Dehydrated Tortilla Chicken Soup

The most frequent question I am asked when people find out that we are serious about hiking the PCT is what we are doing for food. Apparently, this is the most mysterious part. Tortilla chicken soup is something our family greatly enjoys eating for a normal dinner at home. It contains very few ingredients; it's a simple, nourishing meal; and the warm hearty nature makes it great for backpacking. I figured I'd give it a go and try some things to make an MRE out of it.

The recipe is as follows first for a large batch (about 4 servings) then a single batch. Each batch feeds between 2 or 3 people. Scroll down for a tutorial on how to dehydrate chicken stock and rehydration instructions. All our dehydrated items have been tested for at least 8 months, though many last for over a year if properly dehydrated.

One Large Batch of Dehydrated Tortilla Chicken Soup
approximately 13 cups dehydrated

9 cups finely ground stale tortilla chips or stale tortillas
4 quarts chicken stock
2 medium squash or 6 sweet potatoes dehydrated
2 cups dehydrated salsa
2 cups NIDO whole milk powder (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE NON-FAT)
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup oregano

One Single Serving of Dehydrated Tortilla Chicken Soup
approximately 2.5 cups dehydrated

1 1/2 cups ground stale tortilla chips or stale tortillas
1 pint chicken stock
1/4 of a squash or 1 sweet potato dehydrated
1/4 cup dehydrated salsa
1/4 cup NIDO whole milk powder (DO NOT SUBSTITUTE NON-FAT)
4 Tblspns garlic powder
2 Tblspns oregano

As with any recipe, test this before heading out into the backcountry without any backup. This is the way our family likes the taste. You might prefer less salsa and more garlic. You might want it spicier and will omit some of the NIDO.

Non-fat milk powder creates a very strange blend when mixed with the salsa. I don't know what the combination does (the acidity of the salsa maybe?) but it doesn't rehydrate smoothely and leaves a chunky, almost spoiled flavor. Use NIDO or some other whole milk powder. You can find NIDO on Amazon (really expensive!), at Walmart (pretty darn cheap), and at many ethnic food stores (also cheap). You can find whole milk powder at Natures, Whole Foods, and many natural food stores in the bulk food sections. Whole milk powder is completely stable at room temperature and can last over 3 years without beginning to spoil or loose nutrients. If you are backpacking, you need the fat anyway!

Dehydrating the Chicken Stock
Since you are basically trying to dehydrate a liquid, you need a medium to pour into and hold all the tasty goodness. This is where the chips come in. They absorb the chicken stock and then when dehydrated the eliminate the water. The tasty goodness is trapped inside the chips and stores remarkably well.


The tortilla chips always work best if they are stale. They tend to grind finer and absorb better. If available, use stale ones. Whatever the case, grind them up as fine as your food processor can get them.


The counter and floor didn't fare too well when I began to stir, but the dogs thought it was wonderful.
Pour the chicken stock in a large bowl, and then dump the ground chips on top. If you were brilliant like I was and grabbed the smaller of my large bowls, stir carefully. If you were much more intelligent and picked the biggest large bowl, stir however fast you would like. Then set aside overnight.



If your glop looks chunky in the morning, just run it through the food processor till smooth. If for some reason it is not runny enough, add a bit more stock. The final product should look and have the consistency of pablum.
In the morning, you should have something the consistency of baby food. It will probably look about as appetizing as well. Trust me, in the end, it will taste good.



At this point it should smell much better. The Barracuda seems to feel this stuff tastes like the outside breading of a chicken nugget. I have not eaten it at this point, but feel free. He assures me it is delicious!

Pour the goop onto a fruit leather tray and dehydrate at 145-155 degrees for 10 hours. You need to keep it up to at least 145 in order to properly kill any lurking bacteria. Any lower will not keep the temperature high enough for long enough.

Check it at 10 hours. The entire tray should be cracked and extremely brittle. If the pieces don't pull up in stiff blocks, they need more time. If while pulling the pieces up, you discover a section that is still squishy underneath or pliable, they need more time.

Once completely dry, give them another whirl in the food processor. If the pieces are brittle enough, the consistency should be close to sand. This means your soup will rehydrate in a matter of a couple minutes. The smaller the pieces, the quicker the rehydration. Mix thoroughly with the other dehydrated ingredients and package. Two and a half cups makes approximately 2-3 servings. It's rich stuff. As always, try it before you take outside and depend on it.


To Rehydrate
Use twice as much water as powder. Bring water to a boil, stir in powder and boil for 3 minutes. Stir thoroughly. Turn off heat, put the lid on the pot and let sit 5 minutes stirring occasionally. At this point it should be a smooth soup. Enjoy!

Dehydrating Sweet Potatoes

First off, let's clear up the Sweet Potato versus Yam thing. Often here in the U.S. the two are interchangeable. Not so much when it comes to the nutrition inside each one. Unfortunately yams got the short end of the vitamin stick. They are mainly just a tasty, starch-based root crop. Sweet Potatoes, however, are rather awesome wonder foods!


