargantuan packages the local megamart. Ramen noodles are cheap, filling, and quick to cook. And ramen noodles are many backpackers’ “got to” meal for something that fills the stomach, if not overly tasty, when out far into the backcountry.
But here’
Still hungry after that freeze-dried dinner? Dessert is a great way to boost spirits at the end of a long day, but sometimes it’s just too much hassle. Don’t settle for that spare granola bar before climbing in your sleeping bag, check out this seasonally-inspired solution that doesn’t require too much backcountry culinary prowess but still tastes great.
As you might expect, this backpacking dessert hits the spot at all times of the year, but it seems particularly appropriate for fall
The pumpkin might be the hardest part about this recipe. Prepare it freshly at home and make this meal your first night out. If you have time beforehand, use a dehydrator to save the most weight. If you really want to go old school, take the canned version and a P-38 can opener. You can try this with butternut squash too...which can be purchased freeze-dried. Serves 2.
This pumpkin curry recipe is a great option for when you have a little more time to prepare before a trip and cook on
While I’ve shown how to make dehydrated juices in earlier cuisine recipes, here’s the easiest of all…and you only need dried fruit and a pinch of salt (to add those essential electrolytes). I chose blueberries, cherries and ginger because they are especially high in micronutrients critical for the vitality of backcountry exercise.
Cool Ginger Blueberry Cherry Tea
First the technique: just add a ¼ cup dried fruit and a pinch of salt to your water bottle. Using a wide mouth bottle is bes
A staple technique used in pre-packaged backpacking meals, freeze-drying is a process by which food (typically already cooked or a product that could be eaten raw) is frozen and the pressure in a chamber lowered. As a result moisture in the product is almost completely removed and foods that are freeze-dried can last years or even decades without refrigeration.
A commercially available freeze-dried meal prior to rehydration.
Freeze-Dried Meals Pros & Cons
Compared to at-
Fall is in the air. The nights are getting crisp and the moist leaves on the ground have a pleasant and earthy odor. It is a wonderful time loved by many backpackers. Here’s a quick and simple yet yummy dessert that conjures up visions of autumn. Apples, cranberries, and cinnamon spice….all flavors of the fall. This backcountry apple crisp is a tasty treat for two or a decadent dessert for one.
This backpacking dessert is a perfect complement for chilly fall weather.
Apple Crisp
After a cold day of backcountry skiing, a sheltered spot is found for a campsite. A snug spot located in the trees, it has an excellent view of both Mitchell Lake and the Continental Divide above. The shelter is soon erected, warm and dry clothes are changed into, and the stove is fired up. Dinner is cooked and consumed. But it is not quite ready to be called a night. The sun is setting and the alpenglow on the mountains is delightful. The stove is fired up again. A drink is quickly made. A warm
Why every freeze dried meal out there doesn’t already have a fill line on the packaging is a bit of mystery, but luckily we can memorize our own. For example, most Mountain House meals call for either 1 ⅓, 1 ½, or 1 ¾ cups of boiling water. Instead of having to precisely (or imprecisely) measure out that exact amount of water to boil, or worse yet attempt the dreaded cups to milliliters conversion without the help of the internet in the backcountry, we can remember and make our own specific fill
After a hiatus due to grad school, I am now enjoying the outdoors again on a regular basis. Having enjoyed the summer wildflowers, walked among the aspen leaves of autumn and plan to explore the canyon country of Utah over Thanksgiving.
My usual solo backpacking fare of cold food for breakfast doesn't always work . And while a hot dish of cream of wheat, dried cherries and almonds can hit the spot on a cool Colorado morning in the backcountry, sometimes I want to make a breakfast perhaps a
Fall is upon us. The days are sometimes cold and wet. The wind whips over the mountain pass. Your rain gear and thermal layers are a bit wetted out. But you hike on. The snow comes in wet and large flakes. Your shoes and socks are wet. An hour before dusk, you gratefully reach camp. The shelter is erected. Your dry sleeping bag is fluffed up. And the stove is broken out. A filling meal is eaten. A hot drink is gratefully consumed.
But the edge of hunger is still there on this chill ni
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