Designed by a veteran, RecPaks combine MRE efficiency (just add water and shake) with clean, complete energy for a mountain meal on the move. The ‘Paks come in three flavors: chocolate, vanilla chai and coffee, the latter with a dash of caffeine that recommends it as a stove-free breakfast-and-coffee combo. Whether to combat protein bar burnout or to avoid the dreaded dehydrated meal gut bomb, RecPaks make a worthy addition to any pack. MSRP: $38.99 (pack of three). Recpak.co  (Aaron Theisen) 

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There are some things to keep in mind when preparing and storing your dehydrated meals. Cut your veggies into small chunks so they dry evenly and won’t take long to rehydrate. Do not use oils when cooking. If you are adding meat, cook it separately and rinse it well to remove all the fat. You can add broth or soy sauce when cooking your veggies, which adds flavor but nothing that might spoil.  Use the fruit leather sheets in your food dehydrator to hold any moist foods.

Check online for drying times for your model of dehydrator, then after the food is completely dry, divide into servings and add about ¼ cup of instant rice or whatever quick-cooking noodles you want to use.

When packing the meals, I also add a scoop of dehydrated or keto butter, adding back fats and flavor. You have lots of storage options: Ziplock bags, mason jars, or mylar bags similar to freeze dried meals. Mylar bags allow you to add boiling water directly.

These meals will be shelf stable for a few months or over a year in the freezer and can deployed for a quick meal any night.

More stories about dehydrated meals and backcountry cooking.

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Heather’s Choice meals and snacks started under this premise, when the namesake founder was trying to prepare for her first rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Educated at Western Washington University with a degree in evolutionary nutrition, and having been raised on organic food in Alaska, she got busy on her dehydrator and spent months exploring delicious and healthy food options.

The results are worth investigating. Best-selling options include Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder, Dark Chocolate Chili with Grass Fed Bison, Blueberry Cinnamon Breakfast, and African Peanut Stew suitable for vegans. In the snack category, there is a wide range of flavor offerings for what they term “Packaroons,” or flavorful and compact Macaroons that pack 150 calories per ounce, or 320 calories per package. Meals are packaged as one serving per ounce and average 600 calories per serving while weighing just four ounces. Simply add boiling water to the pouch, wait the allotted time, and enjoy your meal from the bag with little clean up. You’ve probably done this before—but not with salmon and bison!

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Well, we agree. Sometimes one day is just not enough time for running in the mountains. And we are not alone in feeling this way. Multi-day runs have been growing in popularity for years, and the Inland Northwest has more than enough trails and mountain wilderness to accommodate these trips.

Multi-day run trips are a combination of long-distance trail running and backpacking, commonly called “fastpacking.” Once figured out and properly prepared for, it gives you the best of both worlds: more time outside and more ground covered than your average weekend running or hiking trip.

Fastpacking Essentials

Planning:When preparing to spend several days in the wilderness and away from access to goods and services, a bit of planning can go a long way. This planning extends to drawing out a route, checking any up-to-date weather and trail conditions pertinent to your location, deciphering camp spots and water sources, learning about potential wildlife encounters, meal prepping, and packing appropriate gear.

Nutrition:Just like any other endurance activity, keeping yourself properly fueled is essential for having a positive experience and staying safe. More pronounced than with backpacking, carrying all of your food and water on your back during a run can be cumbersome and painful if not approached strategically. Although it will take time to figure out which foods will prove best for your body and your backpack, dehydrated goods like oats, powdered potatoes, or packaged freeze-dried meals are a good place to start. In addition to your regular run-fuel items, dehydrated foods will work as pre and post-run meals that won’t weigh you down.

Hydration:Consider your access to fresh water sources along your planned route. Bring a filter or purification tablets along with your pre-filled bladders and bottles. Having enough liquids to maintain your hydration for the duration of your trip is key, especially when accounting for your increased need from perspiration and food prep.

Apparel:Just like with backpacking and trail running, having the right clothing for any condition you’re likely to encounter allows for a more enjoyable experience, no matter what the Inland Northwest weather throws at you. Additionally, having a change of clothes for your non-running hours offers a little reprieve from your sweat-covered t-shirt and shorts while you rest.