The greatness of these veggies is beginning to show itself on the commercial market, but be aware that studies (National Food Administration of Sweden, 2002) have found commercial processing to be quite unhealthy. Due to the high heat of the processing, many nutrients are lost and harmful carcinogens (PAH - poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and Acrylamide) are created. Unfortunately, those commercial sweet potato chips are quite nasty for you.

Do not fret, just make them at home!

Much like standard potatoes, there are some nutritional concerns with the ways they are normally dehydrated. The commercial production companies run into problems due to the high heat and frying often used. Luckily, you can avoid both of those from at-home processing, but you still need to maximize the nutrition.

Most importantly, do not boil your sweet potatoes. The water removes large amounts of Vitamin C and greatly diminishes the nutritional value of this awesome tuber. Bake them and then let them cool. By baking and then allowing the potatoes to cool, you are converting the starch into resistant starch. Resistant starch is not broken down by the small intestine, but is utilized by the large intestine. By being broken down later, the glycemic index is drastically reduced. The digestible fiber and vitamin content of the veggies can also be increased significantly if you bake them first. One medium baked sweet potato contain 438 percent of your daily needs of Vitamin A and 37 percent of your daily need of vitamin C.

There is also a very nice smattering of B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin E, iron and potassium all smushed in there. The potassium is of large importance due its ability to regulate your electrolytes, metabolism and hormones. Anytime we can sneak large amounts of potassium in when we backpack, I'm all for it.

In short, sweet potatoes are pretty great way to sneak in some of the important nutrients that come in fresh foods when fresh really aren't available. We mash our sweet potatoes and use them as a base in soups, stews, rice and burritos. You would be amazed at well the flavor blends, but ramps up the nutrients of other foods.

If you are making sweet potato chips, you would do them just as we do our standard potatoes. Click over Here, and follow this process. You may want to slice them thinner, if you are really wanting something "chip" like.


Dehydrating Mashed Sweet Potatoes


Peelers often remove the nutrient layer just under the skins. If possible, try to peel them by hand.
Bake your sweet potatoes just like you normally would, but turn off the oven about a half hour early. You want then fairly smurshy, but not completely cooked through. Leave the potatoes in the oven and allow the potatoes to cool. This will allow the starch to convert, while the potatoes are also finishing their cooking slowly. Once cool, the skins will bubble and the potatoes can easily be peeled.


You could use a food processor, but a simple fork smashing or potato masher will do.

Once peeled, mash the potatoes into a fairly smooth glop. They don't have to be blended up or look like they would be read for the dinner table. Mainly you just want a nice blend you can sort of smear.


Try to have your glop a reasonably similar thickness for even drying. We shoot for somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch.

Using a spatula smear the glop onto a fruit leather tray and dehydrate at 135 degrees for 8-10 hours. Check at 8 hours and see.


Not quite yet...

The above photo is not dry yet. You don't want any give in the sweet potatoes. Often times you will think they are done and then find pockets on the undersides which are still wet or soft. Put them on again and give them a little more time.


Done

When truly dry, they will be brittle. You should be able to pick the entire disk up like a Frisbee or it will crack clean in the middle. If they are even remotely bendable, they aren't ready.

Think Tang

Break apart the brittle disk and food process till you have a fine powder. Due to the density of these veggies, if they are left in chunks their rehydration time can be quite lengthy. They also can provide a chunky feel to your food. By pulverizing them you get a smooth, hardy quality and a really nice mix between sweet and savory.


Once powdered, these will store for over a year and be perfectly wonderful to mix into darn near anything. It is another great way I get my boys (both the 38 year old and the 7 year old) to eat veggies. Muffins, rice, stew, casserole, soup, you name it and sweet potatoes work pretty well all mixed in.

Food Itinerary

As I attempted to find pictures for this post, I realized we have no pictures of us eating while hiking. We are all apparently too fixated on ingesting the food to have taken any pictures. So the pictures in this post are completely unrelated to content and a weird selection of various backpacking pictures over the years.

Green Lakes and Broken Top in the Three Sisters Wilderness

Most of the last couple months has been quite filled with food planning for the Pacific Crest Trail. There are three ways that I know of people planning their food purchases and preparation for long distance backpacking. Some people use a bit of a couple methods, but these are the main three:

Plan A: Wing it, and purchase most of your food along the way. This would leave me completely out of control and a total neurotic freak. It would also probably cause us to be greatly malnourished and blood sugar yo-yoing. For some, it is really great, but not us. The Barracuda likes structure and plans every food choice the night before so that he knows exactly what we are going to eat and when. Perhaps he is a bit too much like me....

Plan B: Save up a stack of money and go for one large, all-out purchasing spree. This eliminates most all the planning sessions into one, rather intense, weekend. Jules prefers this method. However, it means he has purchased a lot of the same food and quickly tired of it. Knowing myself, I think if I tried to plan this way I would have an aneurism from stress and worry about not having enough money, not having enough time, what if I forgot something, etc.

