Andrew Skurka's Blog, page 21

Breakfast Recipe: Fruit and Cream Porridge

The term “porridge” may not sound particularly appetizing, but we think this breakfast is pretty decent. It’s slightly nutty and not too sweet, and another great template that can be adjusted to your personal preferences.

The most unique element of this recipe is the streusel topping, which bumps up its craveability factor.

Meal Statistics:



Meal Weight: 4.5 ouncesCalories per ounce: 118Total Calories: 531



Ingredients

Most everything you need for this meal can be found at a standard super market or grocery store.

The exception is the streusel crumbs. If you can’t easily find them online, you can make your own using an online recipe. Or, crumble a cookie atop the meal to achieve a similar flavor and texture.

If you’re gluten free, substitute cream of rice for the cream of wheat, and either use a gluten-free cookie make the streusel with gluten free flour.

To make the meal fully vegan, use a vegan cookie for the streusel and replace the butter with coconut oil.

The dried apples and seeds can be substituted for any number of variations. For clients, we use pumpkin seeds and dried apples. Some other recommendations include

Almond slicesDried strawberriesCrumbled walnutsRaisins











Home Preparation

For solo trips, you can combine everything except the streusel crumbs into one small snack bag. Keep the streusel separate to help keep it crunchy. On hot trips, double bag the mixture to prevent the butter from leaking into your pack, or keep the butter in a sealable food storage container.

For multi-day trips, I bring a larger portion of butter for multiple meals. I keep it in a small Tupperware container, believing that the extra packaging is worth the reliabity.

For groups, you have several prep options. We bag separately the apple slices, streusel, and butter, and divide these ingredients in the field. Everything else is bagged together, in either individual or group sizes. If you substitute the apples for raisins or another dried fruit that mixes well, you can store them with the cream of wheat and seeds.

Cooking instructions



Bring 10 ounces of water to a boil. Add in all the contents except the streusel. Cover and let re-hydrate.After five minutes, remove the lid. Add in the streusel now.

As with most of these recipes, you can make clean-up easier by using more water. For this recipe, you can use up to 12 ounces.

The finished product



Have questions or an experience with this meal? Leave a comment.

Disclosure. I strive to offer field-tested and trustworthy information, insights, and advice. I have no financial affiliations with or interests in any brands or products, and I do not publish sponsored content

This website is supported by affiliate marketing, whereby for referral traffic I receive a small commission from select vendors like Amazon or REI, at no cost to the reader.

The post Breakfast Recipe: Fruit and Cream Porridge appeared first on Andrew Skurka.

Guide team 2020 || Profile: Brian Robinson

Brian has been backpacking since the 1970’s and helped to popularize ultralight gear and techniques. In 2001 he became the first person to complete the Calendar Triple Crown, which entails thru-hiking the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails (7,400 miles total), all in the same year. This feat earned him the trail name “Flyin’ Brian” and induction into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame. It also caught the attention of Andrew, at the time still a college student, who would take my far, fast and light style to the next level.

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Guide team 2020 || Profile: Christy Rosander

As an elementary school teacher for 20 years, I took advantage of my breaks to hike extensively with family and friends, or on my own.

My most notable trips include:

Long-distance trails like the Pacific Crest, Great Divide, John Muir (4x), Theodore Solomons, and Tahoe Rim Trails;Off-trail adventures like the Yosemite High Route, Sierra High Route (2x), Lowest to Highest, The Great Outdoor Challenge, Wind River High Route, and Southern Sierra High Route, plus some DIY itineraries in the Grand Canyon, southern Utah, and Death Valley;Big peaks like Rainier, Shasta, Russell, Whitney (via the Mountaineers Route, 4x) Sahale, Banner, and Ritter.

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Slideshow || Coming of age: Hiking 7,775 miles across North America

Fifteen years ago now, in August 2004, I embarked on the first of my three mega long-distance hikes. From Cape Gaspe, Quebec, I followed a network of existing long-distance hiking trails — including the International Appalachian Trail, Appalachian Trail, Long Trail, North Country Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Northwest Trail — for eleven months and about 7,775 miles, until finishing my journey at Cape Alava on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

My website had documented this journey well, but much of the content got lost when I migrated to a WordPress platform in 2011. My journal (what today we’d call a blog) is still live, but the Sea-to-Sea Route homepage is hollow and I’ve never bothered to restore the content — I typically find myself more interested by what’s ahead, not behind.

