Is peanut butter a liquid?

I am sitting in the Las Vegas airport as I write this post (just finishing our Utah hiking trip, not gambling), pondering this question because my peanut butter was confiscated by TSA when I went through security. When the screener took my daypack, my immediate thought was that I had left my First Aid kit in it with its scissors and needles. But no, she pulled out my jars of left over tahini and peanut butter that I had been planning to put on my left over bagels for the long trip home. Frankly it didn't occur to me that the prohibition against liquids would apply. The screener was nice; she allowed me to take my contraband back out of security and spread it on the bagels and then toss the rest. And in the process I met a woman who had just been busted for two bottles of unopened gatorade; she couldn't chug them both so she gave me one. But does all this make me feel safer? I wish it did. -- Marian

add to the wardrobe

Dressing in layers is the best way to regulate your body temperature while being active in the outdoors. For most weather conditions we recommend 3 basic layers. The 1st layer (or base layer) is long underwear, preferably wool or synthetic; the second layer an insulating layer like a fleece jacket or wool sweater; and 3rd layer is the wind/waterproof layer - a Gore-tex jacket, or nylon wind shell. As the weather starts to warm up 3 layers is often too many. However, with a chill still in the air in mornings and nights, sometimes 2 is not enough. So I recommend investing in a fleece or wool vest. This has become one of the most versatile items in my wardrobe. If it is too warm for a fleece jacket, but not quite warm enough for just a shirt - put on the vest. Got hot hiking in your long underwear and have a slight chill at your break? Put on a vest. I even wear my fleece vest around my house in the winter when it is just a bit chilly. You can get a wide variety of vests: fleece, wool, down, wind-block, with cute designs, etc. Pick your style and try it. It really will change the way you dress for (outdoor) success. -- Deb

environmental film about caribou migration

Last night I saw the documentary film "Being Caribou" and I highly recommend it. In 2003 a Canadian couple traveled on foot for five months across the tundra following the annual caribou migration from Yukon Territory to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where the caribou give birth. (They got periodic food drops, but their packs were pretty heavy!) The scenery is beautiful, I learned a lot, and there are elements of humor throughout (for example, they bring along a George Bush doll so he can see the land he wants to open to drilling). The baby caribou are very cute! If you're interested in getting a copy of the award-winning film or having a screening in your home town, go to www.beingcaribou.com.

Anne

homemade granola

Granola is a great camping food. It is lightweight, quick, and with the right mix of ingredients, nutritious. It is delicious with milk (even powdered), mixed in with pancakes, sprinkled on hot cereal, stirred in a yogurt and fruit parfait, and even just as a snack. Freshly made granola is a tasty, inexpensive, and easy-to- make alternative to store bought granola. Plus, the variations are endless. Here is a basic recipe that I really like:

4 cups uncooked rolled oats
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped cashews
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup)
1/3 cup sunflower oil
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup coconut (unsweetened)
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300F. In a medium sized bowl, mix together oats, nuts and coconut. In a separate bowl mix honey, oil, salt and water over the mixture and stir well. Pour over the oats mixture Spread on a large cookie sheet and bake 35 to 40 minutes until nicely browned pn top. Stir the granola often while baking, every 5-10 minutes. Make sure it doesn't get too brown.

Remove from oven and let cool. Add dried fruit and stir. Makes 6 cups. Store in a tightly sealed container.

Variations: *add other dried fruit: currants, apricots, raisins, dried cherries, dehydrated raspberries
*add sesame seeds, wheat germ or oat bran
*add chocolate chips or m&ms
*add a teaspoon of cinnamon or vanilla extract
*add other chopped nuts: sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, pecans
*if you want it a little sweeter, add 2 -4 T of brown sugar, dissolve in the wet ingredients

Enjoy - Deb

Lighten' Up!

This is the time of year I’m “chopping at the bit” to get on a trail, somewhere, anywhere! Please let that snow melt so I can get out there! The last few years my emphasis has been on reducing pack weight any way I can. Now is the time for checking equipment and clothing, replacing what your checkbook will allow and reviewing everything with a critical eye toward how it will ultimately feel on your back.

