FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Thoughts on Food.

While backpacking and exploring the country-side, there is a piece of gear I refuse to compromise on- food. Leaving the comforts of civilization behind does not mean you have to eat bland foods every day.

While I may not have the lightest of packs, I am on the lighter side compared to half the people I meet on the trail. I spend time, money, and effort in cutting out extra grams from my gear, but not just to carry less weight. I do it because for every gram I cut from my pack is another gram of food I can bring. Since my recent indulgence on getting lighter gear, I felt I could splurge even more on food, allowing me to experiment some. In my most recent trip to Yosemite, I decided to try some new foods out.

Labor Day Yosemite Trip Part 4

Alas, all trips must come to an end. Some endings are better than others.

DAY 4: We woke up late, having stayed up late near the warmth of the fire that neither of us had wanted to leave. Down sleeping bags were wonderful, but it still takes several minutes to warm up.

Figuring that since Michael and Jose had set such a slow pace, we would have quite a bit of time. We talked about our options, wondering what was best.

Labor Day Yosemite Trip Part 3

The storm quickly passed, haven barely rained. We climbed off the mountain and pitched our base camp.

We still had the rest of the afternoon, so Andrew decided to lone wolf. Nose to the wind, he started climbing the mountain above the lake and quickly was out of sight. I had expected this, and simply grabbed my headphones and journal, planning to use the down time to get some writing done.

Labor Day Yosemite Trip Part 2

Ladder fuels lining the path.

After all the preparation, delays, and slacking off, we were finally underway. The first impression I had was this: Yosemite was in bad shape.

Not from the fire, mind you. The exact opposite actually. The ground floor is riddled with ladder fuels. Now I knew why the Rim fire was ripping through the tree tops- Yosemite was a ticking time bomb of fuel, just waiting for a match.