What If I Loved My Body?
Hike 9 | I was free of the soul sucking sadness that comes with stepping on the scale and watching the number climb or trying on everything in my closet before determining that nothing will hide my pregnant looking belly. I was free.
Hike #9 | 137m Elevation Gain | 4.1km Hiked
(Note: The photos here are from our hike to Tricouni East, they are not from the backcountry trip referenced in the story.)
I had the craziest thought a few months ago – what if I decided to love my body? What if I wasn’t waiting to love it until I was stronger, healthier, skinnier? What if I looked at it in the mirror, exactly as it is right now, and loved it?
I had been on a multi-day backcountry hike when the thought occurred to me. We were a few days, many kilometres, and more than one storm in when I realized that I hadn’t once concerned myself with the appearance of my body. Due to my ridiculous digestive issues, not only am I constantly aware and very self-conscious of my bloated belly but I also can gain weight at the drop of a hat. But here I was mid-survival-hike and while I still had plenty of tummy troubles, how I looked to others never once entered the equation. Not only that, but I actually felt beautiful and powerful. I was free of the soul sucking sadness that comes with stepping on the scale and watching the number climb or trying on everything in my closet before determining that nothing will hide my pregnant looking belly. I was free.
I have never had a diagnosed eating disorder, but I grew up with the same unhealthy expectations around body and food that I think a lot of women do. All the women in my family were constantly on diets. I knew what Weight Watchers was before I knew that I should worry about how I looked. Conversely, in my family, we celebrated everything with food, bonded over food, and tried to heal all emotional wounds with food. It’s a confusing juxtaposition.
I was a skinny kid, thanks to genetics, but that didn’t stop me from obsessing over my body. I have always had thick legs – all the way down from my meaty thighs to my cankles, and for a couple of years when I was about eleven, I stopped wearing shorts. I was embarrassed of my legs, so I hid them. Even to this day, you’re hard pressed to see me in a skirt, simply because I don’t think my lovely lady stumps should be what you find protruding from one. And don’t even get me started about displaying my girthy ankles in a pair of strappy heels. . .
When I was in my early twenties and living in the city I made a conscious decision to stop buying women’s magazines because at 110 pounds, I felt like I still couldn’t live up to what beauty actually was. I wasn’t tall enough, my boobs weren’t perfect (is there a word for lazy eye as applied to one breast?), my hair was too thin, the list went on. It’s incredible how much can be wrong with us – and weight is just one small piece of it. Not buying the magazines helped immensely and saved me a lot of money, but this messaging is everywhere – and is frequently shoved in front of us now without warning through social media.
Enter my mid-30’s when the wear and tear of life and stress catches up with me and I struggle with digestions, depression, and a lack of energy. My bloated stomach pushing on the waistband of my jeans (that fit comfortably before I ate) is a constant reminder that my self-worth is somehow less because I don’t look like a pre-teen girl in a vodka ad. But don’t worry, because now there is a movement for women to be strong. Muscle weighs more than fat, it doesn’t matter how you look, it matters how much you can lift. This is exciting, this is change, this is a new way for women to feel bad about themselves. Now I have another thing to worry about; I am neither skinny nor strong. I nearly got plowed over by my garbage bin while trying to wheel it down our (admittedly steep) driveway last week. I can’t look at my thick legs, protruding belly, or ape-index arms and think ‘I’m beautiful because I’m strong,’ because I’m not. But I don’t have to be. I eat well. I work with professionals on nutrition and health. I exercise as much as my body will allow me. I sleep. I am doing everything right. But I am not strong, and I am not skinny.
My ‘what if’ questions didn’t go away. They kept circling back, even after the hike. I had cried on the hike, cried from pure exhaustion and exertion – but not even that had taken me to the depths that feeling bad about my body can. So, what if I just accepted my body? What if it didn’t need to be anything other than what it is? What if I decided to love this lump of clay that I’ve been given? It’s the only one I’m going to get, and it gives form to this brain of mine that is powerful and determined. This body is really just the Kermit the Frog, which makes my brain Jim Henson’s hand shoved straight up the butt.
My digestion, my strength, my fat stores – none of them change who I am. None of them impact that I am a funny, caring, smart person. I still do step on the scale from time to time and I still struggle to leave the house in anything other than a potato sack. And on those days I remind myself to look at all these pieces of me and remember when I was in the middle of nowhere, away from scales, advertisements, and mirrors – and I can remember how sexy and powerful I felt because I was happy. Because at that moment I was my truest self.
Being Lost (in Life) isn't the Worst Thing
Hike 8 | You know when you suggest a hike to a group of friends who you’ve never really hiked with before – and then you realize that you don’t really know where you’re going? Yeah. That was this hike. But it’s also pretty much my whole life.
(Disclaimer: Actually being lost in the woods isn’t cool. Be prepared, know where you are going, and always support your community’s Search and Rescue. We are lucky to have them.)
Hike #8 | ?m Elevation Gain | ?km Hiked
You know when you suggest a hike to a group of friends who you’ve never really hiked with before – and then you realize that you don’t really know where you’re going? Yeah. That was this hike. But it’s also pretty much my whole life. I have a rough idea, a vague image, in mind and I’m searching for it, but probably not by the shortest route possible, certainly not without more than one detour or wrong turn, and definitely not without some less than ideal conditions.
More often than not, when I go hiking I have a set goal and a map in hand. But in my life, no one has ever handed me directions. Instead, I’ve spent most of my time wandering off route. I’ve hit dead-ends, retraced my steps, and made my own path. I’ve also stayed too long at comfortable and pretty viewpoints, only moving on when the sun sets and leaving becomes unavoidable.
I used to be ashamed of the meandering route that my life has taken. I would look at the peaks and alpine lakes being bagged on Instagram – on the houses purchased, babies birthed, weddings celebrated – and be concerned that I was actually lost. But I’m not. Now stay with me here because this idea is about to get a little off-track.
When my dad died we had three memorials for him. Three. And believe me, they were all necessary. At the time that he passed, he and my mom split their time between Bamfield and Mexico and he was an integral part of both communities. But the third memorial was in West Vancouver at my uncle’s house. It wasn’t somewhere that we had spent a lot of time. A lot of the people were family – my dad’s family, and some long-time friends that I knew. But there were people I didn’t know, plenty of them. There were people whose names I had heard in some of his stories but had never met. He had an ex-wife and, I’m sure, ex-girlfriends who came. It was a house full of people who loved my dad enough that despite the years they had gone without contact, they wanted to celebrate his life. Their time together, regardless of where it landed in his timeline, was that valuable.