Want to lighten’ up your backpack without spending lots of money? My favorite way of cutting weight always gets a few snickers. Yes, I am one of those who cut tags, shorten shoe laces, trim edges from maps, repackage food items, cut extra straps off backpacks and any other equipment, repackage toothpaste and yes, cut my toothbrush in half. OK, I know---funny stuff! But! I can go out on a six day backpack with food, equipment, clothing and water for a mere twenty-six pounds!

Give it a try one of these rainy spring days when you can’t be out tromping the trails. Start with your backpack. Those of your who hike with a lid have an instant advantage for weight reduction, unstrap that lid and lose an immediate 6-12 oz, amazing. I know, lids are good for organizing but think of how much better it will feel to lose the weight. Next, look at straps, get rid of all that are not used and shorten others to the proper length for use. Now, on to the contents! All tags on equipment and clothing can go, completely useless. Repackage everything from food stuff to Band-Aids, packaging often weighs more than the item. Think of dental floss---huge package and the floss itself weighs nothing. If you’re doing a 5 day hike do you really need that whole tube of toothpaste? Yes, I know it’s a travel size but just for kicks squeeze the amount you would use in 5 days into a zip lock and then weigh the two. Why carry ANY extra? That extra, if you want to carry it, could be chocolate! Last, take a look at what you wear. Any extra stuff hanging off? How about that draw string in your elastic waist short? Not needed if the elastic works. How about those shorts? Do they have a medal zipper? Could you trade them for a lighter pair of pull on shorts without the hardware? Try to look at everything you carry, use or wear in a different way, looking at weight and function. You’ll be surprised at what you see. I hope you save all that you cut off, un-package and trade. Put it all together and weigh to see what a favor you have done for yourself.

Spend a little time this season lightening up! Your back will like it and as the weight decreases your enjoyment will increase. A few websites that I enjoy checking out are; www.backpacking.net , www.bellaonline.com (a website for women) and www.ultralight-hiking.com. If you prefer to hold your reading material in your hands two excellent books are Backpacking: A Woman’s Guide by Adrienne Hall and Beyond Backpacking: Ray Jardines Guide to Lightweight Hiking by Ray Jardine.

See your lighter self on the trail! Jan

Another hiking tip: Cut your toenails

Yesterday I sent out a list of 5 tips for happy and healthy hiking to everyone on our e-newsletter list. Here is a sixth tip:
Cut your toenails before your hiking trip. Toenails that are too long will inevitably end up getting jammed into the front of your boot when you go downhill. This will lead to bruising and swelling under the big toenail, which is incredibly painful. The simplest prevention is to cut your toenails after a shower, when standing in water has softened them up some. This allows you to get them quite short.-- Marian

To liner or not to liner?

Wearing sock liners with your thicker socks and hiking boots are a matter of personal preference, and not everyone prefers to wear them. Sock liners are mainly recommended as a preventive measure to getting blisters. The problem I have found with sock liners is that it is challenging to find the right thickness sock to go with the right thinness of liner. If the end result of 2 socks is that they are too fat for your boot, well, you will get blisters anyway.

I used to be an avid sock liner wearer - I had the right weight wool sock and the right weight liner and it was beautiful. But those socks got holes, and they stopped manufacturing them to buy new ones. I have tried numerous sock combinations with and without liners and came to the conclusion that now, liners made my feet more prone to blisters.

I thought I had my system figured out: I was one of those people for whom liners did not work- until I went backpacking in Havasu Canyon last week. My no-liner system failed me and I got huge blisters. After 3 days in the Canyon, hiking mostly in Chaco sandals and soaking my feet in cool water, the blisters diminished. Time came to backpack out (10 miles) and I went back and forth on whether to wear the liners on the way out. But they really made my boots tight and I worried I would get blisters in new areas. So I decided to go just with hiking socks again. 2 miles into it my feet were killing me. I stopped, put on mole skin and my sock liners. I hiked the remaining 8 miles, got no new blisters and the ones I had got no worse. I was amazed. I think my feet were just too hot and needed the liner as both a cooling effect and to reduce the friction.

Whatever the reason - it worked. Now, not only do I advocate testing whether or not sock liners work for you, but test whether they work for you in different climates, on different hikes, different days. I am now a sometimes sock liner wearer.