Gear:First things first, you’re going to need a backpack. Your pack needs to be big enough to hold everything you need, while still being comfortable enough to run in. Brands like Ultimate Direction and Solomon make fastpack-specific packs, designed to hold between 15-25 liters of gear while distributing the pack load between chest, shoulder, and side straps. These packs have a multitude of pockets and can expand and collapse as you need more and less space.

Next, you’ll need equipment for camping. Collapsible cooking pots and burners or small jet boils offer hot meal options and are worth packing if you have room. Weather depending, simply tie a tarp above your lightweight sleeping bag or hang a small hammock for tree-dense areas. If there’s rain in the forecast, carry your lightest tent and fly.

Other essentials:Put together a small first aid kit, just as you would with backpacking and running, including essentials such as bandages (large and blister-sized), antibacterial ointment, athletic tape, benadryl, sunscreen, aspirin, baby wipes, and an irrigation syringe. Other useful items to consider include small amounts of rope, bear spray, a headlamp, toilet paper, instant coffee, trekking poles, spork and knife, a portable cell phone charger, and a map.

Favorite Spots for Fastpacking

The good news is you can fastpack anywhere you’d through hike, but as you’ll be running instead of backpacking, you can cover more ground. Hikes that would usually take 3 to 4 days can be finished in 2 days, depending on your fitness level and comfort in long distance running. 

Hells Canyon, Idaho

Style: Out-and-Back

Distance: Up to 40 miles

Length: 2+ days

Run along the Snake River on the Idaho side of Hells Canyon on this picturesque out-and-back. With riverside campsites along the way, run out as far as 20 miles before setting up camp. When morning comes and the light hits the valley differently, it will feel like a new run on the way back to your car.

Long Canyon, Idaho

Style: Out-and-Back

Distance: 28 miles

Length: 2 days

Run through an old growth forest and along a rushing creek North of Bonner’s Ferry and just below the Canadian border. Trail #16 is remote, with creek crossings throughout the spring and into the summer, and is often used by equestrians. There’s a rugged campsite just before mile 14.

Salmo-Priest Loop, Washington

Style: Loop

Distance: 20 miles

Length: 1.5 days

Outside of Colville, WA, it doesn’t get much more remote than the Salmo-Priest Loop. Boasting old growth forest, the Salmo river, and = mountain views, this trail is amazing.

Kettle Crest Trail, Washington

Style: Point-to-Point

Distance: 44 miles

Length: 3 days

Run along the ridge of Eastern Washington’s highest peaks, through sage-brush meadows, along wildflower paths, and gain almost 8,000 ft as you traverse the Kettle Crest Trail. As to not miss any of the spectacular views, we recommend this trip as a point-to-point by shuttling your vehicles with friends.

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Bringing busy people locally-crafted, healthy food is a worthwhile but lofty goal. But the unstuffed Italian pepper meal lives up to the challenge. It packs a pleasant, peppery heat, along with a delicious medley of herbs. Even the ground beef tastes well seasoned and of high quality, combining a home-cooked, from-scratch taste with a just-add-water level of ease.

The pork harvest bowl is another successful culinary experience. The wild rice and pork pair deliciously with roasted Brussels sprouts and caramelized onion, while the balsamic vinegar and hint of orange add a delightfully complex flavor. It’s as easy to imagine stashing a few of these meals at work for the days when you don’t have time to prepare lunch as it is to imagine bringing them along on a multi-day backpacking trip. In fact, if you’re tired from a long day’s trek, these meals may be the best thing you’ve ever tasted in the great outdoors. That’s because Bushka’s founder, Deana Del Vecchio, came up with the idea for her company while preparing to hike the Laugavgur trail in Iceland. Dismayed by most of the prepackaged food options, she decided to make her own freeze-dried meals and dehydrated snacks that don’t suck. She succeeded on her trip, and—lucky for the rest of us—she’s sharing her R&D by making her delicious concoctions available to the masses. //

[Feature photo: Bags of Bushka’s ready to re-hydrate. // Courtesy of Bushka’s Kitchen]

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In the Introduction, Miller asks a question that sets the foundation for the entire book: “What kind of cook are you?” She offers three classifications of “an ascetic, a pragmatist, or a gourmand.” Each chapter and recipe takes all three approaches into consideration, and every dish can be adapted for home, picnic, and weekend campground outings.