The missing documentation is unfortunate, since it was one of the most formative experiences of my life. I was 23 years-old, and not before and not since that journey have I seen so much of the country, both its places and people. The Great Western Loop was more noteworthy as a wilderness experience and athletic accomplishment, and the Alaska-Yukon Expedition still makes my jaw drop for its boldness and demonstration of backcountry competence, but the Sea-to-Sea Route was more quintessentially American than either of them.

In early-December I was contacted by Clif R., who may repeat the route and who converted my slideshow about the experience into a video file. I recorded the presentation as a PowerPoint in May 2006, when that seemed like a reasonable format — YouTube had been founded only fifteen months prior.

This has been a very long-winded way to say: My Sea-to-Sea Route slideshow is now on YouTube. Pull up a chair and get some popcorn, since it runs about an hour. Enjoy.

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Guide team 2020 || Profile: Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy

Joe set Fastest Known Times on the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail (52 days, supported in 2014) and the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail (45 days, self-supported in 2017). He lives in Boston with his wife, Katie, and is an elite ultra runner.

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Guide team 2020 || Profile: Matt Bright

Matt is our resident interpretive ranger, and in 2020 will be guiding with us in West Virginia. He has a PhD in environmental science and works in Washington DC on federal climate change policy.

His backpacking adventures include thru-hikes of the Long Trail, Sierra High Route, West Highland Way, and Cotswold Way; loops on the Wind River High Route and Pfiffner Traverse; and numerous other trips on both coasts and all points in between. To keep fit while living in the city, he’s become a runner, and right now he’s training for the #bostonmarathon in April.

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7 critical skills you could learn with us in 2020

Apply now for a 2020 trip!

On Sunday I began accepting applications for my 2020 trips. This will be our ninth year in operation, and the program has evolved since I started guiding under my own company in 2011. By the end of that first season, I’d made three realizations:

The clients generally lacked the requisite backcountry skills for interesting routes, but wanted them;I was genuinely interested in teaching these skills, as a personal passion and as a value-add for the program; and,No other organization was using modern gear and techniques (sorry, NOLS), or hiring all-stars from the ultralight and long-distance communities, which had already redefined backpacking and have continued to do so.

So for 2012, I reformulated the program, and offered both intro-level Backpacking Fundamentals courses and longer learning-oriented Adventure trips. And I started working with backpackers who had extraordinary first-hand experience, notably Alan Dixon, Brian Robinson, and Mike Clelland.

It took us a few seasons to build out the curriculum, and each year I make small adjustments based on client feedback or technological changes. For example, last year I added GPS smartphone navigation as a dedicated tutorial.

Just another unworldly canyon in Grand Staircase-Escalante.

In 2020, what are the top seven skills that you could learn with us?

1. Gear selection

What should you pack so that you’re appropriately prepared but not carrying more than you need? Your group will first be tasked with researching the conditions we will likely encounter. Then we’ll provide you a gear list template, which you must complete and which we will review afterwards.

2. Food planning

How much and what types of food should you prepare each day? We have some trail-tested recommendations, and we’ll treat you with stellar breakfast and dinner recipes that will forever cure you of Ramen noodles, instant oatmeal packets, or expensive freeze-dried meals.

3. Map making

Based on client feedback, we’re developing a more robust map-making module in this year’s Planning Curriculum. All clients will receive a free 6-month subscription to CalTopo plus some instruction, and you’ll be asked to create topographic maps for our trip.

4. On- and off-trail navigation

Can you proficiently read a map, dead reckon, operate a compass, use a smartphone GPS app, or find the path of least resistance when there is no trail? Navigation is usually the biggest focus when in the field, and we find that clients “get it” best when we challenge them with off-trail travel.

