Those Campfire Recipes ~ Tailgate Tacos

I'm always checking out new to me items in the grocery store and trying to figure out how I can create meals in the campsite...my requirements? Little prep and bonus points for non-refrigeration.  I found a couple of items recently that turned into Tailgate Tacos.

Albertson's has dehydrated refried beans in a seven oz. package. Add water and simmer for five, count'em, 5 minutes and you're set. I've seen bulk dehydrated beans at Winco also, but this is already measured, a big plus for me. Walmart stocks vacuum packed pre-cooked and seasoned ground beef. Six ounces of goodness just ready to heat up. These two items inspired me to an easy first night camp dinner.

Tailgate Tacos
makes 10 tacos

One 7 oz. package Mexicali Rose Instant Mexican Refried Beans
Two and one half cups water
One package Rosarita Spicy Seasoned Beef Crumbles
One package El Paso Stand and Stuff Taco Shells
One 8 oz. package Shredded Mexican Cheese
One 14 oz. Package Shredded Cabbage
Hot Sauce or Salsa

Mix water, beans and ground meat in skillet and simmer 5 minutes or until beans are fully re-hydrated. Layer taco shells with meat/bean mix, shredded cheese, cabbage and salsa. Eat :)

©Marcia Mauskopf 2014

Rocking Ancient Art ~ V-Bar-V Heritage Site, Sedona AZ

Southern Sinagua Rock Art in Sedona AZ                                                                         @Marcia Mauskopf

My GF Pat Bullock Williams always has the best ideas :) Recently she wanted to go check out these petraglyphs just outside of Sedona...now, I had been out this way before, even on the road out to the site, but never quite made the last half mile to the parking lot.

V-Bar-V Heritage site is both an easy drive and easy hike that can be done by almost anyone. Note that you do need a Red Rock pass to park, but admission is free beyond that. Once parking your car, the petroglyphs are only about a half mile away on a wide trail that runs through shady forest. Start your visit by taking the main trail to the Visitor Center and make sure to bring water as there is none on the property. While the hike is short you will want to spend quite some time viewing the rock art.

So what will you see when you get to the site? Only the largest and most well preserved petroglyphs in the Verde Valley. Created by the Southern Sinaugua Tribe, the glyphs were drawn between A.D. 1150 and 1400. It's awe inspiring to know that they have survived so many centuries of wind and rain as well as the hand of man and I highly recommend visiting this site at least once, I know I'll be back very soon.

For more information go to Verde Valley Archeology Center.

Challenging Life's Challenges

Sometimes the shortest distance is the greatest challenge. Whether it is scaling a steep rock by fingers and toes or limping down a gentle slope with a grievous injury, circumstances often provide greater challenges than Mother Nature herself. And it's with overcoming these obstacles that we often find our greatest source of healing and release.

How many times have you looked at a challenge and taken it to find empowerment on the other side? Crossing the Grand Canyon, hiking alone into the desert for an over nighter, vision quest, or maybe just pushing a temporary condition past it's limit to prove to yourself that everything was going to be ok? We need our obstacles to have something to master, to prove to ourselves that yes.we.can.

Earlier this month on vacation I had a mis-hap that left me unable to even step up a curb without help. A scant week later I stared up the little mountain on Airport Mesa, wanting so much to feel the air on my face and gaze at the valley below. A gentle upward slope, trail cut with stair steps, only maybe 50 steps between the parking lot and where I wanted to be. 50 steps bigger than the curb of a week before. Walking stick in hand, leaning heavily, pain coating each movement, I slowly made my way to the top. And standing there, a desert breeze rustling my hair, I knew that somehow, eventually I would be ok.

Those Campfire Recipes - Poor Man's Pad Thai

I love easy and I love recipes that you can add to and still keep to the spirit of the dish. Poor Man's Pad Thai is one of those. The original backpacking recipe is simply a package of Top Ramen (the oriental broth flavor) and a big spoonful of peanut butter. This in itself is surprisingly filling but for those that need more you can certainly add.

Traditionally Pad Thai is a street food and varies according to what is available. According to Wikipedia, "Pad Thai or Phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย [pʰàt tʰāj], "fried Thai style") is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce (Thai: น้ำปลา), tamarind juice, red chilli pepper, plus any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime, the juice of which can be added along with Thai condiments. It is usually served with spring onions and pieces of raw banana flower." Adding elements like this keep it traditional and with a little enginuity be a fun and offbeat campground treat.