The first thing that I learned from this book is how many quality foods you can get in powdered form. Sure, I knew about powdered dairy products, and dry packets of gravies, sauces, and hot drinks. Orange powder, coconut cream powder, and powdered vegetable shortening were new and fascinating discoveries. Miller deftly incorporates these, as well as freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, into the recipes, alongside canned and fresh ingredients. There are even whole sections on how to dehydrate your own foods, and substitutions for alternating fresh and dry ingredients in your meals.

Miller’s voice, style, and approach are relatable, simple, and functional. Each chapter opens with a rich quote from an outdoor living, camping, or backpacking book. The pages are peppered with “Hot Tips” of backcountry trends, challenges, trail tips, and fun stories from “trail-wise cooks” and “trail denizens.” The layout makes it easy to flip back through and find memorable tidbits. And the recipes provide information to help you pre-prep, track your caloric intake, and gauge your pack food weight.

We all have our own trail styles, tricks, and foods that are unique to us, and this book can help you adapt the foods you love for all your outdoor adventures. //

[Feature photo: Shallan Knowles]

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Seems doable, right? Bad news for pillow menus, though. If we’re going to travel as often as possible, it needs to be cheap. And so, I embarked on the noble quest of embracing unsanitary picnic tables, dirt behind my ears, and (cringe) campsite toilets. We planned our honeymoon road trip to alternate camping nights and hotel stays, easing me into the world where pay-by-the-minute showers are a luxury. We set up a travel wedding registry at a website called Traveler’s Joy and another for camping gear at REI.

As we headed toward the Oregon Coast, we decided last minute to take the long way through Mount Hood, where we found a campsite at Trillium Lake in the Reader’s Digest “Most Scenic Drives in America” book we’d checked out from the library. (Having a non-internet resource came in handy more than once.)

We were abundantly prepared, perhaps to the point of overkill. We had dehydrated meals and just about a full kitchen in miniature form. I packed all the toiletries necessary to run a day spa. We had games to play by citronella candlelight. Mark, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall, can stand up and stretch his arms out inside our humongous tent. There was no pillow menu, but we were hardly roughin’ it.

On our 2-mile bike ride around Lake Trillium the next morning, we spotted a couple of salamanders (or very salamander-looking fish), a blue heron standing next to the lake, and three bald eagles — two adults and one juvenile — hunting. From our travel log: “The other people watching said [the eagles] were two parents teaching their kid to fly. ‘He’s not so good with the landings yet,’ one of them said. The path felt like something out of ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ with wooden trails where the ground got marshy and humongous plants to go with the humongous trees.”

A few days later, we stayed at Patrick’s Point just north of Eureka, California, along the coast. Our gruff, probably inebriated campsite neighbor barked, “You’re doing it wrong!” as we set up our tent, which didn’t do much for my rookie camper self-esteem. Nonetheless, setting up camp went twice as fast this time around and we had time to hike down to the tide pools before sunset. Though sucking it up and embracing camping started as a practical move to make travel more feasible, the nights we spent camping — and the mornings of exploring the surrounding areas — were the most memorable of our honeymoon.

Trillium Lake Campground, OR: This tucked-away campground lies just before Government Camp at Mount Hood. Campsites right along Trillium Lake and a boat launch nearby make for a serene, long weekend fishing trip. Follow the 2-mile trail along the lake to see the marshy wetland critters, take a swim at the public beach, and catch spectacular views of the mountain. More information at recreation.gov.

Patrick’s Point State Park, CA: A short detour from Highway 101, Patrick’s Point is a mash-up of the redwood country and craggy coastal vistas that draw travelers to the area. Unlike some of the other wooded campsites along the 101, the air is crisp and cool at Patrick’s Point thanks to the proximity of the ocean. Make your way from the point down to the water during low tide to explore abundant tide pools and search for agates along the sandy beach. Sea lions sun themselves on the further-out rocks in the mornings — kind of a California version of a rooster alarm clock — and whales make an occasional appearance. Find more information at parks.ca.gov. //

Erika Prins Simonds writes our Everyday Cyclist column. You can find more of her writing at erikaprins.com.