5. Early-season conditions

In Alaska in June and in Yosemite in July, we will encounter early-season conditions, including lingering snow, swift snowmelt-fed creeks, and occasionally prolific mosquitoes. All of these factors can be managed safely with proper gear and good decision-making.

Buddying up across a swift thigh-deep creek in the Brooks Range



6. Water management

The Colorado Plateau is one the most unique and wildest landscapes in the country. But water is in chronic short supply, and good water management is essential to recreating safely here. We’ll teach you how to ration your water, plan your camps, purify nasty sources, and track down this liquid gold.

7. Campsite selection

If you are deliberate about your camps, you can sleep better at night by finding sites that are relatively warm, dry, and soft; and where insects, critters, and bears are less likely to bother you.

This list does not exhaust the subject matters that we teach. For a full list of topics, consult the Planning Curriculum and Field Curriculum.

Apply now for a 2020 trip!







Have questions about the 2020 program? Leave a comment, or contact me.

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Breakfast Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

This spin-off on the classic oatmeal breakfast is rich and decadent. Combined with our Coconut Chia version, we’ve taken oatmeal up a notch or two.

Meal Stats:


Recipe Weight: 4.5 ounces
Calories per Ounce: 136
Total Calories: 612


Ingredients

The chief benefit of this recipe is that the ingredients are widely available and easy to assemble. You can find everything in a standard supermarket, and probably even small-town grocery stores.

The recipe assumes that your banana chips are sweetened. If they’re not, it’s recommended that you add a sweetener like sugar or honey.

The meal is very fat- and calorie-heavy, due to the combination of whole milk powder, butter, chocolate, and walnuts. These will help balance the sugar content to give you a “slow burn” effect.

If you’re vegan, have a small appetite, or want a healthier version, consider these substitutions:

Use cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips;
Subsitute coconut milk powder for the whole milk powder;
Use dried blueberries or no-sugar-added dried cranberries; or,
Omit the butter and use coconut oil if you want to make it fully vegan.

While you can cold-soak this recipe, its full glory comes only when it’s cooked, because the chocolate chips melt into the oats.

At Home Preparation

For solo trips, combine all the ingredients in a sandwich bag, except for the chocolate chips and maybe the butter. To prevent the butter from leaking in hot conditions, double-bag it, or keep it in a secure food storage container (e.g. Tupperware). The chocolate chips are best added at the end.

For groups, combine the oats, banana chips, Craisins, and maybe the milk powder (depending on group allergies). This mix can be individually portioned, or divided in the field.

Keep the nuts separate, so you can accommodate allergies. Store the butter in a secure food storage container. Keep the chocolate chips separate, so they can be added at the end after the meal has cooked.

Field Preparation


Bring 10 ounces of water to a boil.
Add all the contents into the water.
Cover, and wait 5-10 minutes. Add cinnamon to taste.
A few minutes before eating, add the chocolate chips so that they melt into the oats some.

Using up to 12 ounces of water will help with cleanup, but the melted chocolate in the pot will inevitably need a little extra attention.

Finished product

Have questions or an experience with this meal? Leave a comment.

Disclosure. I strive to offer field-tested and trustworthy information, insights, and advice. I have no financial affiliations with or interests in any brands or products, and I do not publish sponsored content

This website is supported by affiliate marketing, whereby for referral traffic I receive a small commission from select vendors like Amazon or REI, at no cost to the reader.

The post Breakfast Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal appeared first on Andrew Skurka.

Breakfast Recipe: Banana Chocolate Oatmeal

This spin-off on the classic oatmeal breakfast is rich and decadent. Combined with our Coconut Chia version, we’ve taken oatmeal up a notch or two.

Meal Stats:



Recipe Weight: 4.5 ouncesCalories per Ounce: 136Total Calories: 612



Ingredients

The chief benefit of this recipe is that the ingredients are widely available and easy to assemble. You can find everything in a standard supermarket, and probably even small-town grocery stores.

The recipe assumes that your banana chips are sweetened. If they’re not, it’s recommended that you add a sweetener like sugar or honey.