This was how I came to understand that our lives aren’t linear. We aren’t on a point A to point B conveyer belt, along which we collect our degrees, promotions, husbands or wives, and children. If anything, the majority of us – like it or not – are travelling along a dirty frayed string full of knots. Each tangle, deviation, extended stop at a lookout, holds a meaning that does not diminish over time. And when we have our hearts and heads looking too far into the future, too fixedly at one goal – or worse, at someone else’s goal – we can miss the importance of all the stops along the way. Instead of relishing these experiences, they can feel like steps or speed bumps, or scratchy pieces of unforgiving salal bush instead.
Now, you may look at my life and think that I shouldn’t be giving advice – and I’m pretty sure the girls who I hiked with on this particular day were thinking I shouldn’t be leading any hikes either, but I will say here what I said when we arrived at our first overgrown viewpoint that was bisected by some power lines, “take it in ladies, because this might be the best view we get today.”
It wasn’t, and we pushed on. But we didn’t know what would come next. We forced our way through dense bush and made our own trail. We got scraped and bruised and we topped out in a little clearing that doubled as a modest summit and was surrounded by trees that offered no views. But it was a new place that we hadn’t yet been. We took a spur in a different direction and meandered around the mountainside, only occasionally having to double back and try a new way. And then, most unexpectedly, we stumbled across the viewpoint that I’d had a vague memory of from visiting years before. It was a beautiful unencumbered view of the ocean. It was the kind of scene that Instagrams are made of – and we had it all to ourselves to enjoy.
On our hike down, we found the original wrong turn we had made. With the confidence that only true happiness in our experience can bring, we laughed at how hard it was to miss. And yes, the final viewpoint would have been just as beautiful if we had taking the right turn and gone straight there, but our day wouldn’t have been as full – and I wouldn’t have had much of a story to tell if it had been that easy.
(And no, the girls haven’t asked me to plan any hikes since then. . . )
Taking a Break and Falling in Love at Brohm Lake
Hike 7 | Part way through this hike – it was a slow amble at best, I had to cut it short. I told Stu that it wouldn’t count, that it wasn’t long enough, I hadn’t achieved enough, it wasn’t. . . enough.
Hike #7 | 100m Elevation Gain | 7.5km Hiked
I argued with Stu about including this hike in my #40hikes goal. I had just returned from three days of hiking and camping in Banff and I was tired. We hiked around Brohm Lake with the intention of including a couple of the lookouts to make it a bigger day. Part way through this walk – it was a slow amble at best, I had to cut it short. I told Stu that it wouldn’t count, that it wasn’t long enough, I hadn’t achieved enough, it wasn’t. . . enough. Stu countered that it’s important to share all aspects of achieve this goal – including the sometimes-debilitating exhaustion that I still occasionally struggle with. And of course, he was right.
When my ambitions and physical self don’t line up I deal with strong feelings of disappointment. But the mental practice of accepting my body’s limitations when I need to in order to be able to tackle bigger activities when I can, is making me stronger. There are a lot of challenges that come with not knowing what to expect from your energy levels each day and I can end up feeling constantly let down when I wake up with a big plan that I’m not able to accomplish but there are things that help. I have made a list of hikes that I want to accomplish – some long, some short, some local, some far away. If I have set aside a day for hiking and I wake up in the morning feeling great, then I will go ahead with whatever big adventure I have my sights set on. If I don’t quite have it in me or if my week is packed and I can’t afford to have a day of recovery, then I will pick an easier option. I’m working towards my goal no matter which hike I opt for and that feels good.
There are still some days that I don’t get out at all. They are fewer and farther between than in the past and I try to remember that in taking a rest day I’m still working towards my goal – I won’t get there if I wear myself down.
After we decided to cut this hike short and only walk around the lake instead of adding in the lookouts, I enjoyed our wandering a lot more. We made a lot of stops to look at the nature around us and I spent much of time thinking about the last time we had hiked around Brohm Lake. It was last year, and it was pouring rain. Every trail we followed seemed to dead end at the water and we ended up having to hike straight up a slope of slippery roots and mud. The sleeves of my puffy jacket sucked up all the moisture, wicking it up my arms under my rain coat and my shoes were full of water. I was probably really uncomfortable, but I only remember being incredibly nervous. I was in love with Stu, but I didn’t know how to tell him. I spent the whole time wondering if I was supposed to wait for him to tell me or if I could get up the guts to tell him first. I almost said it when we were standing on the rocky outcropping looking at the dreary view of the lake, and I also almost said it when we were crossing the bridge, and I also almost said it when we were in the forest surrounded by towering old growth trees – but it never quite came out.
Finally, we were back in the car, soaked to the core. Stu started it and got ready to back out of the parking lot. I panicked and blurted out “I love you.” But I didn’t leave it at that. I was so nervous that it felt like I was speaking front of an audience (the only thing scarier to me than snakes) and I just kept babbling at high speed. I think I said something along the lines of, “you don’t have to say it back, but I just wanted to –” Stu interrupted me. He said, “I love you too,” and went on to tell me that he’d been waiting to say it because he hadn’t found the right moment. We had both wanted to create the perfect memory for the first time we told each other but instead we were drenched and shivering in a car; my hair was plastered to my forehead and dripping in my eyes and the water in my shoes was leaking out and pooling on the floor mat. This is one of my favourite memories of us.
Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you expect or want. Sometimes the words come out at the wrong time and sometimes you don’t have the energy to accomplish the goal you’ve set. But when you accept it rather than fighting it, you are more likely to end up moving in the right direction instead of exhausting yourself by trying to change the things beyond your control. My personal mantra: be okay with the short hike and be okay with soggy love.
7 Things I Learned at Baker Lake
Hike 6 | Even though we were disappointed to miss out on completing the whole Skoki Loop, the smoke did clear enough for us to spend two days on it. I learned a few things on this hike - from the practical to the ridiculous - and here there are!
Hike #6 | 860m Elevation Gain | 26.2km Hiked
Even though we were disappointed to miss out on completing the whole Skoki Loop, the smoke did clear enough for us to spend two days on it. We hiked out and back to Baker Lake and had an incredible trip. The scenery was stunning and constantly changing. Once we got past the long logging road start to it, the hike became more engaging and we enjoyed the streams, nearly haze-free views, and snack stops along the away.
I learned a few things on this hike - from the practical to the ridiculous - and here there are!
