Cy Whitling | Rawr
While adventuring in the mountains, sporks are a handy tool. In fact, everything should be
eaten with a spork. This combination utensil has many uses.
Cy Whitling | Crumbs
Whether the occasional picnicker or a hard core hiker, at some point people are going to find a need in their lives for adventure food. Adventure food, literally defined, is any food eaten on an adventure. What really sets an experienced outdoorsman apart from the greenhorns is their ability to select and prepare adventure food.
First off, it might be good to issue some warnings. No one wants to get to that distant scenic peak and to find their rations have failed them.
Avoid fast food of any kind. It might be tempting to order a meal to go and then just throw all those neatly wrapped items in the bag for a summit lunch. Don’t do it. Most fast food should come with an expiration date of about fifteen minutes after purchase. Learn from someone who has done it, a big mac re-heated over a campfire is not the same as a big mac hot out of the bag.
It is important to note fast food is appropriate, and in some cases actually required, for the “Back to Civilization Buffet” as described by Brendan Leonard. Don’t be afraid to gorge on pseudo-foods from chain restaurants on the way home from that epic hike.
For breakfast instant oatmeal is usually a safe bet. All it requires is boiling water. If you are really looking to save weight buy the little packets and just drink the oatmeal out of them. This saves adventurers from having to carry a spoon or bowl. After the meal, just use the dried packet to start a fire, now the dishes are done as well.
I recommend the oatmeal with some reservations. A recent episode of violent high altitude pre-dawn vomiting has shaken my faith in what was once a staple. Just make sure that water is actually boiled and you should be fine.
For lunch the hardiest of outdoorsman bring nothing. Instead they come armed and prepared to survive off of what they find along the way. Grass and berries can be supplemented with small game and birds. The adventurer then needs only to carry appropriate seasonings.
Be sure to check with local and regional regulations before using this strategy. Families and hikers in more developed areas can be traumatized by the sight of a seasoned mountain man biting into his squirrel and bunny burrito.
Dinner is where adventure food really shines. Once camp is set up, adventurers can compete for the attention of their companions by producing the most lavish meals possible. Creativity is king.
One safe standby is to put meat, seasonings and vegetables in a foil wrap and bake them in the coals. This technique also works well with potatoes. Just make sure no one burns anything with too much plastic in the campfire since this can have an impact on the palatability of the meal.
If you are feeling really rugged you can fry up some bacon on a flat rock. There is nothing quite as invigorating as pulling a strip of bacon off of a hot rock and eating it with your hands.
I recommend being more careful with bacon cooking techniques in areas inhabited by bears, unless you don’t mind becoming adventure food yourself
Whatever adventurers settle on just remember, the quality of adventure food is determined not by the taste or nutritional value of the food, but rather by the attitude and accomplishment of the adventure.
Cy Whitling can be reached at [email protected]