A Tent Away from Home

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On the trail, cooking can be a misnomer. If you can boil water, you are a qualified camp chef. With trail food, as with most things Americans eat, convenience and instant gratification count for a great deal. Instant soup, instant coffee, instant oatmeal—you get the idea. Just add boiled water, let it sit, soak, and reconstitute into edible shape. As soon as you pour boiling water into your bowl of oatmeal, soup or rehydrating trail entree, put a lid on it. Lids lock in the heat while foods bulk up or dissolve. Want to shut down the stove but be sure your morning cup of coffee is still warm by the time you return from doing your biological business at the biffy? Put a lid on it. Is some gravitydefying process perpetually sending shreds of boot-bottomed camp muck and twig pieces into the dinner bowl? Lids will leave these dietary supplements underfoot where they belong.

If you feel compelled to actually cook, stir a pot of thickening stew or bake biscuits, please do so. With meals like these, be sure to take two full quarts of fuel for a weekend trek. You may not use it all, but better safe than hungry. Minute rice and Ramen noodles are good examples of short stir items that save precious fuel and reduce time waiting for water to boil over smoldering embers. As you gain experience, you may become adept at and enjoy Dutch oven baking. But for our purposes, cooking should be quick and easy.

Hot to trot is the rule for breakfasts. Hitting the trail in cold wet boots is somehow easier after a warm breakfast. Instant oatmeal is compact and very popular. Variety packs flavored with dehydrated fruit are a big hiker's favorite. And the packaging can be used later as fire starter. Hot instant milk over Grapenuts will also stick with you all morning. Dried apples, raisins, or bananas are a tasty supplement to both cereals and can be snacked on later by themselves.

At noon, soup warms as well as rehydrates you. Tinned or vacuum-packed meats and cheeses round out a hearty lunch. Crackers tend to crumble, so bring pita bread, English muffins or rye bread squares instead. Leave the jars home if you bring coffee, peanut butter, jelly, sugar or honey. Empty them into lightweight plastic squeeze tubes before you pack them away. These widely available inexpensive dispensers make for clean and easy trailside dining. Don't leave home without them!

Snack for quick energy. While more complex carbohydrates and healthier snack foods like dried apricots, granola, apple chips, and raisins sustain you for the longer haul, candy bars and chocolate kisses may be just the thing to energize the children. Gorp, a trail mix of nuts, baked oats, honey, carob chips, and any other delectables can be made at home before you go. Or you can buy bulk mixes from your neighborhood market or health food outlet. Supper should be simple, no fuss, and a quick clean up. Forget at least five out of the seven courses and leave time to roast marshmallows for dessert or enjoy a second cup of cocoa by the campfire. Almost anything tastes great after a day on the trail. And don't forget that old standby, the military C-ration. They are fairly cheap and offer quite a variety of tastes. Warm the C-ration pouch in hot water and eat it straight from the package. It tastes even better added to a bowl of hot Ramen noodles. Other no-cook entrees are usually more expensive but taste even better. Simply snip open the heat-retaining foil pouches, add boiling water, reseal the top and let stew for ten minutes to its full flavor and bulk. Sprinkle on some Cajun seasoning if you like and enjoy.

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