1. Learn from Others
I had never hiked with Corrina or met Laura. I suppose it can seem a little risky to plan a multi-day trip with people you don’t know all that well, however, you can learn so much from new people. Everyone has their own way of doing things that they’ve learned along the way. Whether it’s about what to pack, when to eat, what to do at camp, or anything else, these little tips and tricks – take them or leave them – can help you to refine your own personal backpacking program.
Pay attention, ask questions, and share stories. At the very least you will get a line on how to make decent Bloody Mary’s in the wild.
2. Pack Camp Shoes
When we decided that we were only going to do one night on the Skoki Loop, I repacked my bag and took out some unnecessary items like extra clothing and food. I also made the poor decision to leave behind my flip flops.
After a long day of hiking, there is no better feeling than taking off your hiking boots. . . and then putting them right back on. Once at camp there was still a lot of walking around to do to get to the lake, the bear-proof food cache, and the eating area. While I have tough little hobbit feet, the ground was a bit too pokey to go barefoot for long. Without comfy shoes to slip on, I ended up walking around in my hiking boots with the laces undone, which unfortunately by the next morning had led to a small blister.
Luckily, I had everything I needed on hand for blister care and it didn’t bother me when we hiked out the next day, but flip flops would have been a welcome addition to my supplies.
3. Drink Water
For the first time, I hiked with a bladder instead of a water bottle. It allowed me to carry three litres of water at a time and to continually drink it, rather than having to stop and take the bottle out. Also, the added nearly 7 pounds of weight is a great motivator to drink all your water.
As a comparison – when we hike just over 13km to Jewell Pass, I carried a day pack with a bottle of water in it and barely drink a litre of water. On the hike to Baker Lake, which was almost the same distance, I drank roughly 5 litres of water.
The bladder was especially handy for this trip as we found out when we arrived at the second stream crossing that it had been treated to kill off an invasive species of fish and couldn’t be used for drinking water. Instead we collect out water when we arrived at the lake and there I used a SteriPen to treat the water.
4. Don’t Panic
I tucked into my sleeping bag when it was still somewhat light out, so I put my headphones in with an audio book on and pulled my toque down over my eyes. I zipped my mummy bag all the way up and pulled the little built-in mittens on the sleeves of my hoodie over my hands.
When the temperature dropped, I woke up in the middle of the nigh face down in my sleeping bag with no opposable thumbs, no understanding of why I couldn’t see, and Tina Fey conversationally telling me about Saturday Night live. I panicked like a cat trapped in a sack.
I’m going to go ahead and assume that no one else wake up imprisoned in their sleeping bags, but if you do – take a deep breath and just remember that you haven’t been buried alive. And then remind yourself that you are actually sleeping outdoors, enjoying nature, and that this is something you chose to do. Then spend the next fifteen minutes trying to free your hands. Also, pick up a copy of Tina Fey’s Bossypants if you haven’t read it yet.
4. Small Comforts are Sometimes Worth the Space
I packed for this trip during a heatwave at home and somehow convinced myself that I would never be cold again. It was very clearly the end of the world and the temperature would always make my eyeballs sweat. It turns out that wasn’t true. My first night camping with the girls in the Bow Valley was fairly sleepless due to the freezing temperatures.
When we visited Canmore that day I bought a giant pair of fuzzy ‘heat’ socks from Canadian Tire. All I could think about was how cold my feet had been the night before and how much I wanted to be able to sleep. When we packed up for our hike, I looked at the socks which were roughly the same size as my uber-light and packable sleeping bag, but man, were they cozy. In they went.
And I’m so grateful to have had them. We woke up at Baker Lake to frost and but my feet were warm. That was all that mattered. It’s easy for me to get obsessed with super light hiking and packing, but at the end of the day you are always going to want a little comfort - and some chocolate.
5. A Meat Log Goes a Long Way
Cured meat is a lifesaver. With all my eating restrictions, I spend a lot of time having to prep my own meals and snacks for every hike, so when I’m able to buy something substantial to include, it’s pretty exciting. It can be really hard to find a salami that doesn’t have garlic in it, but there are a few out there – you just have to read the ingredients carefully.
One salami will cover my lunches for up to a five day hike and is great to add to protein to dinners on shorter hikes too. Just remember to hang it with your other food - I once woke up one the West Coast Trail to realize that I had slept with a salami right next to my tent. Luckily no bears came sniffing around.
6. I Can Do It by Myself
In recent history, I’ve spent a lot of time hiking with Stu or with other people who are stronger and more experienced hikers than I. Due to my struggles with energy and health, I’ve often leaned on my hiking partners (at their offering) to lighten my load. When I hiked the West Coast Trail last year, my friend Tree, carried our tent and took photos for us and on most hikes with Stu he tends to carry more weight than I do. Going in to this hike, I wanted to test myself and see how independent I could be. I carried the tent and everything else I would need to be completely self-sufficient - and found the energy to still take pictures along the way.
While having incredibly supportive community has kept me as active as possible in the last few years, there is something powerful in knowing that you are capable on your own. Not only was I happy to find out that I could manage just fine with everything I needed, I also felt like I made a big step towards my goal of completing some solo hikes in the next year while working towards my #40hikes goal.
7. Have an End Goal
While our hike out from Baker Lake was mostly downhill, we were still tired from an active few days and having something to look forward to was, not only a big morale booster, but also a great way to pass the time as we walked. Corrina and I had decided that we wanted to have margaritas when we finished, and we talked about them in so much detail that we even convinced Laura – who is a beer enthusiast – that she wanted one too. It was the first thing we ordered when we arrived to Canmore and the drinks were every bit as good as we had hoped.
A big thank you to Corrina’s mom, Kristy, who had sent Corrina money to buy us our celebratory dinner and drinks!
For multi-day hikes in the future, I might consider having margaritas at camp for some daily motivation.
Prairie View Trail to Jewell Pass
Hike 5 | Expectations can be both motivating and devastating. No matter how much we try not to anticipate something, try not to get too excited, or try not to think about what the future holds, we can still find ourselves completely disappointed when our Tinder date spends the night talking about his mom – or in this case when wildfires threaten to cancel your hike.
Hike #5 | 756m Elevation Gain | 13.8km Hiked
Expectations can be both motivating and devastating. No matter how much we try not to anticipate something, try not to get too excited, or try not to think about what the future holds, we can still find ourselves completely disappointed when our Tinder date spends the night talking about his mom – or in this case when wildfires threaten to cancel your hike.
Back in May, my friend Corrina got in touch about doing a hike in the Banff National Park in August. She lives in Hawaii and wanted to visit the Canadian Rockies. She invited her friend Laura from Washington and organized permits for us to spend three days hiking the Skoki Loop.
