Bulk Barn, a backcountry outfitter?

Mountain House is a tasty and easy meal. However, the severe gastrointestinal distress that follows always seems to put a damper on my trail time. I'm not an astronaut, and so I should not eat astronaut food.

As it so often turns out the best approach is to keep things simple. George Washington Sears wrote in his 1884 book WoodCraft "The best trail food is plain food".

I've compiled a list of foods I enjoy in the backcountry, and where to buy it. This is the first installment in a series on good trail foods that can be boughten at normal stores, for reasonable prices.

Bulk Barn for many people is home of the candy run, bakers pantry, or a great place to achieve zero plastic waste lifestyle. For me, Bulk Barn is a backcountry outfitter, a one-stop shop for many of my dry trail staples.

I understand that if you are outside of Canada you can't visit this store. However, it is my understanding that all bulk food stores carry similar products. I hope that you will still find this helpful.

 I think the obvious choice is trail mix. Affordable, tasty, and packed with calories and protein. What a classic choice.

Kasha is toasted buckwheat, it cooks faster than plain buckwheat and has a wonderful nutty flavor. It's a low glycemic index food so it won't spike your blood sugar and cause you to crash.

Plantain chips. Just tasty mang.

Nothing beats warm fresh biscuits.

Pancakes are a must.

Why not enjoy those pancakes with some no mess maple syrup. Either add it directly to the batter or rehydrate it with a touch of water. 

I call it mango jerky. Just as good as beef, only its actually good for you.

Mung beans are the only legume other than lentils that will cook without pre-soaking.

Milk. For your tea, coffee, cereal, mac&cheese... It's worth having.
Hydrate it in cold water, not hot water.

Hot chocolate, pure joy in a cup.

Juice mix. keep those electrolytes up, or cover the taste of scuzzy water.

Cut out the middle man. Buy this delicious orange crack-powder in bulk.
Tip from a pro, use ghee instead of butter, it doesn't spoil.

Gots to have that macaroni.

Great way to ensure you're getting enough protein in your diet.

If you have not tried wild rice you have not truly lived. 

Boullion, season your cooking bro.

Obviously, it works as gravy, but it also thickens and seasons soups and stews.

Don't judge me, its good for you and easy to cook.

Peanut butter. What can't you eat this with?

Disclaimer:
Trail food is not meant to be a super healthy diet food. We want food that packs the most calories per weight. Dried foods are always preferred, we don't want to carry the water if we don't have to.

How to use wool blankets with a hammock.

In the heat of summer, nothing is more refreshing than a cool breeze whipping under you back as you lay sweating in your hammock. Soon August brings the north winds, nights get colder and colder. You, like myself, probably want to keep sleeping out under the stars. Well, you can all you need is two blankets, some string, and a little know-how. Read this short how-to and you will soon be a professional shoulder season hammock camper.

To do this you will need:

• Two wool blankets at least queen size.
• Two 2ft lengths of cordage.
• A hammock system, bug net optional.

How to set it up:

Use the two lengths of cord to make blanket ties.
Do this by tying a loop on one end, and a Canadian jam knot on the other
.

Hang your hammock.

Attach the blanket ties to the hammock line by making a prusik knot.
 Be sure to leave the jam knot free to accept the blankets.

Lay your blankets in the hammock so they don't get dirty or wet.

Attach the blankets with your blanket ties. Attach the two diagonally opposed corners on each end.

Next, all you need to do is get in and wrap your self up like a burrito.

You can have your face out if the weather is fair.

Or if it's chilly make a cacoon.

For added warmth, attach a tie to the outer blanket and loosely wrap it around your body.

Don't tie this up, just a few wraps will do. Otherwise getting out might be a pain.

For extra warmth on your feet, zip a coat or sweater over the foot end. Tuck the hood and sleeves in to stop drafts.

Pitch a square tarp over a ridgeline to stop the wind, and keep dew or rain off.

Remember, Nature is our salvation. Get out there and find some peace. 

Water

I'm not a rich man, thus I can only afford a few new pieces of gear a year.