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Laura Talaga, age 32

Trails: “Triple Crown” – Appalachian Trail, 2007 (March 2-Sept. 20); Pacific Crest Trail, 2013 (April 25-Sept. 14); Continental Divide Trail, 2015 (April 25-Sept. 6, flip-flop). Trail name: Beads.

“I had a lot of backpacking experience growing up [near the AT in northeast Pennsylvania], and in college I was an outdoor education instructor. So I thought I knew what I was doing,” Talaga says about her thru-hike along the Appalachian Trail (AT) as a new college grad, accompanied by her partner and her dog. “I started out with a 45-pound pack. But throughout the entire AT, I started shedding gear and found out what I really needed.”

Talaga moved to Chewelah, Washington, in October 2012 for her dream job, and the following year completed her solo thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). “That’s when I moved from a more traditional approach to what I call ‘comfortably light.’ My base weight is more like 15 to 20 pounds,” she says. In addition to working in Chewelah, Talaga is head veterinarian for the Spokane Humane Society. Each of her hikes were fundraisers for animal rescue organizations.

Hiking solo, she says, was “liberating but also made me address my fears…decision making is a different experience. I felt vulnerable. It was challenging to trust my instincts and decisions.” On the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), while hiking northbound into Colorado and confronting dangerous snow conditions, Talaga chose to leave the trail and go around the snow while other hikers continued. She headed to Wyoming’s Great Divide Basin, and then “flip-flopped” by hiking the CDT southbound from the Canadian border – a “decision I was proud of – listening to my gut, rather than going with the crowd,” she says.

Food: “I like the nutrition of having my own fruits and veggies. I dehydrate food from my garden and the farmer’s market. [While long-distance hiking] I don’t cook.” She used to carry a stove and fuel, but then found it easier and more lightweight to “just rehydrate things.” She enjoys the simplicity: she puts food in a jar with cold water and carries it as she hikes to eat throughout the day – cold oatmeal, veggie hummus, coconut curry couscous, ramen noodles with spicy peanut sauce, and veggies. “I eat a Snickers bar before bed because I have been eating healthy all day,” she says.

Advice: “You don’t know what you can’t do until you try. There is no purpose in waiting,” she says. “I am not some spectacular athletic person.” Other than being reasonably fit, she says it’s not really possible to train for a long-distance hike. She hikes no more than 10 miles a day during the first week and then slowly increases daily mileage.

What she’s learned: “Perspective for all aspects of life. All things do pass. If today you’re uncomfortable, tomorrow you might not be. You realize how small and insignificant your problems are in the world.”

Tim Plaza, age 38

Trails: “Triple Crown” – Appalachian Trail, 2012 (March 11-July 1); Pacific Crest Trail, 2013 (May 6-Aug. 30); and Continental Divide Trail, 2015 (May 20-Sept. 1). All solo thru-hikes. Trail name: Tribhu (“tree-boo”).

For the AT, Plaza’s first backpacking trip ever, his pack weighed 30 to 35 pounds. After moving from the East Coast to Portland, Oregon, with plans to hike the PCT, he invested in ultralight gear, for a base weight of eight pounds, and 18 to 23 pounds with food and water. His high-mileage hiking pace is fast. “I love going four miles an hour for 16 hours a day,” he says.

“I’m incredibly low-maintenance. I don’t need a lot of luxury items, and food is the same way. I have always been of the mindset that because of the amount of exercise I’m doing, I can get away with eating some unhealthy food,” he says. He purchased the “highest calorie, highest fat, lightest, most convenient foods available” from grocery stores and gas station mini-marts along the way. For the PCT, he only sent himself a few resupply boxes, and he used a stove to prepare simple meals. After the PCT, Plaza began working for REI. He moved to Spokane in 2015, transferring to the Spokane store where he’s a sales manager and outdoor instructor.

Flip-flopping on the CDT: When Plaza arrived in Colorado on June 20 after a month of hiking through New Mexico, there was 275 percent of snowpack due to late-May snow. “I attempted 40 miles in three days, and it was the scariest three days of my life – avalanches, shelves of snowpack breaking away near me,” he says. So he “flipped” to Waterton Lake in Glacier National Park and hiked southbound to where he left the trail in Colorado.