To be honest, because we made the plan so far ahead of time, I didn’t put a lot of thought into it initially. But when I set my 40 hikes goal last month, I began to excitedly anticipate what would be the first multi-day hike to check off my list. Then, just a week out from the trip, Laura messaged with concerns about the wildfire smoke in the area and made the first suggestion that we might not be able to complete the hike. My heart sunk. Without really realizing it, I had pinned a lot of expectations on this trip. As I looked at my pile of supplies that I had been organizing on our living room floor, my disappointment over our uncertain plans grew.
I texted with friends in Canmore to get a sense of the visibility and air quality, but nothing was concrete. And so, when I finally set off on my eleven-hour drive east, I still didn’t know what our plan would be. I was in a bit of a funk about it, feeling like the long drive and all the preparation was pointless if we weren’t going to be achieving the goal we had set. I was tense as I drove through increasingly smoke-filled post-apocalyptic towns. At noon as I passed through Salmon Arm, the sun barely made it seem like twilight and the air stung my eyes. As I rolled into the Rockies hours later, the mountains themselves were nowhere to be seen and it was surprisingly eerie to have no landmarks to navigate by.
When I arrived at the campground to meet the girls, they had already been in the area for a few days and were experiencing some challenges with the smoke. We knew there was rain in the forecast that would help, but it sounded like it would arrive a day later than we needed it to start the hike. We ran through dozens of other options but came to no conclusion. We all just wanted to wake up in the morning to clear skies and start the hike we had been planning for the last three months. We decided to put off making the call on what to do until the latest possible moment and set our alarms for 6am the next morning.
I woke up in the back of my truck and peered out the window. I couldn’t see the mountains. Corrina texted me from the tent she was sharing with Laura and we decided that we would go to one of our Plan B’s. Instead of hiking the whole Skoki Loop, we would spend another night camping in the Bow Valley and do a local hike to see how we felt in the smoke. Hopefully it would rain overnight, and we would do an out and back to Baker Lake which would have been our second night on the loop.
We were all disappointed and a little unsure what to do with ourselves. It took a long time for us to get moving that morning and even longer to decide on a hike to do. Finally, using the All Trails App – it’s basically Tinder for hiking as it finds trails that are close to you and gives you enough details to decide if you want to check them out in person – we found the Prairie View Trail to Jewell Pass in the Bow Valley Provincial Park. It is a 13.8km loop with 756m of elevation. At this point, we had pretty low expectations for our day. We had already made the difficult decision to give up on our big plans, the smoke was still obscuring the grand views the Rockies are famous for, and all we knew for sure was that this hike wasn’t going to be as good as what we originally had planned for the day.
The trail started off with a long stretch of double track under some powerlines and along Barrier Lake. After that it turned right and started to thread through the forest along a dry river bed before beginning a steady climb. After a couple hours of hiking – and only a few minutes after we had a discussion about Type 2 fun – we abruptly came to the edge of a cliff. The view over the turquoise lake and deep green tree tops was stunning. We could see all the way back to where we had parked the car which gave us an incredible appreciation for how far our legs had taken us both in distance and in elevation. The shear rock face that we stood on top of had an impressively jagged ridgeline set against the hazy mountains that were starting to show in the distance. When we climbed to the precipice we met a Scottish couple and the man – who had a long red beard – said in a thick accent “I feel like a young Gandalf up here!”
It was hard to believe our luck when our day had begun with such disappointment, but there we were in a breath-taking place that we had never stood before – and possibly never will again – feeling like our own versions of young Gandalf in the breeze and appreciating how much better life is when you let go of your expectations. It was hard to look at the 360-degree view without realizing that if all had gone to plan, we never would have set foot here.
Multi-Day Hike Packing List
Below is a look at what I've packed for a multi-day hike of the Skoki Loop. This is by no means a minimalist hiking list. I've carefully balanced comfort and weight while planning out what I would take.
A few months ago, my friend Corrina from Hawaii got in touch about doing a hike in Banff National Park. She has organized the whole trip and tomorrow I'm driving ten hours to meet her and another friend, Laura, in Canmore. The next day we will start our three-day/two-night hike of the Skoki Loop; a 37.7km hike with 1,796m elevation gain.
Here is a look at what I've packed. This is by no means a minimalist hiking list. I've carefully balanced comfort and weight while planning out what I would take.
Packing List
Sleeping Bag
This year I treated myself to the Patagonia -1C bag. It packs up smaller and lighter than my Big Agnes winter bag and is warmer than my 15-year-old 7C synthetic bag. I've used it a few times already this season and really love it!
Sleeping Pad and repair kit
I bought the Therm-a-rest NeoAir Trekker after borrowing Stu’s for the West Coast Trail last year and also seeing friends use theirs. I've had bad luck in the past with leaks in pads but (knock on wood) this one seems to be a great balance between weight and durability.
Packable Pillow
Sil Tarp
Tent with cord and stakes (not pictured)
earlier this year, Stu and I started camping with just a tarp (just like my grandma used to). We loved the simplicity of it, however with some of the trips we are doing this year we were worried about bugs keeping us up at night, so we got the MSR Thru Hiker Mesh House. It weighs next to nothing and is easily erected under your tarp using your hiking poles.
Tent Footprint
Trekking Poles
Rain Jacket
Packable Puffy Jacket
Just like my toque, I take a Patagonia Nano puffy jacket with me everywhere I go, even on day hikes. It almost always comes in handy on hikes with a lot of elevation gain.
Rain Pants
For this hike, I am taking a pair of water-resistant hiking pants made by Patagonia. They stand up well for moderately wet hikes and are somewhat insulating, making them a great second layer over long underwear for around camp on a chilly evening.
Wool Baselayer/Long Underwear Bottoms
Wool Shirt
Shorts (Light Quick Dry)
Pants (Light Quick Dry)
T-Shirt (Quick Dry/Synthetic)
Tank Top (Quick Dry/Synthetic)
Light Long Sleeve Shirt (Synthetic)
Bathing Suit
2 x Sport Bra
Sunhat
I tend to be more sensitive to heat stroke than sunstroke and therefore don’t usually wear a hat when hiking. That said, I’ve recently discovered the Sombrio Digger hat which has a light mesh fabric that doesn’t hold in heat like a ball camp and has a wide brim for extra protection – and for when you want to enter into full tourist mode. It’s also super packable and doesn’t take up much space.