Plan C: Meticulously plan each meal, each food drop, count them numerous times to make sure you know exactly how much of each meal to prepare, fixate, calculate exactly how much each will weigh, panic, look over maps to see where there will be weight and water issues, revise, and then spend months dehydrating and fitting those foods into the usual grocery shopping. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner here! That is me.

Elowah Falls on the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail. The waterfall was so intense all of our clothing wet out in the less than 30 seconds it took to cross. The sound was deafening. It was awesome.
Food Options
At this point, we have been fiddling with backpacking food for a bit and have figured out a few different meals we really like. Variety is the most important part of any diet, backpacking or not (see this major study, or just Google search about it). I don't know how people can subsist on eating only Lipton noodle dinners, Top Ramen, and synthetic mashed potatoes when they hike. It would just kick my butt! Every morning we eat a trail or granola bar for breakfast. No eating until we are moving is the rule and it is a great motivator for us to be up and out in less than 15 minutes. The sugar gives us a morning rush for the day and makes sure we stop for lunch. Breakfast is always taken care of, but lunch and dinner were up for grabs. First and foremost, I sat down and tried to think up every single possible meal I could easily and quickly rehydrate for us to eat. The list became 9 viable options for dinner and 5 general ideas for lunches.

Dinners
Nachos/Burritos
Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce
Enchiladas
Beef Stew
Beef and Quinoa soup
Salsa Potatoes
Tortilla Chicken Soup
Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes
Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto sauce

Lunches
Salmon and Cheddar Wraps
Hummus with Various Veggies and Fruit
Vegetable Soup
Curried Lentils or Lentil Soup
Flavored Oatmeal

Quick Note: Due to how blood sugar sensitive The Barracuda and I are, we need to stop and actually eat a lunch. If we don't, we go into sugar shock by the end of the day. We just can't pull the mileage without an actual meal. Pop Tarts, candy bars, sugary granola or trail bars, and many other snacks people use as lunch substitutes cause us to spike and bonk really fast. We cannot ride a sugar high, though we will carry goo shots for emergencies. We have tried snacking for lunch a handful of times and the results are downright scary. Our lunchtime meal, from backpacks off to backpacks on, lasts a complete total of 20 minutes (The Barracuda and I actually set a timer when we solo to be sure we don't dawdle.) In many instances, we will eat while we walk using 16 ounce, wide-mouth Lexan jars (featured here if you scroll down) to keep wraps, veggies, fruits and hummus, leftover burritos, or cold pasta salad from the night before. I wake up early, make the food, and we pull it out when we need it. A waterproof lid, highly durable while incredibly lightweight Lexan, food grade, BPA free, completely reusable and non-disposable, and all with a price tag of under 6 bucks! We dig them.

Lastly, when the dogs join us they are going to need extra calorie food mix-ins as well. They cannot physically carry the amount of regular dog food necessary to keep up with their caloric burn. As a result, I am needing to dehydrate their food as well. High calorie dog food glop can be purchased (at an astronomical price), but it contains all sorts of weird things I wouldn't want our puppies eating. So, Optimus gets to rehydrate their high calorie glop as he walks during the day in a specially designated Nalgene bottle.

Guadalupe chasing sandpipers in Long Beach, Washington. The birds swarm and swoop all around you, splitting and regrouping. She doesn't care much for coastal trails, but she loves the beaches.


Mail Drops
The last 4 months have been spent figuring out where each town with a post office is located, which ones we would be stopping at, and what exactly would be in each box we mailed to ourselves. By mailing our food and extra provisions to ourselves along the way, we can keep our backpacks as light as possible. In southern California, I am not going to need winter gloves; the average daytime temperature is over 100 degrees. In northern Washington, I'm not going to need a sun hat; it normally rains solid for 5 days a week. By negotiating mail drops you can send yourself things you think you will need at certain times and send home anything you don't think will be necessary anymore.

A Town Guide is a book which tells the hiker exactly where (down to the tenth of a mile) each town is located along the trail and what to expect when you get there - are there hotels, showers, grocery stores, ATM machines, gas stations, and most importantly, post offices? Many times the exact hours of the post office are listed along with an address and a phone number. In this way you can directly calculate how many miles you will walk each day, and how many days there are in between post offices. Calculate in an extra meal just in case, and a zero day here and there and you have a basic itinerary for your mail drops. You also have excellent math curriculum for homeschooling. "You want to not starve, you better carry that one Boy!" Perhaps not quite...

We are planning to begin hiking an average of 18.5 miles per day. The Barracuda can already do around 20-23 miles per day easy, but we want to begin slowly. In the end we are thinking 25-27 miles per day will be our average, but by planning around 20 we are safe. Any extra food we can angel to others or at least give ourselves choices and extra calories. Each mail drop will contain one extra days worth of food, except every third mail drop. By making the third mail drop an exact number of days, we can cut down on excess weight. More than likely we will not be needing the extra day and they are just for feasting days of extra calories.