Why he loves the backcountry: “The connection with nature…something resets and evens out [in the brain] when you’re away from human noise and surrounded by nature,” says Plaza, who has college degrees in psychology and has worked as a therapist. “I’m just a completely different person than I was in 2011 – ever aware of my ego — because of all that time for reflection. [Being in the wilderness] is probably the best form of therapy that I’ve ever experienced.”

Advice: Talk to other long-distance or section hikers, and get properly fitted for a backpack and footwear. Most of all, “Don’t think of it as one long trip. It’s a series of three- to 10-day backpacking trips all strung together. It’s like any long-term goal in life: if you break it down, it’s attainable.”

Lauren DeLand and Travis Nichols, both age 34

Trail: Currently hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, started on April 23; projected to finish on Sept. 22, 2016. Follow their progress at fivemonthstonowhere.com. For this story, they were interviewed by email and phone while in Mammoth Lakes, California.

“We’re not backpackers,” admits Deland. “Hiking was always the way to go do something else.” Their primary pursuits include backcountry skiing, rock climbing, and trail running. But hiking the PCT was percolating as an idea for a few years – “a trip that would challenge us, make us grow,” DeLand says. DeLand and Nichols celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary on the PCT on June 20. For a couple that first met in a Wilderness First Aid course at Eastern Washington University, hiking 2,633.5 miles together is just another outdoor adventure. “It’s all about the journey,” says Nichols. After Nichols was granted leave from his job with the Spokane Regional Health District, he and DeLand began an intense five-week period of preparation. (Nichols also works as a buyer for Mountain Gear and DeLand is a massage therapist.)

Goals and strategies: “Our goal for the first day was no blisters. The goal for the second day was no blisters, not dehydrated. The goal for the third day was no blisters, not dehydrated, and no sunburns. Repeat. This strategy worked well and got us through the desert that is Southern California,” writes Nichols and DeLand in an email. “The most important motto is ‘hike your own hike.’ We hike late while most hike early. We sleep more and walk faster than our peers. We camp high and dry while others camp low with plenty of water. Every time we have made our own decision, it has worked for us. The lesson is to listen to your body and the trail and to make the decisions that are right for you.”

Backpacks: DeLand’s and Nichols’ base weights are 21 and 18 pounds respectively, with an average of 40 and 56 pounds with food and water. (They’ve chosen to carry comfort items to improve sleep.) They arrive in towns every five to seven days to pick up resupply boxes, and they take “zero days” as needed – rest days with no hiking mileage.

Food: “One of the guiding principles of our trip was personal health. We are focused on a no-added-sugar, real-food diet. We are eating rehydrated chia seeds for breakfast, dried fruits and nuts for snacks, tuna for lunch, and grain and rehydrated vegetables for dinners. We are grateful for the quality sustained energy. Both of us have lost about 16 pounds and stabilized in weight, although our bodies are still reshaping to adapt to the demands of constant movement.”

Leave no trace: “We appreciate more how even the softest forms of recreational use, especially trail building and hiking, have a significant impact on wilderness. It is foolish to think that anything humans leave our fingerprints on is still in its original form. There is no reason to ever leave toilet paper in a wild space, even under eight inches of top soil. We have become disgusted by the high level of impact from human waste disposal at cherished camping areas.”

Challenges: “I’m enjoying it more than I thought I would,” says DeLand. “It’s a mental game out here. I had prepared for this to be a sufferfest, thinking I would be sore and miserable most of the time. But once we got into it, I realized it was easier than I thought it would be.” DeLand was diagnosed with chronic fatigue 14 years ago. “I’m thrilled with the results I’ve achieved [on the PCT]. Pushing my body to its limits has been extremely rewarding for me,” she says, including hiking up to 20 miles a day and summiting Mt. Whitney. “The biggest issue I have with chronic fatigue is that I still need a lot of sleep – 11 to 12 hours a night. We have to travel a faster speed and take fewer breaks so we make the same miles [as other hikers].” Nichols states, “We’re at a point now where it’s not too hard physically to get back on the trail. We’ve found that if we spend too many days recovering, we get used to the modern conveniences, like fresh water. It’s more of a mental thing than physical.” //

Amy Silbernagel McCaffree enjoys sharing stories that inspire people to be more active and adventurous. She wrote about the many lakes throughout the Inland Northwest in July.