Since a pot is cheaper and more useful than a water filter that is what I have always used to disinfect my water. However there are several other methods of water disinfection you can use, the CDC provides some excellent resources.

As you may know, boiling your water in order to disinfect it is a foolproof method, guaranteed to work every time; unless your at an altitude that does not permit the sufficient heating of water necessary for disinfection (CDC, 2019).

So boiling works, and it's cost effective. However, it does have drawbacks. I've found that I'm never sufficiently hydrated when using the boiling method, especially in hot weather. When you combine the time required to boil and cool water with the fact that warm scuzzy water is unappetizing, voilà your on your way to dehydration.

Well, this year I decided it was time to invest in a water filter. I have been watching the market for many years waiting for a good product to emerge, and guess what this year I found one. The Sawyer MINI. This filter is very versatile, and good value. I don't often recommend products, but this one defiantly gets my seal of approval. The Sawyer MINI can be used inline with hydration packs, used in a gravity flow system, used as a life straw, and attaches to most PET bottles and hydration bags.

True a filter does not guarantee disinfection like boiling, but the Sawyer is a 0.1 Micron filter, which is one of the smallest pore sizes available today. 0.1 Micron prevents harmful bacteria (like salmonella or leptospirosis), protozoa, or cysts like E. coli, Giardia, Vibrio cholerae, and Salmonella typhi to pass through the filter (Sawyer, 2019).

Warning
Never allow your water filter to freeze. The expanding ice crystals will break the filter media, thus rendering your filter ineffective. If temps are below freezing keep the filter in your pocket, and with you while sleeping at night.

If you want more information about water treatment and potential risk here is an excellent article,
Water Disinfection for International and Wilderness Travelers

References

A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry and Travel Use | Camping, Hiking, Travel | Drinking Water | Healthy Water | CDC. Retrieved May 14, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html

Backer, H. (2008). Water Disinfection for International Travelers. Travel Medicine,47-58. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

Sawyer | Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More. Retrieved May 14, 2019, from www.sawyer.com

A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry and Travel Use | Camping, Hiking, Travel | Drinking Water | Healthy Water | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html

Backer, H. (2008). Water Disinfection for International Travelers. Travel Medicine,47-58. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

Sawyer | Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from www.sawyer.com

A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry and Travel Use | Camping, Hiking, Travel | Drinking Water | Healthy Water | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html

Backer, H. (2008). Water Disinfection for International Travelers. Travel Medicine,47-58. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

Sawyer | Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from www.sawyer.com

A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment and Sanitation for Backcountry and Travel Use | Camping, Hiking, Travel | Drinking Water | Healthy Water | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html

Backer, H. (2008). Water Disinfection for International Travelers. Travel Medicine,47-58. Retrieved May 14, 2019.

Sawyer | Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2019, from www.sawyer.com

Finding Crown land

What's fun about having to save dates, book time off at work, and worst of all pay fees on government websites? What's fun about having to be at a certain place, at a certain time? What's fun about camping in a trodden hole devoid of firewood? Or having to see people in tilley hats everywhere you go?

In my opinion not much. Don't get me wrong, the parks systems in Canada are certainly better than most, but let's be honest, government regulation is just a big wet blanket. The fun has never quite been sucked, as it has been sucked, by our government.

As for myself, I prefer solitude, and being able to camp when I wish, where I wish. 

In order to do this I camp on Crown Land -that's what we call public land in Canada, eh-.

Surprisingly this is an area where the government of Ontario has really produced the goods. I present to you the Crown land use policy atlas -what an exciting name-.

The atlas will allow you to:

• Locate Crown Land
• Determine land use restrictions 
• Determine boundaries of protected areas and private land 
• Determine coordinates to use in the field

Once you've used the atlas to select an area of Crown land that interests you. You must now use other resources to determine possible routes and points of interest i.e. water sources. To do this I use satellite imagery and topographical maps. For this, I recommend the MNR make a map and Google maps.