Our Itinerary

Leaving El Campo - 4 days worth of food
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; Tuna and Cheddar Wraps

Dinners: Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Burritos; Cheesy Potatoes

Mt. Laguna - 5 days worth of food
Lunches: Tuna and Cheddar Wraps; Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Lentils; Flavored Oatmeal; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Dinners: Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto; Vegetable Soup; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Cheesy Potatoes with Vegetables; Enchilladas

Warmer Springs - 4 days worth of food (even drop, no extra meal)
Lunches: Tuna and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal; Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Lentils

Dinners: Enchiladas; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Burritos; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Idyllwild - 6 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; Tuna and Cheddar Wraps; Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Lentils, Flavored Oatmeal

Dinners: Beef Stew, Beef and Quinoa Soup, Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Tortilla Chicken Soup

Big Bear City - 5 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal; Vegetable Soup

Dinners: Beef and Quinoa Soup; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Salsa Potatoes; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

WrightWood - 4 days worth of food (Grocery Store, even drop, no extra meal)
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; Lentils; Flavored Oatmeal

Dinners: Burritos; Vegetable Soup; Enchiladas; Tortilla Chicken Soup

Agua Dulce - 6 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal; Vegetable Soup

Dinners: Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Salsa Potatoes; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Beef Stew

Tehachapi - 8 days worth of food (Grocery Store, weight restriction)
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; (3) Salmon and Crackers; Lentils; Flavored Oatmeal; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Dinners: Beef Stew; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Enchiladas; Salsa Potatoes

(weight restriction means I will be maxing out my weight limits with food. This is the longest stretch for me to carry food and poundage is getting huge. This means no tortillas for wraps or burritos and no cheddar cheese)

Echo Lake Resort - 4 days worth of food (Grocery Store, even drop no extra meal)
Lunches:(2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; Vegetable Soup; Lentils

Dinners: Burritos; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Tortilla Chicken Soup

Sierra City - 5 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2)Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal

Dinners:Beef Stew; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Enchiladas; Salsa Potatoes; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

Belden Town - 6 days worth of food
Lunches: (2) Flavored Oatmeal; (3) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Lentils

Dinners: Burritos; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Salsa Potatoes; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

Burney Falls Camp Store - 4 days worth of food (Grocery Store, even drop no extra meal)
Lunches:(2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; Flavored Oatmeal; Salmon

Dinners:Beef Stew; Salsa Potatoes; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Enchiladas

Castella - 7 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches:(2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; (2) Flavored Oatmeal, Lentils

Dinners:Burritos; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Beef Stew; Salsa Potatoes; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Enchiladas; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

Kennedy Meadows - 5 days worth of food (even drop, no extra meal)
Lunches:Vegetable Soup; Flavored Oatmeal; Lentils; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps

Dinners:Beef Stew; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Enchiladas; Salsa Potatoes; Tortilla Chicken Soup

Independence - 6 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2) Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Vegetable Soup; Lentils

Dinners:Beef and Quinoa Soup; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Spaghetti with Veggies Sauce; Beef Stew; Salsa Potatoes

Vermillion Valley Resort - 5 days worth of food
Lunches: Vegetable Soup; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal; Lentils

Dinners:Beef and Quinoa Soup; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Enchiladas

Tuolumne Meadows - 8 days worth of food (Jules' Arrival; Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2)Vegetable Soup; (2)Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; (3) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Dinners:Beef Stew; Burritos; Enchiladas; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Salsa Potatoes; Spaghetti with Veggies Sauce; Tortilla Chicken; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

8 packages of extra calorie dog food

Seiad Valley - 4 days (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2)Fresh Veggies, Fruits, and Hummus; Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Vegetable Soup

Dinners:Beef and Quinoa Soup; Enchiladas; Salsa Potatoes; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

4 packages extra calorie dog food

Hyatt Lake - 4 days (even drop, no extra meal)
Lunches: (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Vegetable Soup; Flavored Oatmeal

Dinners: Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Burritos; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Beef Stew

4 packages extra calorie dog food

Crater Lake Lodge - 4 days worth of food
Lunches:(2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Dinners:Salsa Potatoes; Beef Stew; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Enchiladas

4 packages extra calorie dog food

Cascade Summit - 7 days worth of food
Lunches:(2) Flavored Oatmeal; (3) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Vegetable Soup; Lentils

Dinners:Burritos; Enchiladas; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Beef Stew; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

7 packages of extra calorie dog food

Olallie Lake - 4 days worth of food (even drop, no extra meal)
Lunches:(2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Flavored Oatmeal; Lentils

Dinners:Enchiladas; Salsa Potatoes; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Tortilla Chicken Soup

