A trail of more than breadcrumbs
Jun. 7—Backpackers, campers, canoers and all other adventuresome souls have by now likely planned their summer excursions into woods, lakes and mountains. As Minnesotans we are fortunate to have a variety of wilderness opportunities to choose from, whether it is the Boundary Waters, state parks or other challenging areas in between.
In addition to the equipment involved — tents, sleeping bags, etc. — I've listened to family members discuss another important aspect of the experience: What food to take along the trail. That got me to wondering what works the best whether it's in your backpack or the bottom of a canoe. Not having done this for decades, I went to the experts.
Francie (MacCarty) St. Onge, who grew up in Rochester, with husband Joe have owned Sun Valley Trekking in Hailey, Idaho, that provides guiding and some lodging in the back country recreational areas around Sun Valley. With over 20 years experience, she knows well what foods work and travel the best.
"The first thing I do is prepare a spread sheet with menus and amounts needed. That varies depending on the size of the group as well as the activity level, which is often pretty rigorous," Francie says. "I do dehydrate some foods, like tomatoes, which we then turn into a pasta sauce. When we go out we also take along the foil packets of tuna, salmon and chicken, pastas and ramen packets, which aren't very heavy. These days finding dried food to reconstitute isn't difficult because quite a few companies are making them especially for wilderness cooking."
Aside from boiling water, which you add directly into the packet, there are no pots to clean. Simply take the emptied packets out with you. Francie also stresses the importance of setting up your camp site near water. "That's essential."
Spirit of the Wilderness is a full-service Boundary Waters outfitter in Ely, Minnesota, that has been outfitting backpackers and canoers for decades.
Kathy Nelson, one of the owners, says her company provides menu options for those who are heading into the great outdoors for an extended period.
"A canoe trip gives a few more meal options since there is more space in a canoe than on your back," Kathy says. "Included are frozen meats and cheeses, which we put in the middle of the packaging which then keeps everything else cool. Tortillas often take the place of bread. However, if the clients want bread we put it in a shoebox to keep it from crushing."
Dehydrated meals are an important part of what they send out, specifically provided by Cache Lake Foods from Bemidji. "No one goes hungry, I promise you that," Nelson says. Plus there are dozens of energy bars and portable snacks that make the trip.
Asking some experts here in Rochester, I talked with folks at Scheels and Tyrol Ski and Sports, and surprisingly came away hungry after talking about the variety of dehydrated meals available. The meals you get just by adding a cup or two of boiling water are amazing: Chili mac with beef, garden vegetable pasta, Szechwan chicken with rice. Desserts I saw included rocky road pudding and triple berry crisp. Among the breakfast items was a strawberry oatmeal and a powdered egg scramble.
The company providing these to local retailers is Trailtopia, which is located in Byron, Minnesota. Tyrol's Mike Pattinson says, "Customers have really liked these and in fact it's the only brand we carry."
Of course it is much more economical to pack your own, which my son Greg with four young children does. I've watched in amazement as the meal packs go together "We take a variety of pastas, ramen noodles, the packets of chicken, tuna and salmon, dried vegetables, cheeses, soup packets, dried pasta sauces, peanut butter packets, bouillon cubes, dried beef sticks, energy bars, trail mix and individual fruit drinks." The one thing they haven't taken on the trail yet is Spam. "Maybe next time."
John Weiss, the outdoor writer/expert at the Post Bulletin is no stranger to backpacking meals. A favorite of his is mac and cheese with summer sausage. On an outing not too long ago his son Charlie put together what has become a favorite: Bean Lake hotdish, which is Lipton rice with summer sausage and veggies.
Breakfast is generally instant oatmeal with pilot biscuits for lunch with peanut butter. Dried fruit is also good to have along. Weiss strongly suggests testing a few meals prior to going out to make sure you like them.
"As a safety measure in case you get into camp late, be sure to take along a dehydrated meal, like an MRE."
Everyone I spoke with also always includes fresh apples and oranges.
So backpackers and canoers, there are options — lots of delicious ones — to renew your energy as you go forth into the great outdoors.
Post Bulletin food writer Holly Ebel knows what's cookin'. Send comments or story tips to
.