Here is what we have tried.
Canned Bean Sprouts
Canned Shrimp
Canned chicken
Chives

The only thing we didn't like was the canned shrimp...good while very hot and fresh but as the dish cooled it got extremely fishy. My favorite is at it's simplest, though. Crunchy peanut butter and garnished with chives...delicious!

My favorite version, just chunky peanut butter and chives.                                                          ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

Sunday Surfing - Hiking Trail Etiquette

Product Review - CRKT Eat'N Tool

So J. comes home one day and says he ordered these gadgets for our camp kitchen from his tool guy? "Ooookay, ummm, so whatja buy", I hesitantly ask..."well, they're these fork things". About a week later he comes home with  handleless sporks. Well, not quite handleless, but enough to make me question it.

The CRKT Eat'n Tool is a high tech, all in one spork/bottle opener/screwdriver/pry tip/metric wrench conveniently hung off a mini carabiner. It's light weight and sturdy, small enough to make the ultralight backpacker happy and ergonomic enough to keep the camping gourmet satisfied.

Once I got used to it I liked it. I wish the spoon bowl was a bit bigger, but I like old fashioned BIG tablespoons for my morning cereal. J. brought home the black safety coated model, it also comes in a dull silver that for Arizona's hot sun I think might be more comfortable. I didn't test it for this, but I do wonder if left in the hot sun would the black be hotter than all get out?

If you are looking to simplify your kitchen rig, I do recommend the CRKT Eat'n Tool. It does everything it is advertised to do and it's kinda sexy, too.

Sunday Surfing - Hike to Havasupai Falls

I'm looking forward to this being my next good vacation...how about you?

Dinosaur Tracks and Ghost Beads

Just west of Tuba City is an old painted sign...Dinosaur Tracks Here. I yelled turn left and we were off on a bumpy dirt road in search of adventure.

Around 600 feet down the road is a row of wooden Navajo ramadas, this day not yet set up when we arrived. We were approached by a soft spoken guide who offered to show us the tracks in exchange for a small donation. Anticipation rising we agreed and set foot on the worn sandstone to see what was created 160 million years ago.

Navajo Ramada, Tuba City, AZ                                                                                                         ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

This area is a series of soft swells of red sandstone riddled with the prints of Dilophosaurus dinosaur tracks left in antediluvian mud. Camouflaged in the rock, a splash of water from our guide's bottle brought it to life. For you movie buffs. this is the dinosaur we fell in love with in Jurrasic Park, 3 toed lizards up to 20 feet in length and weighing half a ton, a footprint cast in stone only left to delight our imaginations.

Once shown the prints our guide shyly suggested we see the beadwork his wife makes. I was attracted to a string of brown wooden beads interspersed with green glass beads. "Tell me about these" I asked. "well, those are ghost beads...the wooden ones are cedar berries, they purify and protect from evil spirits." As I put my head through the string of beads and adjusted them around my neck I asked why they were called ghost beads. Our new Navajo friend chuckled and said that in the '60's hippies came through the area and hearing the story of the cedar berries proclaimed them Ghost Beads......

Souvenirs of a trip back in time.                                                                                               ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

This is an easy hike around that is fascinating for young and old alike. Blink and you'll miss it, your opportunity to take a break from the Highway and walk back into ancient time.

Bell Rock Pathway - Sedona, AZ

So, I had a couple of business type things to do in Sedona week before last and really wanted to take a hike in the somewhat cooler temps out of the city.....and it started raining. Going  on the rocks was out, too slippery for my tastes so I thought I'd finally try Bell Rock Pathway, a baby safe route that winds it's way to  Bell Rock or, taking the longer trail, winds it's way around Courthouse Butte for a leisurely 3 1/2 miles.

I drove to the parking lot, a half mile south of Bell Rock just off SR 179 and by then the rain had turned into a refreshingly soft drizzle. Grabbed an ever present trekking pole and I was on my way down the level path.

Hiking Stick or Lightning Rod...you decide.                                 ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

I was giggling at myself carrying the pole (bum knee and all) when I heard a sudden crash of thunder, look up and laughed "how cool, thunder...thunder!" looked at the metal pole in my hand and panicked "OH CRAP! LIGHTNING ROD!!!" just another Monsoon Day on a Sedona trail.

How to get there:
Take SR 179 to Bell Rock Pathway turnoff in the village of Oak Creek. Good Facilities, paved lot, bathroom, wide graded trail. You will need a Red Rock pass for this lot.