4 packages of extra calorie dog food

Cascade Locks - 6 days worth of food (Grocery Store)
Lunches: (2)Fresh Veggies, Fruits and Hummus; (3) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Lentils

Dinners:Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Vegetable Soup; Enchiladas; Beef and Quinoa Soup; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

6 packages of extra calorie dog food

White Pass - 5 days worth of food
Lunches:(2)Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Vegetable Soup; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce; Lentils

Dinners:Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Burritos; Beef Stew; Tortilla Chicken Soup; Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes

Snoqualmie Pass - 5 days worth of food
Lunches:Vegetable Soup; Lentils; Flavored Oatmeal; (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps

Dinners:Cheesy Vegetable Potatoes; Spaghetti with Veggie Sauce; Beef Stew; Enchiladas; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Stehekin - 4 days worth of food
Lunches: (2) Salmon and Cheddar Wraps; Lentils; Vegetable Soup

Dinners:Tortilla Chicken Soup; Burritos; Beef Stew; Tortellini with Veggies and Pesto Sauce

Sun setting over cloudline in the Cascades on Nesmith Point. Definitely one of the most incredible things and incredible hikes I have ever seen or done.

That list is a combination of umpteen hours planning, dehydrating, and nutritional research. It feels really good to have finalized. With impending post office closures in some of the small towns and a couple changes to ownership, a few shifts might need to be made, but at this point the food will stay the same. We've been acquiring it all slowly but surely. By adding 50 dollars to each months groceries, we've been able to fit in darn near most of it. A couple of items (like packaged salmon/tuna and bulk boxes of trail bars) are going to be topped off with extra PayPal funds. In general, the food for all of us cost of just under 600 dollars. By spacing it out, the blow wasn't quite a hard, and it looks like we might just pull it off. Three quarters of it is already weighed, measured, packaged, and dehydrated. Now we just have to figure out where to put all of it!

A Week Without Power

Our power was restored Wednesday when everything decided to finally melt off. We'd been out of power for a week and were honestly expecting much longer. Being the only power source for the water supply of the closest city probably saved us.



Contrary to the feelings of many others around us, our week without power was quite wonderful. The dogs are actually playing with each other in this picture, though it might not look like it. They both thought the snow was incredibly fun.

Much like our transition to a television-less household, had you asked me about going power-free I'd have thought we'd be sitting pretty well. After all, we no longer had a T.V., we have actively transitioned most of our family entertainment away from anything digital, and all of The Barracuda's schoolwork is book centered (the actual, paper, bound books). Most all of our food is dried, canned or cellared so refrigeration isn't necessary, our heat is all wood, our water is on the city fire line/water supply. Mainly, our bases were covered. This might have been a big reason that our situation was better than others around us.

What I hadn't accounted for was timing. Everything takes longer without electricity. Water does not boil in five minutes. To get it to boil in five minutes would require me chopping down our wood into lots of smaller pieces, getting the fire really going, and then placing the pot on. That process would take a good 30 minutes. There are no showers. This is a major well duh! Somehow I didn't understand just how much I'd miss the shower. Dishes are all done in shifts because the signal pot of boiling water you placed into the sink eventually gets cold and very shortly there after so do your hands. This meant we were never, ever, really done with the dishes. When the sun goes down, the work must as well. When the sun isn't up, not much can be done. The way our life is currently structured is not conducive to this power-free lifestyle. It was an amazing learning experience and one I hope to repeat again before the winter is over.

Tuesday at around 6 pm:
Jules is passed out on the couch. He does this occasionally. After multiple, stressful days and burning the candle at both ends, he collapses shortly following dinner. The power has been flickering all day long, but it has hung in there. Snow started falling 2 days ago, though the accumulation right now is still only about 6-8 inches. The morning commute was a doozy and we thought for sure school was going to be canceled. No such luck, apparently down the way it isn't quite so bad. As the weather continues to deteriorate, loosing power is only a matter of time.

With the lack of permanent residents in our area and the remote terrain we have been warned that it could be a month before it is turned on again.

Wednesday: SNOW DAY!
Lee was home today as even the big city was nasty enough for no buses to travel. Much fun has been had and a quick trip to the store for some cooking free supplies was in order. We had to dig the cars out from over 18 inches of snow. It just keeps on falling hard and heavy. Fortunately here the snow is light and powdery, rather than the dense, wet glop that falls in Portland. We'd never lived somewhere that doesn't plow before, but luckily the neighbors all have plows on their tractors and take shifts. From the looks on the faces of most of the men, this isn't exactly a chore.

Thursday: Day 1
The power hung in long enough for me to get a pot of chicken stock prepared, a two chickens defrosted, and then promptly cut out. We're keeping the fridge closed and the water to luke warm hoping it will only be out a short while. At least that's what I tell myself.

Jules figured out quite the system of candles. Nights might just turn out to be quite relaxing after all.

