Trail Cooking & The Outdoors

Due to a bridge being out of commission on a nasty glacier fed creek, my weekend backpacking plans got trashed, but eh, I knew I would something to do!

Late last night my friend Catzia asked if I wanted to get out early this morning before the crazy heat wave hit. It doesn’t get super hot often here in Western Washington so once it cracks 80° I wilt. It was predicted to hit at least 87° today or higher - add in being up high in elevation and afternoon hiking is a big fat NO. We decided on an easy hike at Rainier - one for the views and not for the miles. How handy I picked Dege Peak, a high spot of The Sourdough Ridge at Sunrise. You have views the entire way - one of those ridge walks with green meadows full of flowers and a massive amount of white coated mountains surrounding you.

Looking up the ridge to Dege, it is the high point.

Looking across the ridges at Mt. Adams, the Goat Rocks become visible not long after as well.

Rainier:

More Rainier:

Looking down the back side of the ridge, Clover Lake is visible along with a few tiny lakes. Clover is reached by the Palisades Trail, a great one for mid July. In the distance you could see Glacier Peak, Mt. Baker and all the peaks of the North Cascades.

Just a little more to the summit….

Rainier from here is so huge. Dege sits at just a few feet above 7,000, Sunrise is at 6,400 feet. Sunrise’s Lodge is visible in the middle of the right side, with Burroughs 1 looming above it:

Looking at Grand Park, in the distance. Walking farther out one can see Forest Lake and Huckleberry Basin (Forest Lake is on the Huckleberry Creek Trail, one of the loneliest trails in the park! There is a tiny campsite at Forest Lake - just you and the bears….)

Rainier behind me, wearing my awesome T-shirt that the folks at Justin’s Nut Butters sent me. (Tacky and so funny..it reads “Knead & Squeeze”)

It was a geat morning hike with Cat, been too long since she and I got out/caught up. And home in time for lunch and a box fan running on high.

So what will tomorrow bring? As long as it is summer, more hiking I hope!

~Sarah

Tags: day hiking, dayhiking, Dege Peak, hiking, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Rainier NP, trip photos, Trip report, Trip Reports

Starbucks newest marketing angle is “Real Food. Simply Delicious.” I can say hello to that - no artificial colors, flavors, trans fats or HFCS added anymore to their products. For me, having no chemical colors is a door opening after nearly 3 years of going dye-free due to my migraines. It is a simple joy in life to be able to have whatever I desire without worrying when grabbing a bite to eat or drink!

So you can see how excited I was to see new single serving packs of jelly beans at the cash register when getting a latte yesterday morning - photo shot on the hood of my truck:

It is the rare occasion I can enjoy candy these days. When I can get all natural versions they are often stale, something that doesn’t fly with braces on The little 1.9-ounce bags, retailing for $1 each, are super fresh and most of all extra soft.

So how does the taste compare to the typical flavored bean? If you like shoveling bags of Jelly Belly® in your maw, the Starbucks ones may not be sweet or intense enough in taste. The pale natural coloring may also not seem as jazzy compared to vivid chemical dyes. If though you like a flavor that is subtle and blooms as you let the candy sit on your tongue you will love them. Or if you haven’t eaten a jelly bean in 3 years you will LOVE them

I will be stocking up for my food bag in my pack. As well, they passed Ford’s taste testing. He eats natural colored candy typically so he was down with it. Kirk on the other hand would prefer Jelly Belly for the taste. Oh well!

~Sarah

Tags: Food Finds, food reviews, kid friendly trail snacks, trail snacks

This isn’t a “gourmet” meal but it will fill you up - and more so is easy to find the base of it in nearly all grocery stores in the US. You will suffer extra weight but you don’t have to worry about carrying dry milk or oil. Most of all, hiker trash food is fun/easy to make - and always tastes grubbin’ to eat!

Ford and I had this for lunch after hiking. Sitting in an alpine area - a foot away from piles of blinding white snow.

Lazy Hiker Mac n’ Cheese

Used in the recipe was a 14-ounce box of Kraft Mac and Cheese Deluxe, mixed dried vegetables and a 3-ounce pouch of chicken (a 3 or 5-ounce can can be used as well).

Simply to see if I could, I used my MSR Quick 1 Pot to cook up the meal. It was a wee bit crowded but worked. I would suggest though a 2L pot to do this.

In the photo: pasta, bag of dried veggies rehydrating, cheese sauce packet, chicken, stove and pot with water:

On the stove, bringing the water and rehydrated veggies to a boil:

A low boil after the pasta has been added:

A 1.3 Liter pot jammed full of food:

Check out the archived recipe on TrailCooking.

~Sarah

Tags: backcountry cooking, backcountry food, backpacking recipes, Food Finds, hiker food, hiking, One Pot Meals, Trail Cooking, trail food, trail meals, trail recipes, wilderness cooking, www.trailcooking.com

The weather from today through the coming Sunday is slated to be HOT, blue skied sunny. Woke up to blinding skies and decided Ford and I needed to get out - work could be done later tonight. Sounded good to me! Loaded up our daypacks and took off for Chinook Pass on Hwy 410, mostly to check out snow levels, etc.

Just below Chinook Pass, looking back at Mt. Rainier. Lower Tipsoo Lakes are just starting to melt, a ribbon of open water in the middle.

Upper Tipsoo Lake, below Naches Peak still mostly frozen:

The outlet has started to break up though:

Looking at Naches Peak from the east side of Chinook Pass. The PCT is visible if you can see the straight line in the snow cutting across. This side always has snow longer.

