Must Hike, Must Eat

August 9th Destination: Minnie Scott Springs Today’s Miles: 6 Start Location: Lava Lake Camp Trip Miles: 226.5 I got up this morning around 7:30am, had breakfast and after checking the map, decided I had time for a short walk to the Dee Wright Observatory before Elizabeth arrived to hike with me. As I walked the red gravel road past the trailhead, I could see hikers slowly filling up the…

Creativity: A Hitchhike You Can’t (And Shouldn’t) Turn Down

Lately, I have been looking back over my life and taking stock in my creative side. I now have over half a century to ponder! I imagine it is somewhat genetic, my grandmother was into macrame, embroidery, crochet, beading, etc. and my mother sewed many of our clothes. Although, that might have been more out of necessity than prolific inspiration. There were six of us! With all that creating…

A Lo Cubano: Paleo Cuban Sandwich Backpacking Meal #paleo #backpacking #dinner #mustard #Cubano

Jump to the recipe for Paleo Cuban Sandwich Backpacking Meal… First, let’s set the scene for how I came to this post and the one-and-only Paleo Cuban Sandwich Backpacking Meal. A Lo Cubano (The Cuban Way) A little known fact about me is that I enjoy Latino hip hop, reggaetón and dance music.  From Selena to Kumbia Kings, I love a good rhythm.  ¡Baile!  I bought a Latin Grammy Nominees CD in 2005…

Chimichurri Sauce And Dip (AIP, Nightshade Free and Paleo) #paleo #trail #food #backpacking #hiking

Jump to the recipe for Chimichurri Sauce And Dip… I have mentioned a few times that this past year (even before the pandemic hit) my goal was to go back and rehike some of the trips I did before the start of Must Hike Must Eat but for which I created a few pages back when I was trying to fill the website with content.  Now that I am up to 577 posts and 353 pages, it was time to go back to some of…

I Conquered The Sandy River And Why I Probably Won't Hike The Timberline Trail Again #backpacking #leavenotrace #crowds #riverfording #Timberline #Oregon #Portland

Let me tell you about how I conquered the Sandy River and why I probably won’t hike the Timberline Line Trail again. First, I have to say that I am extremely glad I DID hike the Timberline Trail and would not NOT have hiked it.  The company was wonderful with Greg from The Adventure Continues (even if he really doesn’t eat any vegetables), the landscape was stunning and I am 100% up on my river…

AIP Strawberry Lemonade Tiger Nut Trail Mix and Biking Rhymes With Hiking, Right? #paleo #vegan #autoimmuneprotocol #snack

Jump to the recipe… Well, here I am not on a mountain… Me with my new-to-me road bike on the Centennial Trail in Snohomish County. Biking rhymes with hiking, right? Here we are in May already and the truth is I have been doing more biking than hiking lately.  I don’t have to drive far (or at all) and it is so easy to fit a ride into my day.  I have even rode my bike to work twice a week since…

That Weekend We Backpacked Into Stehekin On The Lakeshore During Wildfire Season And Saw Two Bears and A Moose! #backpacking #Stehekin #wildlife

Figure It Out On The Hayduke Trail #Southwest #UnitedStates #longdistance #trail

Last May while spending way too much time indoors just watching other people hike, I came across this documentary on Netflix, Figure It Out On The Hayduke by Alex Maier, on hiking this unique trail in the Southwest corner of the United States. If you want to take your backpacking up a serious notch, this is the route for you. This series gave a realistic portrayal of what it would take to hike…

Dehydrated Lemon Slices For An Easy Trail Beverage #paleo #vegan #lemons #outdoors #beverage

Jump to the recipe… In looking back over the pictures from the fall and winter outdoor adventures I had since November, it is clear a favorite new food item to take has been dehydrated lemon slices.  These little circles of sunshine have been with me on every trip as lightweight additions to my hot beverages and warm vegetable meals. You wouldn’t think something so simple would bring such joy! …

Exploring Mount Rainier: A Wintery Visit To Narada Falls #mountrainier #winter #snow #waterfalls

I took a long weekend to spend some time down around Mount Rainier this March, hoping to not only revisit some places I had passed on the Wonderland Trail but to experience the park in the winter season for the first time. Last year I shared my 2015 adventure here on the blog, retelling about how we had risen from our Paradise River campsite before dawn and made our way towards Reflection Lakes. …

Change Your Clocks, Review Your Backpack #DaylightSavings #review #backpack

Daylight Savings is just a few days away and no one could be happier than me!  More daylight hours in the afternoon preluding longer days in general is enough to make anyone, let only someone who loves the outdoors, giggle with glee.  There is a common wisdom to check and change your smoke detector batteries with the changing of the clocks and I want to start a trend to also review your backpack…

Have You Ever Had To Nibble At A Bucket List Item? #bucketlist #snowshoe @CraterLakeNP #CraterLake

I have a mental bucket list of hikes and snowshoes I want to do in my lifetime with a snowshoe loop around Crater Lake being one of them. Ever since hiking to this national park on the Pacific Crest Trail, I always said I would come back to do a circumnavigation during the winter months. Every year I tell myself I will make it down to Oregon before the snow melts but it hasn’t happened. Now mind…

Paleo PB&J Protein Sticks and Backpacking The Deception Creek Trail To The PCT #paleo #protein #pb&j #pct #backpacking

Jump to the recipe… One of my favorite snacks last summer was the iconic flavor combination of nut butter and jelly together in a portable stick.  I took a poll on Facebook in our Paleo Hikers & Backpackers group and it turns out raspberry is the top desired jam, with strawberry coming in a close second.  Honey was third (another amazing option) with banana and blueberry following after.  Great,…

12 AIP Fat Bomb Recipes To Get You Through #aip #autoimmuneprotocol #fatbombs #snack #energy

If you are like me, there have been so many moments in the last year when you just needed something to ward off the emotional munchies or for an extra burst of energy. That’s where a good fat bomb can come in handy, especially if you have them premade and they are anxiously awaiting you in the freezer or fridge to be called up for duty.  I put together a list of 12 AIP fat bombs to build up your…

Carrots With Ranch Dressing Soup and More Of The Same #paleo #nightshadefree #eatyourveggies #trail #food

Jump to the recipe… I shared in the last email newsletter about how I had a chance to drive south and visit with a good friend before winter break. We met on SR 12 near Packwood for a repeat hike of the Dry Creek Trail. Our last outing was back in June when we did a trio of short hikes on the Goat Marsh, Pine Creek and Trail of Two Forests below Mount St Helens. I not only love hiking with…

I Have Lived A Good Life #contemplation #motivation #liveagoodlife #newyear #2021

I’ve been thinking about this sentence a lot lately.  Or rather, it popped into my head last week and I can’t stop thinking about it.  If I died today, did I live a good life?  What exactly would I be leaving behind? When someone dies, we often will say, “She had a good life.”  Maybe, “He lived a good life.”    When someone dies we often will say, “She had a good life.”   What would people say…

Have You Heard The Sound of Snow? #winter #solitude #silence

I remember the first time I heard the sound of snow.  I had ventured out on a winter hike by myself, leaving my car at the beginning of forest road in the Central Cascade Mountains when the snow on the ground made it impassable.  Strapping on snowshoes to my sturdy boots and donning warm layers of clothing and a backpack, I set out towards a small alpine lake that I knew was a few miles…