I took the easy route when it came to food — prepackaged meals from Peak and Backpacker’s Pantry.
Peak
- Three Bean Chili Mac
- Chicken Alfredo Pasta
- Chicken Teriyaki Rice
- Beef Pasta Marinara
Backpacker’s Pantry
- Santa Fe style Rice and Beans with Chicken
- Wild West Chili and Beans
Lunches were simple — bars from Rx Bars and Kind. Others tended to make a hot lunch. I was intentionally running on a caloric deficit but had back up food if needed.
Breakfast was just coffee — more about this in a minute.
Water
Despite all my goings on about filters (here), I only packed the Sawyer Mini. As a group we mostly used Arlyn’s Sawyer Squeeze. We did use the MSR Dromedary water bag. On top of individual water bottles and Ken’s Camel back, it carried enough filtered water for the night’s meal, coffee, and much of my water needs the next day.
I carried a 1500mL Nalgene bottle during the day. I supplemented the water with ‘nuun’ tabs, mainly for the taste. I usually drank two of these per day.
Speaking of Coffee
I carried a Bialetti ‘moka express’ 3-shot espresso maker. Yes, it weighs half a pound, but the flavor of real Italian espresso every morning is worth every ounce! I drank that from my MSR titanium cup. I wish I had had an insulated mug with me.
Stove, etc.
I boiled water in an MSR titanium pot using my first generation Snow Peak ‘Giga Power’ stove. And I ate dinner with a Toaks titanium spork.
Others ate meals mostly from ‘Good to Go’ which I didn’t taste. Jason however made various dinners from ingredients he brought rather than prepackaged meals. His peanut butter pad thai with ramen noodles was excellent. I need to step up my backcountry cooking game.
In Glacier
Out at the Belly River Ranger cabin there is both a propane and wood-fired stove/oven. I packed in the ingredients to make “Sukhi’s Family Curry” a’ la me (recipe to follow).
Sukhi’s family is Sikh and therefore vegetarian. She taught Kathleen and I how to make this. We add chicken and coconut milk. I’ve made it with white fish before and sometimes we vary the vegetables.
Now on to the “Bedroom”
In the next post we will talk about tents and my sleeping system. Or feel free to jump to another chapter:
- Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
- Foundations — what was on my feet?
- Walls — which pack did I use?
- Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
- Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
- Closet — clothing
- Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff
Sukhi’s Family Curry
- Olive or Avocado oil (less than a tablespoon)
- 2 pinches cumin seed
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ~1 tsp. ginger, fresh, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped small
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- Thai or Serrano chili, seeded, finely chopped
- 1# chicken, diced (white fish works too)
- Various vegetables, try 1/2 a cauliflower, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans, etc.
- 1 can coconut milk
- juice of half a lemon
Directions
Heat oil in a deep saute pan. Add cumin seed, onion, garlic, and ginger one at a time in that order, sauteing each for a minute or two between additions — long enough to soften but not carmelize.
Add salt, pepper, turmeric, and chili. Saute for a minute or two — let your nose tell you. Stir or toss constantly to avoid sticking.
Then add meat and vegetables. Stir in coconut milk and juice. Simmer, covered, until cooked through, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
Serve with Jasmine or Basmati rice.