Friday: Day 2
I didn't start the fire early enough to get the water on to boil. It took darn near forever to receive tepid oatmeal. Both the boy and I were so hungry we didn't care. Around 9 am the entire house vibrated with the sound of a very large motor. We looked up to the road, expecting a colossal plow or construction equipment, but nothing. After much inspection outside, it turns out our neighbor has a commercial generator which has just kicked on to power his house. Looks like even in a power outage, Mr. Plasma will keep his name and be able to watch his obnoxious plasma screen television. Around here old toys have been pulled out from long forgotten spaces and the art of play has been regained.

The dogs think this whole snow thing is the greatest ever. They go out romping far more than they are inside. I have to drag them in, dry them off and put them in front the fire to get them warm again. So far, there have been very few complaints.

Saturday: Day 3
The dogs went out to play this morning and didn't come back. We waited, we called, no dogs. Jules became frustrated and went in with The Barracuda while I post holed my way across the flat and down the river trying to find them. Half a mile down, Guadalupe pokes her head around the corner and stops. I call, she wags her tail, but she won't come. There is no Optimus. She is very nervous and I get nervous. It is really hard to run in 3 feet of snow covered with over an inch of ice, but when I get closer she runs off again. She waits, I run. She runs off, waits, I run forward. Every Lassie movie I watched while sick from school is seeming much less fictional at this point. Eventually it becomes clear that she needs me to look over the edge of hill leading steeply down to the river. She's fussing like mad and won't stop wiggling everywhere. After defogging my glasses I can see that Optimus has fallen down the hill and is clutching to the bank with his two front paws. His back end is submerged in the freezing rapids of the river.

I tell Guadie to stay in my best non-panicking Mom voice, and make my way down the embankment. Optimus was manhandled and encouraged out of the water (you can only encourage a 220 pound dog. He is literally twice my size, I can do very little). I kicked steps back up the slope as best I could (I've never kicked steps for a dog before), dried him off with my coat, and we made the slow journey back to the house. He is doing fine after drinking warm chicken broth, having blankets thrown over him, and curling up with Jules for quite some time. Two of his front claws have been ripped from clinging to the bank, but he saved himself from complete hypothermia. His massive size came in quite handy. Somehow, he had fallen down the slope into the river and Guadie wouldn't leave him. I would have walked completely past without knowing had she not lead me to him. He's a very lucky dog.

The extreme wind coupled with heavy freezing rain over the last two days has knocked out the power for the entire town closest to us and half the surrounding area. It's going to be a while before anyone cares much out us way out in the middle of nowhere.


Sunday - Day 4
At this point, the rationed hot water is long gone and the fridge has been replaced by the snowbank of our deck. With 2 and a half feet of snow, we have to dig out anything we want to keep cold, but so far the animals haven't discovered it.

The house is beginning to resemble a ski lodge. We've figured out a system to hang all the layers so they can dry. We have enough mountaineering clothes to keep us cycling through and able to get outside for walks and playing quite frequently.

We've taken to wearing wool all the time and walking the dogs everyday instead of allowing them free play on the flat. On our trip up the road we were able to survey the damage from the wind. Our neighbor lost a tree across his dock, but it was nothing like the scenes along the road. Power lines are down everywhere, poles are snapped, and trees litter the ditchlines. Let the scavenging begin!

Around here, people don't let much go to waste. Even the local trash drop off has signs that read "No Scavenging." In some places scavenging might be considered stealing, but not here. Scavenging is an art form and a prized trait. The fine line between scavenger and thief is upheld quite strongly. We have already had many discussions with The Barracuda about the difference and it is reinforced quite strongly.

Before we could get out to collect, chainsaws of the neighbors and other locals were buzzing. Snow storm or no snow storm, no sizable tree is going to be left down without an attempt at harvesting.
Math done by candlelight isn't quite as romantic as it might look. The Barracuda has gotten quite driven with getting his schoolwork done during the daylight hours and leaving the playing for the evenings when work is finished

Monday - Day 5
We went into the big city to visit my dad and take showers today. Laundry was done, phones and cameras were charged, Facebook was checked. Everything got done and important business was taken care of all around. It was quite the productive day. The glimpse into life without power has been quite rewarding. My work ethic is much stronger, the house is somehow cleaner and we are going to bed at a decent time. With the days work confined to only the lighted hours, a sense of urgency overtakes you. When there is work, it must be done right now!

When dusk hits we begin to light candles and let the world calm down as the lights burn themselves out. Once gain we have started talking more, playing more, and laughing into the wee hours.

Tuesday - Day 6
Today it was supposed to melt off. It didn't. In fact, almost a foot of snow came down before 11 am. The local schools were all released early. We took the truck into town because some paperwork had to be faxed off and almost didn't make it home. With a child wound tight from over a week without seeing his friends, and dogs a bit stir crazy by now as well, it was a long day.

