Fruit From Washington Tips for Family Camping, Backpacking and Active Outdoor Living Whether you car camp with the whole family or backpack with a buddy, getting along in the outdoors takes some preparation. For most of us, camping falls somewhere within the spectrum between car camping and backpacking. Backpacking is, I suppose, the camping "high ground," the ideal of camping. It's what our brother Regan does; the way to do camping if you're young, healthy and free. Our sister Katie, who takes trips with her husband Chuck and two kids, has a lot to say for car camping. More on that later.

Camping and Sports Recipes Index Granola Cereal Homemade Energy Gel Katie's Homemade Eggless Pancake Mix Trail Mix Trail Putty The Bum Cakes

It just dawned on us, you might not even travel by land...canoe camping, now that's another topic all together!

From the Headlines - Hiker Gives Thanks, Advice

The Register Guard news story by Karen McCowan titled "Hiker gives thanks, advice," (8/25/2000) describes the misadventures of an older woman who became lost in the woods but who was eventually found safe and sound by rescuers. According to the newspaper column, the lost hiker "filled a sketchbook page with a list" of necessities to carry along, even if only going out on a day hike. From the voice of experience, these items include: "Extra water. Dried fruit. A small mirror. A knife. A lighter. A compass. A long-sleeved shirt. Extra-thick socks. Excellent hiking boots. A Zip-Loc bag for collecting water. A flare. A walking stick. A toothbrush."

Walking sticks may be making a comeback. Time was when they were very popular, used proudly by gentry and commoners alike, although the manufacture and style of stick would be dependent upon the class of the user. Or so it was in England, and possibly in America before we became a truly equal, classless society. Little joke there. Anyway, here is a photo which purports to have documentation to prove that this is the walking stick (wood with ivory handle) which belonged to Charles Dickens and was used on one of his trips to America. Charles Dickens also carried a traveling cutlery kit which you can see here. More about both items can be found within the Library of Congress collection of John Bull and Uncle Sam materials.

Prepare for your trip

Preparation is the key to a good camping trip. Get organized. Make lists if you have to. Pack what you need where you can get at it easily. Clothes, gear and food are the basics along with other survival essentials.

Our sister, Barbara Eberhart, reports:

I always store my daypack with: a first aid pouch that includes sunscreen, waterproof matches, plastic bags, biodegradable t.p., kleenex, small notebook and pens, toothbrush, plastic rain poncho, plus a list that says... water, food, bugspray, knife, raingear, hat, socks, compass & map!

Katie Eberhart reiterates: In the north, you can't have too much mosquito repellant and sunscreen. And don't forget those marshmallows. In the summer months if you are too far north it barely gets dark at night and you can't see stars or the Aurora. Anyone from Alaska and Northern Canada headed south, don't forget flashlights and some kind of lantern. It really does get dark down there.

Food for the Day Hiker's Backpack

"Somehow I still yearn for the days when the exhilaration of the climbing and hiking overshadowed the need for food, at least for the weekend. Just put me down for rotten bananas--and oh yes, fresh apples in the fall." - Peter K. Schoening of Bothell, Washington who went on his first mountaineering adventures with the Boy Scouts in the late 1930's. (From Gorp, Glop & Glue Stew: Favorite Foods from 165 Outdoor Experts, by Yvonne Prater and Ruth Dyar Mendenhall. Published by The Mountaineers, Seattle, Washington, 1982.)

Quick energy foods - Complex carbohydrates are found in the starches of whole grains, rice and other cereals, and simple sugars are good sources for quick energy. You will want to outfit your backpack with a variety of foods, and fluids too, that will keep you going all day.

Trail mix - a medley of dried fruits, raisins, nuts, candies
Whole grain crackers, cookies (fig bars are great) or breads
Energy bars - commercial or homemade
Fresh fruit - apples and oranges
Fruit juice and plenty of water (or your water filter)

Remember the effort it takes to stay hydrated increases when you're out on the trail. Fruits and fruit juices can help do the job. On a day hike, watermelon (sliced and packed in sealed plastic bags) is one of the greatest treats. Watermelon is one of the most saturated fruits (the name says it all) but apples, pears and oranges are also high in water content and their sweet, juicy flavors are a great picnic pick-up on any outing. See what varieties of apples and pears are available now at FruitFromWashington.