A Word About Dehydration

I bet you thought that I was going to remind you [like everyone else does this time of year] to drink your water...Actually, we're talking about the other kind of dehydraton and how very easy it is to do your own stuff for trail and camp.

I got my dehydrator a lifetime ago...I had the mistaken idea that I would save money with it and quickly realized that there isn't a savings over grocery bought dried fruits unless you have trees. But there is a much better reason to drying your own than saving money. Drying your own gives you access to fruit and veggies with no preservatives and saves a ton of space as you will see in the attached photos.

Of course the fruit can be eaten right out of the bag, but no one really tells you how to use fruit and veggies to cook. Here's what I do. Mid day I figure out how much I'm going to need for the dish that I am making, put it in a nalgene and cover with water. check and shake gently every couple of hours to make sure that the water is absorbed and if you need more water in it. If you are hiking the very act of walking will gently agitate. By dinner time your recipe addition will be re-hydrated and ready to cook.


Home dehydrated foods that are properly stored will last 6 months and if frozen a couple of years. Your main danger is mold. Always examine your dehydrated food for mold issues and dispose if it gets hit. Otherwise, Bon Appetit!

Drying can reduce storage size to 1/4 of original packaging.   ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

#10 cans of peaches are less than $4 at Costco and peas are on sale for as little as 33¢     ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

You can even dry lemons to flavor your fresh caught trout! This is 11 lemons from my tree. ©Marcia Mauskopf @2011

Field Test - The Master of Faster Low Omni-Tech, Columbia Sportswear

About to climb around Cliff Palace in my Master of Faster Low Omni-Tech's       ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Columbia Sportswear with an offer to try their new The Master of Faster Low Omni-Tech:

"The revolutionary and (super-freakin’-fast) design bridges the gap between a running and multi-sport shoe to keep you light on your feet through all sorts of trail conditions. The breathable mesh upper features Omni-Tech waterproof-breathable technology for protection against the elements, welded seams for minimal-yet-strong support, and a Techlite collar and tongue for a comfortable fit. A three-part Techlite midsole with multiple density settings provides cushioning and support where you need it most, and a high-traction outsole boasts a built-in independent suspension system for great grip no matter what you’re cruising on.  We think you’ll be impressed with its performance and really want to know what you have to say about it.  So…"

....so, here's what I did over a couple week period and how they performed. I found them very lightweight and (almost more importantly) cool in our arid AZ summer temps. Using them the first week I had them as my walking shoe just around town breaking them in. At this point what I found was that for me, they were a little loose in the heel and one tongue did dig into my ankle until they softened up, so this would have been a concern if I were in a store trying them on instead having them sent to me untried. They did, however,  break in very well.

Week two found me on vacation and here is where the fun began. The Master of Faster Low Omni-Tech's traction was good and held on wet sandstone and gravel alike. In Colorado this time of year it rains every afternoon and true to their word my feet stayed dry. Support was good even with my heels feeling loose in the shoes thanks to the design that runs laces all the way to the top of your ankle. But it was the silliest thing that impressed me the most; eight hours of driving and my feet were comfortable. I'm one of those flip flop travelers...you know what I mean...I wear flip flops so I can be barefoot in the car and truly comfortable and I didn't really notice any discomfort with these.

I like The Master of Faster Low Omni-Tech shoes. You will, too.

FTC regulation disclosure: I'm getting 'em for free for testing purposes.

Sunday Surfing - Trail Guides

The internet is an amazing place for research...most take it for granted, but it really wasn't that long ago that you had to get in the car and drive to a library, map shop or forest service to get information on trails. Now with a few strokes we have all the info we need at our fingertips. It's already hot out this morning and I'm thinking hiking around water or at least thinking about water would be nice. Here is just a little of the cruising I did this morning in search of things to see and places to be:

5 Cool Trails For Summer Hikes
Water Tower Trail
Bear Canyon to Seven Falls
Bartlett Lake Camping And Trails

Zuri cooling off after an easy hike along Bartlett Flats                                   ©Marcia Mauskopf 2010

Got a favorite hike? Tell us about it here at The Arizona Hiker Girl, a fun page on FaceBook.

Sunday Surfing - Antelope Canyon

With all the fires raging throughout our State camping and hiking resources are getting a bit limited. I thought for today's Sunday Surfing I would offer an other worldly place that is on my list of explorations and, if you haven't yet been, for you, too. Antelope Canyon is near Page, by the Southern shore of Lake Powell. I'm hoping to entice my favorite hiking partner into a long camping weekend later this summer up here so we can explore this amazing canyon. In the meantime, enjoy this video featuring Jason Ward's beautiful music.