Toque
I take my thin wool icebreaker toque with me almost everywhere I go in both the winter and summer. It packs up small and is super handy for cold alpine nights.
Poop Trowel
Bear Spray
Hiking Boots
3 x Wool Socks
Packable Towel
3L Bladder (not pictured) and an insulated water bottle
I bring both. The bladder keeps me drinking water all day without stopping and also allows me to fill up enough while we hike for cooking at camp later. The bottle is great for adding hydration tablets (you don’t want them in your bladder as they make it slimy and gross and you can’t get the flavor out), it is also great for scooping water out of streams to fill your bladder. I bring an insulated one for making tea around camp and sometimes taking it with me on cold start mornings.
Notebook and Pen
Book
Flip flops
for around camp
Pot
Toilet Paper
Solar Panel (for charging phone)
Phone with extra battery, waterproof case, and solar charging panel (includes map, trip description, and GPS)
Stove
Matches
Multi-Tool
Utensils
I’ve just purchased this for water treatment. My cousin had one on our West Coast Trail trip and we loved how fast and easy it was to use.
Headlamp with Extra Batteries (not pictured)
Extra Cell Phone Battery
Battery Operated Air Mattress Pump
The electric pump is a splurge, but it’s small and light, and after a long day hiking, having it blow up my air mattress while I make dinner is almost as good as someone handing me a margarita!
Sunglasses
Not Pictured
Backpack
my hiking pack is the Arc’tyrex Altra 62 and is weatherproof, otherwise, I would bring a pack cover as well.
3 x Underwear
Gaiters
Camera and batteries
Flask of Whiskey
Fuel for Stove
Garbage Bags
I use X-Large Ziploc bags to avoid any leakage or odor in my bag
Waterproof Stuff Sack with Rope and Carabiner
for hanging food
Watch
Cash
if you time it right, you can stop by Skoki Lodge for High Tea on this hike.
Sun Block
Lip Balm
Insect Repellant
Soap
I bring Bronner's soap because it is biodegradable and also works on dishes and hair. I bring the unscented one as I assume bears love the smell of lavender and peppermint as much as I do.
Toothbrush with Travel Size Toothpaste
Hand sanitizer
Deodorant (Travel Size)
Ear Plugs
Dental Floss
First Aid Kit (more on that below)
Emergency Gear
Disclaimer about my First Aid/Emergency kit - it is a collection of things I've bought, found, and been given over the years. Do some research if you are planning on building your own, there is a lot of good information out there! But always be prepared.
Antibacterial Wipes
Non-stick Gauze
Sunscreen
Advil
Emergency Blanket
Tick Removing Tweezers
Strike Pad and Waterproof Matches
Whistle
Fabric Medical Tape
Mirror
Bug Sting Relief
Duct Tape
Fishing Hook and Line
Safety Pin
Triangular Bandage (not pictured)
Food
This will be my first multi-day hike since I started eating on the SIBO diet. I've prepared breakfasts and dinners (Pad Thai recipe here) in Ziploc freezer bags so that I can simply add boiling water to them. I've also prepared 'just add water' versions of my smoothies that I make at home and will be eating a garlic-free salami with homemade almond flour crackers for lunch. Additionally, I've packed fruit leathers, individual packs of almond butter, and homemade coconut cream fudge! The great thing about hiking is indulging in all those healthy fats!
Breakfast Recipe:
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Red Lentil Flakes
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Quinoa Flakes
1 tbsp Almond Butter Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Coconut Milk Powder
1/8 tsp Truvia (sweetener)
a handful of Freeze-dried Blueberries
a handful of Slivered Almonds
Put everything except the slivered almonds into a medium Ziploc freezer bag. Fill with 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup boiling water. Add almonds. Enjoy.
Calories: 225 | Protein: 15g | Fat 3.5g
Camping Smoothie Recipe:
1 scoop Chocolate Vega Protein and Greens
1 tsp Chocolate Powder
1 tbsp Almond Butter Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp Coconut Milk Powder
1/8 tsp Truvia (sweetener)
1/8 tsp Holy Basil Powder
a handful of Slivered Almonds
When I'm camping I take lunchbox-sized almond milk tetra packs and a blender bottle to make these, but for backpacking, I just add water to the powder and use a spoon to mix it up.
Calories: 266 | Protein: 25.5g | Fat 4.7g
A few years ago, when I was feeling at my worst, I committed to doing a multi-day hike on the Sunshine Coast Trail with a friend. I was out-of-shape due to simply being too exhausted to do anything active and the night before the trip I picked up my backpack for the first time and burst into tears. It was so heavy. I couldn't imagine hiking with it. I did and I finished the trip. But throwing my bag on tonight felt so great! It can be easy to forget that I am making gains in health and fitness - and this week it was especially hard to remember that, but when I threw my pack on with ease, it put the biggest smile on my face!
Al Habrich's Trail: A Cautionary Tale About Hiking with PMS
Hike 4 | I have always hesitated to mention PMS in any of my writing because it’s a bit of a polarizing topic. Some doctors don’t believe in it. Men don’t get it. Some women have it, some claim they don’t have it, and well, there isn’t another category there. I land in the category of women who get it – and get it in an exceptionally bad way.
Hike #4 | 340m Elevation Gain | 7km Hiked
I have always hesitated to mention PMS in any of my writing because it’s a bit of a polarizing topic. Some doctors don’t believe in it. Men don’t get it. Some women have it, some claim they don’t have it, and well, there isn’t another category there. I land in the category of women who get it – and get it in an exceptionally bad way.
You know that list of symptoms that you might get from PMS? I have them all – and then some. I get everything from weight gain to nightmares, depression to joint pain, and exhaustion to digestive issues. Overnight I will gain five pounds, lose all interest in my regular activities, and spiral into a deep depression. No matter how healthy I feel physically and mentally the rest of the time, this will cut me off at the knees. It feels a lot like a tiny alien has taken control of my body; a tiny drunk asshole alien.
The experience varies from month to month, but I usually spend roughly a week struggling to survive as opposed to truly living. And that’s complete balls – or is it a lack of them? Either way, this was the reality that I woke up to last Tuesday morning and that was how I was feeling when we started to hike the very exposed, Al Habrich’s Trail at noon. I wish I was about to tell you a victory story, but really, it’s more of a cautionary tale about hiking with hormones.
Al Habrich’s trail starts at the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola and climbs steadily up through short wooded areas and longer rock slabs to offer a number of gorgeous vistas and different perspectives of Howe Sound and downtown Squamish. At the highest viewpoint, you are treated to a 270-degree view that looks back down toward the Summit Lodge where the hike begins.