Ford and I got on the PCT at Chinook Pass and headed North. There was a little snow left at the access for horses but easily crossed.

The open avy slope just pass the parking lot was starting to pop open in Glacier Lilies:

Western Pasqueflower with Glacier Lilies:

More Glacier Lilies:

Lupine and Bear Grass in bloom as we continued on North:

Within a 1/2 mile or so from the trailhead the flowers started changing - the lilies and others that emerge as the snow melts were replaced by Lupine that was just starting along with Bear Grass. I always get so happy when I see Bear Grass - since it is hard to quess when you will see it in bloom!

Scarlet  Paintbrush (I also saw lots of Phlox and even Magenta Paintbrush! As well, the Huckleberries are already forming berries.)

Looking back at Naches Peak:

It was blazing hot by 11 am - the sky was not giving any breaks!

Eventually the trail goes into the woods and as expected we encountered the usual pile o’ snow that loiters into July back there. It was at least 3 feet high and did run down into the woods below as well. Still, it wasn’t bad and later in the day (say after 10 or 11 am) it softens up from a sheet of ice.

On the way back the Bear Grass was just too awesome to pass up.

Snow wise everything seems on schedule or ahead for melt out. The flowers are coming on strong. Still I have to be patient for the other side of the PCT to open up. A couple more weeks is all! But what can I say - I was at 5400 feet hiking in alpine meadows with no bugs. Life was good this morning!

~Sarah

Tags: Chinook Pass, dayhiking, hiking, Mt. Rainier, Pacific Crest Trail, PCT, photos, Tipsoo Lakes, trip photos, Trip Reports

I have a trip coming up this weekend and I don’t like to leave food for last. In most cases I break food down by the day - so I don’t forget anything. For this trip I am planning by day and then by breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. I also stick a couple more extra snacks in for the ‘just in case’ meals.

I do food as well by person, this way everyone gets what they want.

From the bottom up:

Bag of Mini Golden Oreos. Yes, unhealthy and that is OK. For snacking on over the trip.

Day 1’s food: Breakfast on the way to trailhead. Zinger drink mix for water, Bakers Breakfast Cookie for snack, Thai inspired noodle soup with 3-ounce package chicken and freeze-dried green beans, Baby sized Goldfish crackers and Lipton green tea drink mix for snack, Market Pasta from Packit Gourmet for dinner, herbal tea and chocolate.

Day 2: Java Juice and hot chocolate, Jamaican Peanut Porridge from Packit Gourmet for breakfast, Baker Breakfast Cookie and Zinger mix, lentil couscous salad for lunch, Baby Goldfish and Lipton green tea mix for snack, a new version of this baked ramen noodle bowl for dinner, herbal tea and chocolate.

Day 3: Java Juice and hot chocolate, banana maple oatmeal for breakfast (high protein/high fiber organic maple instant oatmeal from Costco mixed with crumbled freeze-dried bananas), Baker Breakfast Cookie and Zinger drink mix, lentil couscous salad for lunch (if it tastes great I will post the new recipe!), Baby Goldfish for snack.

Mylar bag of freeze-dried strawberries from Trader Joe’s for munching on as well.

Most likely I will add in fresh fruit at the grocery store along with fresh bread for the first dinner. I often do that.

~Sarah

Tags: backcountry cooking, backcountry food, backpacking, backpacking recipes, FBC, FBC meals, Food Finds, Freezer Bag Cooking, hiker food, hiking, meal planning, One Pot Meals, Packit Gourmet, PackitGourmet.com, Trail Cooking, trail food, trail meals, trail recipes, wilderness cooking, www.freezerbagcooking.com, www.trailcooking.com

Please take the time to read this article on heat exhaustion/heat stroke. It something that is easy to not take serious enough and can have fatal consequences.

~Sarah

In REI this weekend I saw the new To-Go Ware RePEaT featured:

Each pack is in a bag made of recycled plastic bottles and contains a UL bamboo knife, fork, spoon and twisted chopsticks. The carrying bag also has a small carabiner on the back for clipping in. There are 5 choices for bag colors as well.

Don’t have the weight on them, the weight was light though. A neat alternative to metal and plastic.

~Sarah

Tags: bamboo, hiking, Hiking Gear, Trail Cooking Gear, utensils

A dorky trip report title but it says it so well: It was warm, sunny and blue skied on the second day of Sunrise being open for the season at Mt. Rainier NP. Not hard hiking, more rambling to check out snow levels. Overall it was melting out ahead of last year by 1 to 2 weeks. Still snow in areas at 5500 feet to 6400 feet and above - depending if sheltered/North facing or if in typical snow areas. Still the depth of the snow was much lower than the last couple years. Just a lot of mud though!

Rainier from the Emmons Glacier angle.

A nearly melted out Shadow Lake:

Looking back at Rainier, with The Wonderland Trail covered in snow in areas.

More Rainier.

Me with Rainier behind me.

After wandering around for quite some time we headed down the hill. On the way down we stopped at Sunrise Point, the last switchback on the Sunrise Road so I could check more snow levels.

Looking at Sourdough Ridge and Dege Peak. Soon!

Looking down at Sunrise Lake, still lots of snow in the meadows. 1-2 weeks and it will be nice.

~Sarah

Tags: dayhiking, hiking, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Rainier NP, trip photos, Trip report