It seemed the powerless-ness was wearing on me all day. My phone wouldn't charge at the library. The line for the Internet computers was really long. The Internet was taking forever to load since it was on the fritz. The frustration was mounting. After a week of putting off our virtual lives, it has become obvious how dependent I am on getting into cyber space. Not only do I make money, but multiple other writing and correspondence jobs are handled via the Internet. Even with our power restored, for much of this last week everyone's Internet has been down. This is definitely a place I need to think on for the future.

Wednesday - Day 7
The melt off has begun. Everything outside is drippy. It will take time for the snow to actually melt, but I can see the tops a few items still out on the deck as the snow melt continues. This is probably a good thing. I've been wracking my brain to come up with more warm, dinner items that do not require baking. Much of our life can be handled by snacking, but after a week solid the snackable items in our house are vastly dwindling. Jules and I are pretty firm on not getting a generator, but we do think a propane oven is a good place to start. I know Jules' schoolwork has to be backed up like crazy. With all the grading needing to be entered into the computer, yet at the same time, his need to get home before everything deteriorates further, he hasn't had any time to stay after work and get much done.

The power was restored at around 4pm Wednesday. I'm very glad it didn't last a month!

The first thing I did was take a shower!

It doesn't matter what the conditions, we just like living in a place where this is our front yard.


A Few Things We Learned
We learned quite a bit. Mainly, we have fallen out of natural rhythm by controlling all the light and electricity. Our family felt better when we worked and then slept in a more natural flow. We need to find a way to either bake off the grid, or to have other food sources which don't require it as much. Lastly, we need to have a larger supply of medium sized, hot, wood. It is referred to as "hot" wood because it burns quickly building the fire in the woodstove up to boiling and cooking temperatures. I need to find a better way to have Internet correspondence when we don't have power here. The virtual world isn't going away and the work I do I find fulfilling, so much thought needs to be put into where I could work if we needed to. Currently, a week seems to be when we feel the strain. Perhaps, like everything else once that initial discomfort is worked through the experience isn't taxing. Over the next couple of weeks we will be working on pushing that week out into a month or more, but for now, we are just glad to be back on the grid.

A Dear Blog Letter

Hello Blog,

I know I have left you for a while. I was kinda emotionally beat. I needed a break, some perspective. It wasn't you; it was me. There was a mild fling with Facebook...and a bit of a Pinterest obsession, but they just weren't the same. I'm back, dear Blog.

Yours Always,
Granola Girl

October on the Mountain

October has been about Mt. Adams for our family. With the backpacking season appearing to wind down, our attention turned to the mountain we see everyday. We live 45 minutes from the climber's route up to the summit and have been dotting our map with GPS points taken all over the mountain. The photos in this post are from all three different trips up.

You have a 2 mile hike in (from 4,500 feet to 6,000) and then the trail disappears.


You are on your own up the next 3.8 miles and 6,276 feet. At 12,276 feet, Mt. Adams is the second highest peak in Washington.

This has been quite the month for me. I have attempted to write about it numerous times but, as always when things become emotionally vulnerable, I've been unable to get it all out in any coherent fashion. Normally the thoughts are all penned up in my head while I mull over them. Lately, this hasn't worked quite as well. Rather than feeling out of it while my brain sorts through all that troubling emotional baggage, I've been sorting through it all full frontal and messily. Perhaps it is progress, but I preferred being a bit more emotionally detached.

I like thinking out on the mountain. Everything seems calmer and much more simple. If you click on the image to enlarge it, you will see Mt. Hood in the background.

In short, sometimes you just have to climb a mountain. There just isn't another option. You recognize you are at a point in your life where the commitment level requires you to be all in - regardless of inclement weather, odds, previous tragedy, and difficulty. You plan ahead, pack carefully, and then throw yourself at it with all you've got.


Get out your crampon's people; let's get serious!

I've found tackling emotional conflict works best when you tackle physical conflict as well. You can leave yourself all out there and come back to your regular life feeling much more refreshed.



Look at that cute little alpine terrorist! The kid did great. No altitude sickness. No whining. Just wanted to pound more mountain.
The first two times we went up the mountain we did it in sneakers. Crampons are something we did not wish for the Barracuda to wear until he was older. They are just too darn dangerous. We wanted him to be able to read the snow, to know how to chop steps, to understand the mountain intimately before using technology as a quick fix. He's been learning French and American style climbing for the last two years, and has done much work with his ice ax, but front spikes can permanently destroy your ability to walk if misused. If you step wrong you can slice your Achilles tendon, if they catch when are self arresting you can rip your ankle/leg clean the wrong direction. I didn't want to risk that.

The wind whips though and blows the moisture against the exposed rocks. It is so cold the moisture freezes on contact. Even in full sun, the ground and rocks don't melt free. The extreme contrast of the snow and rocks, the sparkling ice, the color of a sky at 11,000 feet.... Ansel Adams would have had a field day up here.