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The trail is a fantastic way to see parts of our state that we rarely get to see. Some may call deserts barren wastelands, but if you look closely, you’ll find that all deserts are full of life. Traveling at a bike pace of 10 miles per hour makes it easier to look closely than traveling in a speeding car does. I observed hawks, owls, coyotes, hummingbirds, numerous deer and even two bucks.

The sun-blasted desert landscape is a mix of cropland and scabland used for cattle grazing. The landscape itself changes in subtle ways. East of the Columbia River, the lush Crab Creek is a wonder to behold, even in the hot summer months. The wide, slow-moving creek feeds stands of feathery grasses and wildflowers, and it is a habitat for migrating birds, ducks and herons. To the south, the dramatic Saddle Mountain escarpment rises up like a dragon draped in sand.

The John Wayne Trail is a great way to see some of the rural farming communities scattered throughout central Washington. I rode through hamlets like Smyrna and bigger towns like Othello, Warden, and Lind. Smyrna was busy baling hay, and just outside Othello, I yielded to a convoy of giant combines driving down Highway 26. They honked their horns and waved to me.

After riding in silence on the trail and back roads all day, the noisy, busy highway shocked my senses. Away from highways, there is nothing but wind and light and the crunch of gravel under the tires. I tried not to rush, wanting to appreciate this landscape I so rarely bother to notice. I stopped often to jot notes and take photos.

Yet even on a bike it is possible to get in a rush, and still I rode past places I wished I would’ve stopped and looked more closely at. So on Crab Creek Road (the railroad ties are still present on this section, so you cannot ride the trail) near the end of the escarpment, I got off and walked the bike just to feel the solid ground and take in the haunting stretch on foot. I was exhausted and I’d found that pushing the heavy bike up even the slightest hill effectively conserved my energy when I still had hours left to ride.

With nothing else to do, I rode all day long, usually putting in more than 10 hours per day, riding 60-80 miles a day. I didn’t want to race back home, as I didn’t have anything pressing to get to back to, but it was exceptionally hot out – over 100 degrees. I had been worried about smoke from the record wildfires, but the wind had shifted, and Central Washington was clear of smoke that week.

On the evening of day four, I reached the fabled crossroads, the ghostly intersection of the two former railroads (the Spokane-Portland-Seattle Railroad and the Milwaukee Road). As far as I could tell by the weak signal on Google Maps, I was about 60 miles south of Cheney and half a day’s ride from the town of Lamont. The Columbia Plateau Trail crosses over the John Wayne; the former Milwaukee Road continues all the way to Tekoa on the Idaho border. But here I would hang a left on the CPT and follow the trail north directly to Spokane.

I unloaded the panniers and carefully picked my way up the steep embankment to the overpass. Looking up the trail, I discovered with dismay what looked like miles of the dreaded rail ballast. But this was why I rented a fat bike. Dropping the bags on the rocky trail, I slid back down, hefted the bike on my shoulder, and made my way back up again. At the top I collapsed, breathing heavily and feeling dizzy. I had ridden nearly 14 continuous hours, having left Warden at 6:30 a.m.

I set up my tent on the knobby rock and fired up my camp stove out on the trestle. Nearly out of water, I hesitated before using up the last drops to cook up a celebratory feast of dehydrated Kathmandu curry. On the trail, anything tastes delicious, but the curry ranked as one of the best meals of my life.

The sun was setting a dusty orange and purple as I sat on the trestle, my feet dangling over the edge, the aromatic curry steaming in its foil pouch. I had accidently thrown out my only spoon back in Vantage, so I shoveled the curry into my mouth with a long chunk of ballast rock. Stretched out into the muddled light before me was the trail I had just ridden: the John Wayne Trail. I did it alone, with no support, and I had reached the intersection with the CPT faster than I anticipated, riding through the highest temperatures of the year and with near-constant knee pain. I chewed a mouthful of curry, swallowed, and sighed. As darkness descended over the channeled scablands, I was overwhelmed with an intense satisfaction that brought me to tears. Out there, no one except the coyotes howling in the distance could hear me, and I doubted they cared. Their howls echoed as the sunset faded to a star-pierced sky. A huge meteor sailed across the horizon leaving a wake of blue stardust. I was overwhelmed and humbled by such beauty and solitude.

