La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

I recently went on a 5 day adventure with a friend of mine through Rocky Mountain National Park, and then an intense 4 day, three night backpacking trip through the Never Summer Wilderness, specifically the 20 mile Bowen-Baker Gulch loop. This trip provided breath-taking views of the Rocky Mountains, especially upon our ascent of Parika Peak (pictured) that took us to the top of the Continental Divide. I haven't gone on this type of hiking/camping trip since high school and the most challenging part of this backpacking trip was certainly the backpacking part. We hiked about 5 miles per day with all the food, clothes, and shelter we needed on our backs. What I learned on this trip is that food is very heavy--especially when you have to carry several days worth, along with everything you need in an ordinary kitchen like pots, pans, a heating element, serving utensils, cutting board, and measuring cups.

This is where my friend Brian comes in. Brian is a camping cook extraordinaire. I hadn't the slightest idea how to put together a camping stove, pretty much just a single burner with a small can of propane attached, or to filter water for eating and drinking. Brian came up with a detailed menu for three square meals per day out there on the trail. Here is a sample of what we ate:

Breakfast: Pancakes (yes, pancakes) with syrup, butter, and bananas, Brian used Krusteaz brand instant pancakes; breakfast sandwiches consisting of English muffins, eggs, and bacon; oatmeal with granola crunch and brown sugar.
What was most impressive, however, were some of the little gadgets that provided us fresh brewed coffee in the morning, and our clean water.

Lunch: Bagels with cured salami; Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches; Roast Beef sandwiches; Black Bean and Spanish Rice burritos.

Dinner: Pad Thai from Backpacker's Pantry conveniently in a package where all you do is add water; Angel Hair Pasta with Pesto Sauce; corn meal fried trout (that I caught in Parika Lake); chicken and rice (from Lipton/Knorr instant rice dishes).

Snacks: Lara Bars (mmm, so good!) made up of dates and other fruits, no fillers, no preservatives, gluten free, and delicious; Clif Bars that I found particularly tasty like the oatmeal walnut flavor; cashews; dried fruit.

Some essentials that I thought were indispensable in this portable kitchen are as follows:

- Portable Camping Stove (basically a burner with a line feeding into a fuel container); check out Jet Boil products or rent one from REI.
- Sweetwater portable water filter or iodine tablets for cleansing water
- 2 stackable pots and 1 portable egg pan (nonstick pan for pancakes)
- 1 pair of leather gloves (for handling pots)
- 1 sharp utility knife
- set of cooking utensils (spatula and large spoon)
- portable cutting board (get a round one that fits inside the stackable pots)
- 2 Nalgene bottles for storing filtered water for cooking
- Press-Bot Coffee Press that fits in your Nalgene and makes for a great cup of french press coffee
- travel mug with handle
- camping dishes (stainless steel) and set of silverware or spork
- a 1/4 cup measuring cup (plastic)
- dishtowel

It sounds like a lot, but to my surprise these items were very portable, stackable, and small. I hope that on your next backpacking journey, you are able to use this list as a starter list for assembling your kitchen on the go. Thanks for all the good food Brian.

Labels: backpacking, camping, coffee, granola bars, packaged foods