BLISTERS
As Stu likes to say, "Moleskin is the biggest scam perpetrated on the outdoor community." Instead, his magical combination of non-stick gauze cut to size with white medical tape to secure it has saved me time and time again. If you are prone to blisters like I am, I highly recommend you keep some of this stuff in your first aid kit!
We, unfortunately, were forced to start our hike at the hottest time of the day during a heat wave. It was so hot that when our gondola up temporarily halted and turned quickly into a sweltering sauna, I was genuinely concerned for the two elderly couples in it with us. Within minutes they were planning a mutiny and discussing how to pry open the doors. Luckily, we started moving again before things got too desperate. Just a few steps onto the trail and it felt like a neighborhood bully was holding his giant magnifying over our little ant bodies. The trail was dusty and loose, I was sweaty and sticky. And I was having a hard time battling through my existing exhaustion just to get one foot in front of the other. I complained frequently but refused to turn around. As I’m sure you can imagine, this was a great experience for Stu.
We stopped often to drink water in the slightly less hot shade of the single skinny trees we could find on the rock slabs and tried to make light of the situation. No matter how deep I am in the self pitty pool (and that thing is as bottomless as a happy hour pitcher of margaritas), I can still laugh at myself. It's not fun having your personality, your happiness, and your health all tugged out from under you - especially when you have worked hard for them. But I also have immense compassion for Stu who still finds just the right time to poke fun at me and remind me that the sky isn't actually falling.
The fog of my bad mood hadn’t lifted at all and although I tried to will myself into a better headspace, the reality was that I needed to concentrate simply on moving forward. Eventually, my stubbornness paid off and, even through blisters from my packed out old hiking boots, we got to the top of this not-actually-that-challenging-not-actually-that-long-felt-like-death hike. While looking out from the rock bluff we were standing on I realized that I was looking down on The Chief and therefore this was the highest vantage point that I’d seen Squamish from. It briefly occurred to me that there was a message here in that idea of changing perspectives but then my hormones were like ‘screw that hippy shit.’ Instead, I used the little energy I had left to make the trek back down. The heat had completely zapped us by the time we crossed back onto the gravel road would take us to the gondola and we dragged our melted selves into the lodge for overpriced cold drinks like common tourists.
I have given up a quarter of my life to these hormone fluctuations for almost three decades. And even though I came home that afternoon and cried from sheer exhaustion in front of our fan and even though I was miserable for most of our hike, I didn’t simply pull the sheets over my head that morning and will the day away. Instead, I made a memory. It’s a memory of a shitty, dirty, struggle hike – but there’s something in there that feels a little like a win. It feels a little like I gave the hormones that were wearing me like a skin suit the middle finger. And it also feels like maybe next month around this time I might be doing solo hikes. . .
CHOCOLATE CHUNK BANANA BREAD
4 bananas 2 1/2 cups mashed
4 eggs
1/2 cup almond butter
4 tablespoons coconut oil melted (it's been so hot that my coconut oil is already melted)
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
6 oz. dark chocolate chopped (I used unsweetened)
Grease one 9x5 loaf pan (or 8"x8" square pan, which is what I used) and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a large bowl or mixer, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla extract and nut butter until fully combined.
Add the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt to the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes if using a square pan, and 50-60 if using a loaf pan. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and when you press down lightly on the loaf, it should spring back, not stay indented. If a toothpick comes out clean but the loaf isn't springing back, keep it in the oven until it does to ensure it's baked through.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 1/2 hour. Flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
I found this recipe here and only made a couple small changes. Not only is it packed with healthy fats and natural sugars that made it a great snack on the hike, but the chocolate in it helped satisfy my cravings. I love banana bread and was so happy to find a sugar-free and sweetener-free recipe.
The Three Sisters with the Whole Family
Hike 3 | We set out from Nitinat on Saturday for a day hike; thirteen of my cousins and aunties and three dogs in all. My family has been hiking on the West Coast for the last five generations and even though it was previously out of necessity, I can’t help but think that it’s in our blood to explore.
115m Elevation Gain | 4.5km Hiked
Nitinat Lake has been a special place for my family for generations. As a baby, my grandpa would visit here on canoe trips with his parents and as my cousins and I often spent our summers here with our Grandma Logan. There is a special anticipation that grows from the moment you hit the gravel road until you turn into the shady, winding drive, and get the first cool breath of fresh air off the lake. It feels like we are returning not just to a place that we love, but also to all the memories that we’ve shared here over the years.
The lake sits just beyond a thin barrier of trees, just past the ancient cabin with moss growing on the roof, and beyond a beach that is constantly changing with each winter flood. The wind comes up at 11:30 am each morning like clockwork and we’ve all adopted Grandma’s tradition of having our morning coffee and tea while the lake is still as calm as glass.
We set out from Nitinat on Saturday for a day hike; thirteen of my cousins and aunties and three dogs in all. My family has been hiking on the West Coast for the last five generations and even though it was previously out of necessity, I can’t help but think that it’s in our blood to explore. My great-great grandparents and great-grandparents traveled by foot along the coast frequently to maintain telegraph and trap lines before they were charged with building the Lifesaving Trail (now known as the West Coast Trail). In more recent generations my Grandma Logan hiked the West Coast Trail with the majority of her children and grandchildren – and even, sometimes, alone.
From Grandma Logan, we learned about following water downhill if we were lost – “it will get you to the ocean and you’ll know where to go from there,” she would tell my cousins. She proved to us that a tarp or a sheet of plastic was all you needed for shelter as she would hike off in her gumboots with her (now) vintage external frame pack. My cousin Andrea recalled sleeping in a cave with Grandma during one particularly stormy trip, while my Aunty Sherry told a story about the having to scramble up a cliff when the tide came in on them. My mom told a story about hiking with Grandma during which she hollered back to the younger girls, “oh you can make it girls, we are going to have a happy hour when we get there!” And they did.
For our hike this weekend, we headed off to see the Three Sisters, a group of giant trees, in Carmanah Valley. This area, known for its incredible old growth forest and the size of some its feature trees, draws in visitors from all over the world. But I vividly recall hiking it with an unimpressed Grandma Logan as a kid – she would look up at the dizzyingly tall trees, shrug, and say, ‘I’ve seen bigger.’