The next morning I awoke at dawn and broke camp, nervous about the heat and the chunky ballast. Day five was to be the hottest so far: 106 degrees. I was out of water, and riding on the ballast would slow me down. I set out north on the Columbia Plateau Trail just as the sun was about to peek over the eastern horizon. The ballast was shifty, sliding around like plates under my fat tires. The big tires helped stabilize me but it was still slow going. In places the trail surface was nearly overrun with tall sunflower-like plants and tumbleweeds that the fat bike easily plowed over.

This landscape proved to be one of my favorites. Deep channels had been worn into the basalt leaving high plateaus and mesas. Below the raised rail grade were circular ponds rimmed with lush grasses where cattle lounged in the shady bottoms, though some of the ponds had dried up into sandy flats. This was the channeled scablands, and I imagined the ancient Missoula floods raging through here toward the ocean thousands of years ago.

By 10 a.m. I was parched. I kept my mouth closed as the hot air dried my throat. I sucked on a pebble, which seemed to help, but it made my mouth taste like dirt. Then I found a disposable bottle of water lying in the middle of the trail. I reached down and picked it up. Though the seal was open, it looked clear. I smelled it, then tasted it. Satisfied it wasn’t urine or poison, I sent it down the hatch. I figured it had fallen out of someone’s bag, a bit of littering I was eternally thankful for.

A couple hours later I pedaled deliriously into the town of Lamont, only to find I had stumbled upon a modern ghost town. It was deserted. The only store – a mechanic shop – was locked up tight. I pedaled up and down the few residential streets, looking for someone in their yard, but not a single soul appeared. I finally spotted a water pump at the memorably named Bug-Tassel Park behind the little cinder block grange hall. I lifted the handle up and cold water gushed out. I knelt under its stream and let it soak me, rinsing three days of salt, sweat and grit off, this being the first such relief I’d had since Vantage. I filled a bottle and drank half of it in one gulp and then topped off the rest. I drenched my straw sun hat and set it on my head, and then sat on some grass in the shade.

I leaned back and breathed deep. I pondered phoning a friend and getting a ride home. I had no desire to ride ballast in the baking 106-degree heat, and I felt all my energy and drive quickly fading. I had run out of aspirin the night before, and my knees were killing me with every turn of the pedals. There were no more stores until Cheney. Suddenly my phone rang. It was my friend Jonathan. I admitted I was nearly done in, and he encouraged me to soldier on, insisting I was only a few hours from Cheney. He offered to ride out on the CPT and ride back with me.

I knew I would regret it forever if I didn’t complete the journey under my own power. I had come so far, and it would be ridiculous to bail half a day from the finish line. I reminded myself it was a mental game. Jonathan said he’d bring me a sub sandwich, and that sealed the deal. I got back on the saddle, my clothes already almost dry, and set off for the trail, though I ended up riding alongside it on Swift Road, the aptly named jeep track, until the ballast ended near the Martin Road trailhead.

A little while later I saw the “Entering Spokane County” sign, and I noticed the first pine trees I’d seen in 200 miles. Then I saw a figure in the distance, shimmering like a mirage. It was Jonathan. He was the first person I’d seen in three and a half days. We shook hands and he laughed in disbelief. “You just rode from Seattle! That’s so awesome.” “Yeah!” I said, “and I’m freakin’ tired!” We rode on a while, Jonathan peppering me with questions until we reached Amber Lake. We veered off the trail and coasted down to the boat launch and sat down in the shade under a willow. He brought out the sandwich and handed me a blue Powerade, which I guzzled in one gulp. I ate slowly. I had lost 12 pounds in five days, I discovered later – the JWT diet. Then I waded in and swam down to the cold water at the bottom of Amber Lake, rising refreshed and renewed.

