PDA

View Full Version : Hitting the Trail this Weekend



Double Wide
08-23-2011, 11:11
Hey gang--

I've got a long weekend coming up, and I thought I'd squeeze in a quick overnighter trip in as an excuse to try out some of my new gear. It's just going to be a quickie--10 miles, one night--but I thought I'd get some suggestions for meals. Yeah, I've got a stolen milk crate from my college days full of Mountain House dinners sitting in the corner of the laundry room, but going through my 'pantry', I considered changing it up a bit. (I've got Spam singles, instant taters, Lipton noodles, a couple of packs of chicken, etc, but I'm ok with doing some shopping before I go)

On the trail, I'll be having 1 lunch, 1 dinner, and 1 breakfast. After breakfast on that second day, it'll just a be a leisurely two-hour stroll back to the truck, and lunch at some unfortunate restaurant on the way back to town. So I guess my question is, what are your favorite trail-meals for a quick getaway?

I'm bringing my new stove and titanium pot, since neither has been used 'in the wild' yet, just in the backyard, so dinner will be cooked. Maybe breakfast too, but ever since a stint in the hospital last year, I'm completely off of oatmeal. :eek:

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

BigRing
08-23-2011, 12:37
Try the Barilla tortollini that is already dehydrated...it is usually with the pastas. It cooks up quick with little water. I have seen it in small two serving and larger 4 serving bags. I can get three meals out of the two serving bag and it goes well with just about any type of tomato or alfredo sauce.

Blissful
08-23-2011, 12:41
Am overnight?

Make omelets. Bring a couple of fresh eggs and cheese.

Make individual pizza with small pizza bread, cheese, pepperoni, sauce (you can dehydrate some in a roll for the trip).

We've been known to hike in smoked turkey legs, already cooked and wrapped in foil. With some stuffing, you have a turkey dinner. Good stuff

Cheese tortellinis, pesto sauce mix

Farr Away
08-23-2011, 12:56
Rice pudding (instant rice, dry milk, sugar, raisins) is good for breakfast.

Hummus, pita, cherry tomatoes, black olives, and cheese make a wonderful lunch.

Dinner? The sky's the limit. Steak, grilled veggies, corn. Hamburger foil packs. FBC. We did grilled lobster tails one time. Decadent.

An overnight gives you a lot of lattitude.

-FA

Double Wide
08-23-2011, 12:59
Damn, that stuff sounds good--Y'all live well on the trail! I was searching the old threads and was thinking "Hmm, those mashed potatoes with taco sauce and Fritos look good...", but that is taking it to another level altogether. I can cook pretty damn well in a fully-stocked kitchen, but I'm a long way from being a trail gourmet.

And I'm afraid to do omelets due to a bad experience at Scout Camp about 30-odd years ago. My parents got me one of those aluminum mess kits to take with me, and on the first morning, I got up early (before the sun) and attempted to make bacon and eggs in it, an pretty much ruined it. It got burned and crusty and I never used it again. Not to say I can't make eggs, because when I go car-camping and take the big Coleman stove and cast-iron pans, my crew LOVES it when I cook for 'em. But I'm new to all this trail cooking, so I'm going to keep it simple with baby-steps at first. I'm intrigued by the pasta idea, although I don't want to lug a jar (or can) of sauce with me. I'm sure there are some dry mixes out there, and I'm going to look into that.

For breakfast, I'm not sold on the cereal/powdered milk idea just yet, but I'm coming around. I think I'll probably go with grits and add something to 'em (cheese? some sort of meat, maybe?).

I read an old post where somebody had instant potatoes, bacon, and cheese at the end of a long and exhausting day of hiking and she said it was so good that it almost brought tears to her eyes. I gotta say, that's a pretty good endorsement.

daddytwosticks
08-23-2011, 16:12
Try something simple and no-cook...it's probably going to be hot out there. Why don't you just pack a sandwich? I do this often for a spur of the moment overnighter. It's fun watching the other hikers drool over my footlong while they are eating some form of starchy glop. :)

Double Wide
08-23-2011, 23:51
Why don't you just pack a sandwich?

Really? A sammy? :rolleyes:

To quote the gang on ESPN--Come on, man!

I'm not breaking in a new picnic basket, I'm taking my new stove and titanium cook pot. :D

Farr Away
08-24-2011, 13:18
You can do omelets in a freezer bag and cook them in a pot of boiling water. That said, I don't recommend it unless you just want to really impress somebody. ;) If you DO try it, I recommend bringing a pair of gloves that will let you 'massage' the freezer bag periodically to move the uncooked egg to where it will cook more quickly.