Packing your Pack

The secret to good backpack packing is to keep the center of gravity of the pack close to the center. This will improve the balance of the load and increase the ease of carrying. To do this, put the heaviest items at the bottom of the pack, adding lighter stuff on top.

Camping Clothes - Don't have to cost an arm and a leg

Our brother, Regan Eberhart, outlines the do's and don'ts of low end camping. Before buying anything new and expensive, see if you can find something appropriate that is used and inexpensive. For instance, check out the discount stores such as Goodwill and St. Vincent's for $2-$3 fleece jackets before you resort to spending ten times that on something new. Regan has seen expensive, fashionable new miracle fabric outfits ruined by hard use on a camping trip. These fabrics are easily ruined by wearing them within range of a sparking fire. Even if the fabrics are undamaged, by some reports, sitting by a hot fire on a cool, rainy night will draw moisture through those fabrics, soaking the wearer to the skin.

Back to the Basics of Wool, Cotton and Plastics

With apologies to polite company, now we're going to talk about sweat. The wonderful thing about the technological miracle of new fabrics is that they breathe keeping the wearer dry during heavy exertion. However, the ability of the fabric to function as it was designed is often compromised under normal camping conditions. If the fabric must be kept clean in order for it to do its job, the battle has already been lost. Layering more modest fabrics, such as wool pants and sweater with a plastic poncho will keep you warm and dry if you provide "sweat management". Simply put, either don't exert so much to drench yourself with sweat or if you must exert, loosen up the garments for more air movement throughout.

If you wear cotton garments even during summer hiking, be sure to take along something extra that will be warm and dry to substitute for your cotton tees or sweatshirts if weather conditions change. It is easy to become chilled when wearing cotton that has become damp from sweat.

Reasons for Family Car Camping

One is, it's a lot easier to do with kids! It's a good way to travel economically. Another thing about camping with kids is the way you get to use fire! We built campfires in the designated fire pits. The kids learned a lot about fires and fire safety. We did most of our cooking on the 2-burner Coleman stove, but augmented by the campfires when appropriate.

Sleeping Under the Stars

Turn your attention to tents - If you don't have a desperate need to spend hundreds of dollars, Regan recommends a $10 plastic tarp in lieu of tent.

On the other hand, Katie and her family prefer their tents as a barrier against rain and biting creatures. During their summer camping adventures they zipped into their tents and found welcome relief from black flies, no-see-ums and mosquitos. An afternoon nap on a tarp ended when Katie noticed a scorpion also apparently napping next to her head. Sometimes tarps just aren't enough.

Car camping with our family we take a supply of rope and plastic tarps. As tacky as it sounds, when it's pouring rain and you're cooking a hot meal for a group, a plastic tarp "roof" over the cooking area improves the mood of the cook! - KE

Okay, you can't beat "sleeping under the stars" for viewing meteor showers such as the Perseids in August -- that is if you can stay awake. Also, if you get far enough north but not too far north, you might luck out and see the Northern Lights spreading their fantastical auroral curtains across the night sky. The Kittitas Valley had a spectacular Northern Lights show one night early in August. Visit the Space Environment Center (NOAA) site to learn more about watching the Aurora.

Northern Lights Photograph by Katie Eberhart
More Northern Night Sky Resources at SolsticeLight.com

Other Food Tips for Car Camping and Meal Making

Food on ice - It is easy to take for granted the ability to travel with a food chest or cooler packed in ice. We replenish the ice supply to keep food cold, thinking nothing of picking up another bag of ice on our stops along the Alaska-Canada highway. As a result, we leave home with four or five days worth of food packed safely on ice. Enough to make our own healthy meals along a good stretch of the Alaska Highway.