The John Wayne Trail will stay with me for the rest of my life – the silence, the wind, the clink of pebbles beneath my tires, and the slow spread of dawn lighting up a vast expanse of desert devoid of people, yet teeming with wildlife even in the heat of August. I didn’t for a moment miss the bustle of city life.

I encourage everyone to summon their true grit and give it a shot. And no matter what, keep pedaling.

Follow Nick on his blog at www.nickoleum.blogspot.com.

The post A Fat-Bike Desert Odyssey: From Seattle to Spokane on the John Wayne and Columbia Plateau Trails appeared first on Out There Venture.

As camping and mountaineering season approaches, it would seem appropriate to share some foodie wisdom of the backpacking and camping sort. To those of you who just purchased a Jetboil and scrambled eggs in a bag: toss the eggs and keep the boiler, for at least coffee is always a part of a quality camping menu.

There are typically a few key factors in figuring out what sort of food to take with us into the wild, namely caloric value, weight, space, and does it taste like dehydrated cardboard with sawdust seasoning on top. Most of us mountaineers starve ourselves to the point that the latter actually sounds delicious. Throw some soggy cat hair on there and you’ve got a complete meal.

There is another consideration we often overlook, but it is worth a mention: soul food. I have been known to lug an espresso maker and a bar of chocolate through sub-Arctic Patagonia instead of a rain parka. While this may not be the wisest of choices, it sure felt wise while sipping Italian roast on the shores of a glacial river.

If you’re going light and need calories, nuts are going to be a part of your menu. High in both protein and fat, these power-packed delights don’t get old and funky. This is why trail mix is such a common occurrence in our bags. The trick is to not eat all the chocolate first. Another great source of protein and fat that keeps well (for about three days or more if you’re brave) is boiled eggs. Your cured meats are a great option too: smoked salmon, salami, jerky, cooked sausage.

What we often miss most are those fresh vegetables and fruits that don’t keep well or need too much preparation. Carrots, kohlrabi and apples are typically my go-to fruits and vegetables because they all work well as platforms for peanut butter. I also bring a bag of chopped kale because you can eat it raw or cooked, and it keeps pretty well for days. And trust me, when you’re in the great outdoors, you’ll want to stay regular.

Another good source of nutrients in the outdoors is homemade energy bars and muffins. You can add mineral salt, fruit, nuts, seeds, coconut, butter, and all kinds of things to create the macronutrient balance you want. Homemade mini-quiches also keep really well (and you can cook vegetables into them). Dehydrating your own meals is an option too. I was once dining on a glacier when my climbing partner pulled out a curried salmon and cilantro lentil dish that she’d dehydrated. It was almost as epic as the view.

Whatever adventure you’re embarking on, you don’t need to rely on prepackaged energy bars or chalk-paste to fuel you. Eat real food and you’ll enjoy your meals and appreciate how great you feel while you’re on your next adventure.

3-Day Backpacking Food List

Everything on this list can be eaten without further cooking. Vegetarians can replace meats with things like lentil loaf and garden burgers.

2 apples, 1 orange, 1 bag macadamia nuts, 9 peanut butter energy balls, 1 package smoked salmon, 2 large cooked sausages, 2 boiled eggs, 1 medium bag chopped kale, 6 large carrots, 1/2 c nut butter, 3 coconut muffins, 3 sweet potato tortillas, 9 slices cooked bacon, 1 bag trail mix, 1 bag coffee

3-Day Car Camping Food List for Two Mountain Bikers

I try to pack so I don’t actually need ice, depending on the temperature. One trick for making this work is having your meats already frozen.

1 bottle of wine, 1 wine opener (I cannot stress how important it is to NOT forget this), 1 can of coconut milk, 12 eggs, 1 pack of bacon (frozen), 1 hard salami, 1 pack of two large sausages (frozen), 2 salmon filets (frozen, eat on day one unless you want lutefisk), 1 bag of kale, 4 apples, 2 oranges, 1 bell pepper, 2 zucchini, 1 clove of garlic, 1 bag of carrots, 1 jar of peanut butter, 1 bag of nuts (cashews, Brazil, etc.), 6 muffins, 1 head of cabbage, 2 lemons, Salt, Olive oil, Dark chocolate, Coffee

The post Eating Well in the Woods: Healthy Camp Food Tips appeared first on Out There Venture.