Some notes to folks who haven't camped on Crown land before:

• You are entitled to stay in one spot for a maximum of 21 days before being required to move.
• Crownland is often used by hunters. So know when the season is on, and wear high visibility clothing.
• Just because its public land doesn't mean no one lives there. Respect the land you are entering, you are a guest of all those calling it home. 
• Bushwacking is fun, but you won't make it very far. Try using features to aid your adventure i.e. logging roads, hydro lines, pipelines, railroads, and rivers.
• Respect fire bans. 
• For God's sake, learn how to use a compass, read a map, and estimate distance. Otherwise, don't go, please! 

As usual, remember, 

Nature is our salvation. 

So get out there and find some peace.

Dear poly tarp, we still love you.

Dear poly tarp, we still love you

You're plastic

You're loud

You stand out in a crowd

You wear your burn holes with tape, so proud

Maybe one day I'll buy a fancy sil tarp

But until that day

My heart is yours, ugly poly tarp

Honing your skills, stealth camping.

“ A man's got to know his limitations” (Clint Eastwood, Magnum Force,1973)

As Clint says, you have to know what your limitations are. If you don't that's how you end up in trouble. To find your limitations I suggest trying a little stealth no trace urban camping. Turn your life into a living experiment.

What is stealth no trace urban camping? you ask. Well, the idea is that you can test out your gear within a safe distance from your home or another safe warm refuge. For anyone who wants to get into winter camping, this is an excellent way to build up your confidence and find what works for you. Remember what is good for one person may not be good for another.

Where:
I typically choose a location no more than 15 km and no less than 5 km from my home. This often leaves me camping in parks and secluded sections of private property. If that is out of your comfort zone try the backyard. For those of you with some gumpshun, remember its civil disobedience, you're not littering, having a bonfire, or causing any mayhem whatsoever.

When:
I go out during the season or weather event that allows me to test specific gear and or survival techniques. Because I'm close to home I don't need to book time off from work in order to do this. So I will often go on weekends, and some times weekdays.

How:
Remember when camping in parks or private land you are essentially a squatter, and depending on your local laws you can be forcibly removed and or charged. Do some research before you go. Fortunately where I live squatters cannot be forcibly removed. However, you must be inconspicuous and stealthy. Choose hidden locations, use low visibility shelters, avoid bright lights at night. Out of respect for the land, leave no trace, pack in pack out, and don't destroy vegetation; even dead standing trees are valuable habitat for wildlife. Most importantly, do not camp anywhere you feel that your safety may be in danger, not all parks are created equal.

Why:
The goal is to hone your wilderness living techniques so that when you are on the trail you are living smooth and easy. You are calm, confident and comfortable.

Here I have set up a plow-point shelter on the edge of a farmers field.

I chose to use a Dakota fire hole to cook my meal, as it is safe, efficient and stealthy.

My sleep system is a down filled mummy bag in an MYOG Tyvek bivy bag.

It's not camping, it's living.

I have read many books and articles on bushcraft, hiking and wilderness survival, all in an effort to learn the art of smoothing it in the woods. However, the most influential book I ever read was a book not about camping, but about life itself. That book was Henry David Thoreau’s Walden; or Life In The Woods.

Reading Walden allowed me to see that all the moments in life are a part of the inseparable whole. Thus if I ever wished to achieve simplicity on the trail I must achieve simplicity in my whole life. I must train into my self a new minimalist mindset. I must live my own experiment, and thus see whether I can make a fact of imagination, a fact of reality.

In Walden Thoreau, uses a dense and nuanced style of prose to reveal to all mankind that we have lost our way, that we have become the objects of our objects and the tools of our tools. We shackle ourselves to farms, to houses, to cars, we wear a harness and drag our possessions around for our sorry existence.

This made me stop and think, why do I enjoy being on the trail? answer, freedom! There is no freer a man than one with all he needs on his back and an open trail to his face. A well-selected kit adds to your freedom, it does not subtract. A pack that hurts you to carry is surely full of unnecessary articles.

Nature is our salvation, so get out there and find some peace.