The meal is very fat- and calorie-heavy, due to the combination of whole milk powder, butter, chocolate, and walnuts. These will help balance the sugar content to give you a “slow burn” effect.

If you’re vegan, have a small appetite, or want a healthier version, consider these substitutions:

Use cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips;Subsitute coconut milk powder for the whole milk powder;Use dried blueberries or no-sugar-added dried cranberries; or,Omit the butter and use coconut oil if you want to make it fully vegan.

While you can cold-soak this recipe, its full glory comes only when it’s cooked, because the chocolate chips melt into the oats.

At Home Preparation

For solo trips, combine all the ingredients in a sandwich bag, except for the chocolate chips and maybe the butter. To prevent the butter from leaking in hot conditions, double-bag it, or keep it in a secure food storage container (e.g. Tupperware). The chocolate chips are best added at the end.

For groups, combine the oats, banana chips, Craisins, and maybe the milk powder (depending on group allergies). This mix can be individually portioned, or divided in the field.

Keep the nuts separate, so you can accommodate allergies. Store the butter in a secure food storage container. Keep the chocolate chips separate, so they can be added at the end after the meal has cooked.

Field Preparation



Bring 10 ounces of water to a boil.Add all the contents into the water.Cover, and wait 5-10 minutes. Add cinnamon to taste.A few minutes before eating, add the chocolate chips so that they melt into the oats some.

Using up to 12 ounces of water will help with cleanup, but the melted chocolate in the pot will inevitably need a little extra attention.

Finished product



Have questions or an experience with this meal? Leave a comment.

Disclosure. I strive to offer field-tested and trustworthy information, insights, and advice. I have no financial affiliations with or interests in any brands or products, and I do not publish sponsored content

This website is supported by affiliate marketing, whereby for referral traffic I receive a small commission from select vendors like Amazon or REI, at no cost to the reader.

The post Breakfast Recipe: Banana Chocolate Oatmeal appeared first on Andrew Skurka.

Nine-year review: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles

In spring 2011 I purchased the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles, and used them for about 450 days over the next eight backpacking seasons.

Some of this use was mild (i.e. short days and on-trail) but a considerable portion was not — they probably endured over 1,000 miles of talus and scree, spring snowfields, rough Utah canyons, and Alaskan brush and tussocks.

This review was originally written in June 2015, and it’s been updated to reflect several subsequent years of use, plus one season with an in-stock pair that that was sent to me by Black Diamond.

Review: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork

At $180 MSRP, the Alpine Carbon Corks are among the most expensive poles in the market, and they will not be a trivial expense for most backpackers. But I still recommend them if you:

Can afford the best,Will justify the expense with extended use,Hike on extremely rugged trails, or off-trail and on early-season snow,Are generally hard on your gear, orWill stress these poles with a heavy body and/or pack.

Personally, these poles have won me over with their:

Comfortable cork grips and functional foam extension grips;Shafts that are very steady under load, with minimal vibration or bending; and,Locks that do not slip, wiggle, or corrode, and that can be easily operated and adjusted.

If you’re on a budget, don’t backpack often, stay on easy trails, and/or have a petite build and tiny pack, look elsewhere. For most backpackers, I typically recommend the Cascade Mountain Tech Quick Lock Poles (my review), which offer 75 percent of the performance for one-sixth the price; or the niche Ultimate Direction FKT Poles (my review), which are the lightest and stiffest poles I’ve ever used.

Noel on a mid-October backpack hunt with the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Corks. This is the perfect application for these poles: heavy packs and rough conditions.



Design changes

From 2011 to 2019, we’ve seen three generations of Alpine Carbon Corks. The colors, locks, and grips have changed each time, but the intended/optimal use has not. I’m uncertain if the pole shafts have ever changed — it doesn’t feel like it, and it’s difficult to discern by looking at them.

My set from 2011 was mostly black, with some white. The lever-action Flicklocks were made of plastic, and the grips were the “trigger” style.

Upper shafts, grips, and locks on Gen 1

The second-generation is still available from Black Diamond, currently at $153. They’re mostly white, with some black. The redesigned FlickLock Pro was lower profile and made of stainless steel, but many people found them hard to use. The cork grips were straight, save for a bottom flare.