Potatoes are your friends - Before leaving home I boil then chill a big pot of potatoes. Stored in heavy freezer bags, these are quick to slice and fry with onions, salt and pepper making a good hot side dish. I also decide on a few easy-to-cook entrees (spaghetti, stir-fry, petite steaks, polish sausage). I package each meat in heavy freezer bags and freeze it. Then I pack the frozen meat packets at the bottom of the cooler, under the ice. We schedule the entrees in the order of what ought to be eaten first -- first night the chicken entree, second night entree that uses ground beef, third night the sirloin tip steaks, and fourth night the Polish sausage.

Salads on the go - Also, before leaving home, I clean and bag a couple heads of sturdy lettuce like Romaine. Once this is gone we'll buy the pre-bagged commercial lettuce but you can't beat Romaine for flavor and looks. Throw in some tomato slices and onions and whatever other vegetables you need to take along to use up and you can have great salads every night. I'm not done with the topic of dinners yet. Before heading off for what turned out to be nearly two weeks of family car-camping, I shopped at one of the over-sized grocery stores.

Some commercial food items great for camping - Uncle Ben's Boil-in-the-Bag rice -- easy to make and no messy pot; canned vegetables with self-opening lids -- way easier then trying to open a can with a Swiss army knife. And of course there are the kid-friendly favorites: breakfast bars, individual servings of applesauce (both make great mid-morning car snacks), yogurts, individual cereal boxes (if you let the kids pick these you'll get sugar sugar and more sugar!), noodle soups pre-packaged in styrofoam cups, and chocolate milk packets. I know this is a lot of packaging but soon as I get home it's back to 25 pound bags of flour and applesauce out of a jar!

European car camping - Car camping in Northern Europe and Scandinavia is at a different pace. Big bags of ice cubes for chilling all those cooler goodies are not to be found. If you're a seasoned U.S. car-camper and are headed for Northern Europe you'll need to re-think meal-planning.

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Katie's Homemade Eggless Pancake Mix (great for camping)

In food processor with mixer blade, mix:
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk powder

When ingredients are thoroughly mixed, store in zip-lock freezer bags. To use: Mix equal parts water and pancake mix with 1 tablespoon cooking oil per cup of pancake mix. When car camping, we serve these pancakes with butter, syrup and applesauce. Sometimes, if we're lucky and find a patch of blueberries, we'll add fresh blueberries to the mixture and voila, Blueberry Pancakes!

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Granola Cereal (A nice mellow granola without nuts)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (or a bit less)
1/3 cup honey
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dried apples
1/3 cup wheat germ
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cup shredded coconut

Mix ingredients well. Toast in shallow pan in 350 degree F. oven about 10-12 minutes. Stir a couple times and watch it closely. The granola should be evenly browned. Easier to make up a batch of this camp cereal before you leave home and carry it in tightly sealed, plastic bags.

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Homemade Trail Mix or Gorp

Totally to taste!

Customize your own version of gorp or trail mix blend with any combination, in any amounts, of the following ingredients:

Dried fruit such as dried apples, dried pears, dried apricots, dried peaches, dried plums, dried blueberries, dried cranberries, dried papaya, dried pineapple, dried mango
Raisins or golden raisins
Sunflower seeds, raw or roasted and shelled
Chocolate chips, carob chips, peanut butter chips or butterscotch chips
Small coated chocolate candies
Gumdrops
Peanuts or other nuts

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Trail Putty

1/2 c. peanut butter
2 T. honey
2 1/2 T. dried non-fat powdered milk
1/2 c. raisins

Roll into a log, then roll in coconut or chocolate. Chill and wrap in plastic wrap.

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Homemade Energy Gel

2 or 3 T. runny jam or fruit syrup
1 T. Karo corn syrup (light)
Tang or Kool Aid crystals

Combine jam and syrup, flavor to taste with Tang or Kool Aid crystals. Insert mix into a refillable plastic tube (found in camping or athletic supply stores).

Interested in outdoor cooking? Be sure to take a look at FruitFromWashington's Smoked Meats and Fish Page including Travis's Best Jerky Recipes!