They're Here!

So Check This! A few weeks ago I was contacted by Columbia Sportswear to participate in their Spring Field Test...a pair of shoes would be on their way to me....well, they're here! This is Columbia's Master of Faster Low Omni-Tech. They're on my feet as we speak getting broken in and I'll tell you more about them as I see how they ride. Cool Beans....new shoes, free to me, and I get to write about them, too.

© Marcia Mauskopf 2011

FTC regulation disclosure: I'm getting 'em for free for testing purposes.

 

Secret Wildflowers - North Wilson Trail #123 Sedona, AZ

Sometimes the greater the push the bigger the reward. I certainly am not quite ready for this hike rated strenuous by the NFS, but J. and the dog were game so I agreed to see how far I could go.

North Wilson Trail #123 is a 2.8 mile in and out with a 1450 elevation gain. The trailhead is at the Encinoso Picnic Area about five miles north of Sedona on 89A north.  The first .2 miles or so is like climbing Chase Field...from the Diamond to the nosebleed seats....or at least that's the way it felt. But the views are spectacular even from the lower parts of the trail and the narrow trail winding through tall grass is a delight to the senses.

Boundary of Secret Mountain Wilderness                          ©2011 Marcia Mauskopf

At about 500 feet elevation the trail levels off a bit. It winds around tree trunks split and blackened by lightning strikes and quickly enters into the Secret Mountain Wilderness, which has over 43,950 acres of forest held within the high canyon walls.

Wildflowers overflowed in the middle of the forest.                                                                                     ©2011 Jeff Felske

This part of the trail is so different from what we are used to in Phoenix. The lushness that my memories of California's Central Coast are made of and wildflowers personal to the region. I could have stayed forever but a fast look to the cliff tops told us that the time had melted away and a lack of flashlights made our decision to leave that part of the canyon and head back to the parking lot.


As we broke through the shadows back into the sunshine of the crest of the trail we watched the hikers ahead enjoying the view of Oak Creek and vowed to tackle this trail again and again and again.

Hikers making their way back down the trail.                                    ©2011 Marcia Mauskopf

HOW TO GET THERE:
Take 89A north through Oak Creek Canyon to the Encinoso Picnic area which will be on your left. This will be about five miles north of Sedona. There is a small parking lot here with restrooms and water fountains and ramadas shading picnic tables and charcoal grills. The trailhead itself is directly at the entrance of the park and starts elevating immediately.

Those Campfire Recipes - No Campfire S'Mores

Today is the start of the 'No Open Fires' season here in Maricopa County. Now, I don't know about you, but I equate camping with flames, at night, warming my toes and making childhood treats like pudgy pies, roasted marshmallows and S'mores....

So what's a campfire junk food junkie to do? Make a family activity out of spreading ooey gooey goodness on graham crackers and enjoying S'mores as good as roasting marshmallows without the flames or sticks. Check it out, you are only three ingredients away from having them any time of the day.

No Campfire S'Mores

Nutella
Marshmallow Creme
Graham Crackers

Yup, you got it....spread Nutella on one cracker, treat another to a layer of Marshmallow Creme, smoosh together and fall in love. Best part? Not one bit of refrigeration means that this can even be a backpacking treat ;-)

No Campfire S'Mores                                                                                                                 ©Marcia Mauskopf 2011

Sunday Surfing - Hiking Food 5000 Calories Per Day.

I thought this was really interesting. Good ideas for packing your backpacking, hiking, camping foods. Found this on a really good blog, Eric the Black's Backpacking Blog. I know when I have time I will be digging through this blog more great stuff ;-)

Sunday Surfing - How To Make A Paracord Survival Bracelet

Fun, I just made my first one out of 2mm Gold paracord. It was finished with an overhand knot at the end to slip through the starting loop. Next time I'll get a quick release buckle for a cleaner fit. Mine has about 8 feet of cord.

Are We Facebook Friends?

Hey, check it out...I opened a FaceBook page for The Arizona Hiker Girl and we already have about 35 people chatting and sharing pictures of different trails. I'd love for you to check it out and if you like what you see, well, join ;-) If I get enough activity there I'll approach some of the local outdoors vendors to sponsor some concerts and/or events. So, come by, enjoy, become a part of the party and everyone wins.

Sunday Surfing - Chiricahua National Monument.

Simply Surreal. Anyone been here yet? What was your experience like?