Upper shaft and grip on Gen 2

The latest generation was released in spring 2019, and come in a pleasant matte forest green. The grips have remained the same, but thankfully the locks were redesigned, in both material and shape. They’re now made of aluminum and are easier to operate.

Upper shafts and grips on Gen 3



Comparison of locks, Gen 2 (left) and Gen 3 (right). Users rightfully criticized the Gen 2 version for its sharp edges and for the plastic cover coming loose.



Weight

Like with footwear, the weight of trekking poles is especially important because they undergo more movement than your pack or most of your body. Heavy poles are difficult to swing quickly and place where desired, and burn up more energy than lighter poles.

The weight of the Carbon Corks is not ideal, but it’s competitive and explainable. The latest generation specs at 17.1 ounces (486 grams), or 15.6 ounces without the straps and baskets, as I like them. This is in line with my 2011 set, which weighed 17.2 ounces (or 16.0 ounces without straps and baskets).

To get a substantially lighter pole, sacrifices would be necessary. For example:

Thinner shafts would be lighter, but less stiff. Fixed-length models will be lighter, but less packable, and will have no adjustment. Removing the grip extension saves some weight, but greatly reduces functionality.



Expense

$180 retail, ouch. And since they’re not redesigned every year, it’s rare that they get marked down. This makes the Carbon Corks a good candidate for one of the “20 percent off one full-priced item” sales from REI and the other large outdoor online retailers.

I wish I could suggest a less expensive model that has comparable build quality and specs, but it does not exist. If you spend less, you’ll get something less: heavier, more vibration and bending, less reliable locks, less durable tips, no extension grips, etc.

The author off-trail in northern Yosemite, using the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork



Packed length

The telescoping shafts collapse to 24 inches (61 cm), which is comparable to other models in this category. Folding sets like the Black Diamond Alpine FLZ ($160, 17 oz) do about 30 percent better in this regard, but they use thinner shafts to keep the weight the same.

Grips & extensions

Plastic grips are uncomfortable and slippery. Rubber grips are abrasive on bare hands. Foam grips are nice, but not very durable. Cork grips are the best: they are soft, durable, and slightly absorbent, and they have sufficient friction.

I regularly choke up on my poles for improved balance and leverage, mostly when hiking steeply uphill or side-hilling. The foam extension grips below the primary cork grip on the Alpine Carbon Cork Poles offers a much more secure grip than a slick and narrow pole shaft. In fact, I would consider this feature a must-have for the type of backpacking I do.

On steep and uncertain terrain, the extension grips become very helpful.



Recommended alternatives

If you like the performance of the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Corks but can’t or don’t want to spend $180, my recommendation is to buy the Cascade Mountain Tech Quick Lock Poles, which are available from Amazon and possibly at your local Costco in the spring. Every component is inferior, but they cost just $30 to $50 and they’ve survived some of my hardest hikes, notably a yo-yo of the Wind River High Route.

The Ultimate Direction FKT Poles are another recommended option. They’re not collapsible and the carbide tips will need to be replaced, but they’re stiffer than the Carbon Corks and weigh half as much. If all of my backpacking was local, I’d buy the FKT Poles and never look back.

Finally, ultra runners and petite backpackers should consider folding models like the Distance or Distance Carbon, either in the Z (non-adjustable) or FLZ (adjustable) style. They are less durable and steady than the Alpine Carbon Corks, but they’re lighter, more collapsible, and durable enough.

Guide Mary Cochenour uses the Distance Z Poles, which weigh less and are adequately durable for her petite build.



Have questions about the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork, or an experience with them? Leave a comment.



Buy now: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Poles

Disclosure. I strive to offer field-tested and trustworthy information, insights, and advice. I have no financial affiliations with or interests in any brands or products, and I do not publish sponsored content

This website is supported by affiliate marketing, whereby for referral traffic I receive a small commission from select vendors like Amazon or REI, at no cost to the reader.

The post Nine-year review: Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles appeared first on Andrew Skurka.