The total hike was about 5 kilometers return and mostly flat other than the 20-minute hike uphill at the end. Boardwalks have been built for much of the trail, however, some have been twisted and smashed by falling trees. And while most of the trail is easy hiking, it can lull you into complacency and trip you up in the few sections where you need to pay attention to what your feet are doing. The trail winds along the Carmanah Creek which provided ample opportunity to stop for snacks and to let the dogs swim and the kids play. While we sat on the river bank, a few of my aunties and cousins asked me if this hike would count as one of my 40, to which I answered, “of course!” My goal of completing 40 hikes by next November (2019) isn’t simply about racking up elevation or setting a record for distance, it’s about much more than that. It's about reclaiming parts of myself that I've lost through illness over the last few years.
Being sick means being tired. Being tired means avoiding social situations. In the last few years, I’ve found the business of making small talk, raising my voice over music to be heard and even just staying up past 10 pm to be exhausting. There are days that the idea of meeting new people, which used to thrill me, is excruciating. And sometimes just finding the energy to leave the house so that I can spend more energy – not an easily renewable resource – is too much. So, it may seem strange that spending time camping and living communally with my huge family is something that I look forward to. While it may look like a never-ending wave of chaos filled with kids, dogs, and unending conversations to an outsider, to me it feels like pulling one of grandma’s threadbare blankets up to my chin while she tucks me in. While my family volleys a multitude of conversations like the professional talkers that they are I can participate or choose to just observe. I can rest while the noise around me escalates and erupts in laughter over and over. When I am exhausted and feeling my worst, this is the gift that my family gives me. I can belong without effort. Being able to laugh along with them without having to set up the joke or remember the punchline is a beautiful thing. I have been fortunate to find many friends in my life with whom I have this level of ease, but my family are the O.G.s who made me realize that this kind of relationship existed.
When we reached the Three Sisters, my cousin Nick looked up at them and said “oh, I thought they were going to be cedar trees. I don’t really like spruce trees.” And I know that Grandma Logan was smiling down on us at that moment, not only because she is the reason that Nick knows when to be impressed by a tree, but also because she would have been thrilled that we were all there together. And so was I.
Reflections at Brew Lake
Hike 2 | Our drive to the trailhead for Brew Lake was a bit like a live action version of the Telltale Heart. Being a Poe fan, you would think that I would have thoroughly enjoyed a game of ‘what’s making the knocking sound in my truck?’ But by the time we got home, we would have pulled apart everything that could possibly have been loose, only to discover that it was the bike rack. . .
Hike #2 | 322m Elevation Gain | 6km Hiked
Our drive to the trailhead for Brew Lake was a bit like a live action version of the Telltale Heart. Being a Poe fan, you would think that I would have thoroughly enjoyed a game of ‘what’s making the knocking sound in my truck?’ But by the time we got home, we would have pulled apart everything that could possibly have been loose, only to discover that it was the bike rack. . .
The inconspicuous trailhead took us a couple passes to find, giving us ample opportunity to further speculate on what was about to fall off my truck and if it was important. The 6-kilometer (return) hike started in a cut block and gently gained its modest elevation (322 meters) over a number of talus fields, along some small stretches of alpine forest, and through some meadows full of wild flowers. It was a gentle hike, and not once did I feel as though I wanted to curl up like a little wood bug and take a nap while waiting for Stu to return – that was how I spent most of our last hike feeling.
Maybe because the hike wasn’t technical, and I wasn’t digging into the depths of my soul just to complete it, I was captivated by the surroundings the whole way. The views of Armchair Glacier and Black Tusk across the smoke filled hazy sky were familiar markers, the wild flowers of all colours and shapes buzzed with bees and butterflies, and Stu spotted half a dozen frogs along the way. The hike was gentle and when we crested the rise above the basin, the rock rimmed lake was rich in reflections and completely deserted. In the time we spent having lunch we saw a few other people passing through at a distance, too far away to even hear their conversations. Being able enjoy such a stunning area virtually alone on a sunny day was truly a reward in and of itself.
Last week when we hiked Wedgemount Lake we saw nearly 40 people (many of whom were in over their heads – out of water and wearing tennis shoes). The hike was steeper gaining 1100 meters over 6-kilometres (one way). But reaching that stunning turquoise alpine lake had made every exhausted step (and every time I hadn’t curled up under a leafy plant to nap trailside) worth it. While I sat next to Brew Lake enjoying the solitude – Stu had come off night shift again and was taking a nap in the shade – I thought about the different ways we can choose to access our goals.
Sun-dried Tomato Lentil Hummus
1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon natural sea salt
1/4 cup of tahini paste
1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic oil
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
Place the tomatoes in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside. Place all the other ingredients in a food processor and blend. Drain tomatoes and add them to the food processor, blend until you are happy with the consistency.
About four years ago I stopped being able to eat garlic and onions. I get violently ill from them now - it truly sucks (for lack of a better word). But I am able to digest garlic oil. Being able to add the flavor back into a few things has been a treat!
It can be hard to find a salami that doesn't have garlic in it, but they are out there. Add in some rice crackers, mini cucumbers, and lentil hummus, and you're all set for lunch by the lake.
Cacao Nib and Sea Salt Sticky Bites
(Makes 12 servings)
1 cup uncooked sticky rice
½ cup uncooked quinoa flakes
2 cups water
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp cacao nibs
½ tsp vanilla extract
Dash of sea salt
Topping
½ tsp sea salt
Combine quinoa flakes, rice, and water with a dash of salt in a rice cooker (I don't have a rice cooker so I cooked this based on the direction on the rice package in a pot on the stove) and cook. Let cool to the touch.
In a medium bowl, combine the cooked rice and oats with the remaining ingredients. Stir to incorporate the flavor throughout the sticky mixture.
Press into an airtight storage container or shape as individual bites. Sprinkle lightly with salt. For hiking, I wrapped each sticky ball in a small amount of saran wrap and placed them in a reusable baggy together. I adapted this recipe from here.
Homemade Chocolate Shot Gels
1 1/2 bananas
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp clear honey
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract, optional
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
I've been wanting to make my own shot gels for some time, and Stu had the great idea of using this dessert recipe in our reusable 'goo' tubes. I adapted it slightly and it worked perfectly and was a great treat on the hike.
Note: if you have a piping bag (for icing cakes), use it to fill the goo tubes and save yourself some mess.
The challenges I’ve experienced with health over the last few years have felt very much like a steep and loose climb that has threatened to defeat me at every turn. More than once I have had to take a break simply from trying to get better because it is exhausting work between appointments, tests, restricted diets, and not knowing what’s next. And the whole time I’ve been hoping for that beautiful cool alpine pool full of health and answers to be waiting for me at the top. I’ve been holding out for the dramatic finish because I’ve been doggedly putting in the struggle-steps. But this hike to Brew Lake reminded me that there is another way. A gentler way. It’s less glamorous for sure and it can require more motivation because often it feels like the reward is less when the work isn’t as difficult. However, simply finding a sustainable grade will allow me a more consistent path towards getting better. And for every minute that I haven’t gone full-wood-bug, I am moving forward – and in the end that may be a more successful journey.
And just to clarify – I’m only talking about my health. There will be plenty of full-wood-bug moments to come in the next 38 hikes. I’m sure of it.
I Survived Wedgemount Lake
Hike 1 | Monday wasn’t an auspicious day or an anniversary of any kind – it was just the day I decided that I would complete 40 hikes over the next 16 months. For the last nearly five years I have struggled with my health. I have dealt with depression, exhaustion, and digestive issues that have left me feeling powerless over my body. As a result, I decided to make a goal that allowed me to have some control over my physical wellbeing (and as a by-product, my mental wellbeing also).
Hike #1 | 1200m Elevation Gain | 12+km Hiked
Monday wasn’t an auspicious day or an anniversary of any kind – it was just the day I decided that I would complete 40 hikes over the next 16 months. For the last nearly five years I have struggled with my health; experiencing depression, exhaustion, and digestive issues that left me feeling powerless over my body. I have been poked and prodded and have given so much blood that I was starting to know the clinicians by name. Temporary diagnoses have ranged from Chronic Fatigue to PTSD (with many in between), but the biggest problem always remained; without a definitive cause there's no cure. I have tried medications; anti-depressants designed to give me more energy, monthly shots that cost as much as my rent, and so many supplements that I probably could have paid off my student loan. I have seen doctors, specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists, naturopaths, massage therapists, Chinese Medicine Doctors, and more. And while they are all incredible people who do incredible things – I still don’t have much in the way of answers. As a result, I decided to make a goal that allowed me to have some control over my physical wellbeing (and as a by-product, my mental wellbeing also).
The hike to Wedgemount Lake - arbitrarily chosen as my first of forty - is unrelentingly steep as you reach nearly 1200 meters in elevation over only 6 kilometers. Stu came off of a night shift and we immediately packed up and set out. I truly admire that he can work for 36 hours and still be motivated to get outside – as well as calmly deal with black flies while bandaging my blisters. Hiking straight up in the trees, it was hard to feel like we were making progress, but when we caught views of stunningly tall waterfalls or walked out of the forest into massive talus fields it was easy to feel the success of our (slow) efforts. The trail did flatten out for a small section – and if it wasn’t for Stu moving me along (both on the up and the down), I might still be pacing back and forth there now.
TRAIL MIX
gluten-free pretzels
almonds
pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
dried cranberries
cacao nibs
Since we were hiking up on a Monday we passed a lot of weekend traffic that had been camping overnight. Any time we passed someone on the trails before about roughly the ¾ mark they smiled and said hi – and that was all. But as we got closer to the top people were generous in their encouragement, telling us that we were anywhere from 15 – 30 minutes from the lake. One group of guys told Stu that we were only 10 minutes from the top, then looked at my exhausted and dirty face and amended it to “well, depending on how fast you’re moving.”
Cresting the final section and catching the first glimpse of the almost unnatural blue of the glacier-fed lake took away all the pain in my legs. Attaining that goal at the top is not unlike the flashing light they used on Men in Black – or those wild hormones that make women forget the horror of childbirth. Hiking, like childbirth, is definitely Type 2 fun. It’s not fun while you’re doing it, but you’re (mostly) happy you did it in the end. As soon as we stood out on the exposed rock and looked around at the mountain tops, my memory of the last three-and-a-half hours was gone. I had just finished swearing off the stupid goal of doing 40 hikes in the next 16 months – but there I was, in love with the idea all over again.
We found a spot to picnic by the lake. In June, I was diagnosed with SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). The treatment - which has nearly ended all of my digestive issues - includes a very restricted diet. One of the challenges is that much of what I can’t eat – garlic, onions, gluten, sugar, dairy, etc. – are all present in prepackaged freeze-dried backpacking meals. Since I have a few multi-day trips coming up this summer and fall, I’ve started experimenting with making my own meals and we used our day hike as a test for a Pad Thai recipe I've adapted (details below). You can’t test these meal in your own kitchen, because no matter how good they are, they always need to be garnished with a side of exhaustion and mild starvation to really bring out the subtle flavour blends.
PAD THAI
4 oz Flat Rice Noodles
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Tsp Ginger Powder
2 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Peanut Butter Powder
2 Tbsp Lime Juice
4 oz Dehydrated Tofu
1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots Dehydrated
1 Tbsp Dried Cilantro
1/4 Cup Chopped Roasted Unsalted Peanuts
I adapted this recipe from here. Since we were just doing a day hike I mixed up the sauce before we left and put them in reusable silicone containers that we have for camping condiments. I also found some single-use packets of coconut oil at Trader Joe's and used those for convenience. I dehydrated my own carrots, cilantro, and tofu in my oven (more info here).
We added boiling water directly to the Ziploc freezer bags that had our food in them and let them sit for about five minutes (until the noodles were soft), then drained off any excess water and added the sauce and chopped peanuts.
The tofu was the only not so great variable of the meal - it came out really chewy. I think adding it directly to the boiling water would have been a better option for rehydrating it.
After a little time enjoying the ambiance of our lunch spot, we headed out – aware that it was late in the day and we wanted to be back to the truck before dark. As we hiked down the first section I was excited to tell the few people we passed that they were near the top. But when we passed a couple over half way down who had full packs and were intending to camp overnight I only smiled as I quickly realized that there simply was nothing encouraging to say. “The trial is exactly like this for the next two hours,” just doesn’t cut it. They were deep in the Type 2 fun.
Days later my legs still hurt. They are so stiff and painful that I tend to just speed while driving now because moving my foot to the brake really requires effort – and I have seriously considered purchasing one of those adaptors that elderly people use to make their toilets taller. But after living with a body full of problems that don’t seem to have causes or solutions, this kind of earned pain feels like success (except for when I have to step off a curb). This hike was about remembering that not all pain in my body needs my attention. The rub on my heal that created a blister needed my attention because it was something we could fix. But the ache in my legs on the hike down was just something that I had to get through to complete my goal. So much of hiking and being outdoors is about making peace with being uncomfortable. A lesson that may eliviate some stress in my day-to-day life as well.