However, like most everything else in our lives, The Barracuda had other ideas. When you get up to 10,000 feet the first false summit (Piker's Peak) becomes coated in solid ice. If the kid wants to really climb 14'ers that means he is going to have to have crampons. So, with complete abject terror, we ordered him a pair on eBay. Three sets of 12 point, front spike, mountaineering crampons now grace our walls (yes, we hang our gear up on the walls). He did fine, but I'm going to have to upgrade the child's gaiters - at this point he needs Hypalon and Cordura.

The Barracuda isn't levitating, he is walking on 3 inches of solid ice. Though treacherous, the entire world glistens with an ethereal quality you can only get at extreme altitude. It is worth the risk if he gets to see these things. How can you adequately understand global warming if you have never seen what you are destroying?

Training on Mt. Adams was great mental work for me, but was even more important as training. If we are going to tackle the Sierra Nevada mountains in what is apparently planned to be quite the snow year, we better have our groundwork wired tight. There were multiple times of flinging the kid down a slope for self arrest. You have to practice from multiple different angles and places. If you roll wrong, you can impale yourself on the ice axe or hit yourself in the face with the adze. It is better than dying, but not the preferable option.

Chopping through fresh snow is quite the adventurous feeling. However, it is exhausting. Jules and I took turns working out way up the mountain.

There were also steps to practice chopping. When you don't use crampons, you have to chop steps in the ice, balance up, chop another, take a step, lean forward and chop another, etc. It is slow going, but it gives you a severe appreciation for elevation. Since we won't be taking any crampons through the Sierras this was an incredibly important part of the whole adventure.

Weeee! Even Jules and I glissade as much as possible on the way down. Glissading means that going up the mountain takes a good 8 hours, but coming down takes a little more than one.

But the best part, as far as The Barracuda is concerned, was the glissade down. A glissade is a controlled slide down some serious elevation. He has been practicing glissading while standing up to control his balance. He now got to apply that knowledge to a full on glissade sitting down using his ice axe. The point of the ax is driven into the snow to control your direction and speed as you slide down on your butt a few thousand feet in elevation. It's a serious rush. Think sledding times a thousand.

Coming from Georgia, there just aren't mountains like this within an hour of home. It wasn't the reason he agreed to move way out here in the sticks, but it is pretty darn rad.

The best part as far as Jules is concerned, is just being up on the mountain. Being able to expose The Barracuda to real mountains and scaling the earth is quite a nice perk to this whole parenting thing. It is very obvious that The Barracuda sees this as major guy time. I will often hang back and let the two of them walk off together talking about one testosterone filled idea after another.

We have really enjoyed learning the contours, ridgelines, and various snowfields of our closest mountain. Since we look at him everyday, rely on him for our heat, and watch him control our weather patterns, it is kind of nice to have a more intimate connection. Behind the snow smudge is Mt. Hood.

I'm just glad to get my head on straight. Though both Jules and I dropping 20 pounds has been a nice addition. We're both back to pre-college weight and remembering what it is like to be at the bottom of the body-mass-index.

I don't know of many other ways to take yourself completely out of the normal world, yet sleep in your own bed at the end of the evening.

We are up at 4 am and hiking in in the dark. We come home as the sunsets and the snow is turning pink. By the time we get to our car it is dark again, much like when we came. The days are long and full, but very well worth it. We see incredible things, experience great feats, and practice valuable skills together.

After all, isn't that the point of this whole family thing?

Homeschool Curriculum 2011-2012

Outside of "How do you live in only 380 square feet in the middle of nowhere?" the top three things I am most asked about are backpacking, canning, and how we homeschool. Though we talk quite a bit about the backpacking and canning, very little has been covered on our homeschooling. So, this year I thought I'd hit it a little harder than before. By the third year, we are starting to have a pretty good thing going and I feel comfortable enough to talk about it.

The Stats
The Barracuda is 7 years old and technically enrolled in second grade. For many of his subjects he is enrolled in 4th grade having completed/tested above the second grade standards. He is an incredibly intense student and we have learned not to restrain this, but to provide it knowledge as best we can. When restrained, he gets bored, naughty and generally becomes a butthead. Either that, or he decides to learn it for himself and some conclusions are a bit strange. (Did you know that Islamic berqas make it so that women can't see? I didn't realize this, but after some discussion I quickly clarified that berqas are meant for women to not be seen instead of being blind.)


Due to his intensity, some of this might look a little hardcore for his age. The topics are of his own choosing and he continually expresses what is working and what isn't. For the most part, if it isn't working we change it or drop it. Throughout this post I use the term "we" to mean us as a family and most specifically The Barracuda and I. Since we are in this together, we are learning together as well. Homeschooling is a family endeavor, there are just no two ways about it.

We would be considered structured unschoolers, in that The Barracuda gets to make a good 85-90% of his own learning choices, time commitments, and school structure. Due to his perfectionism, and the lack of personal knowledge he has some places where we insist he broaden his horizons (examples include, guiding him away from singular projects he is fixating on in unhealthy ways for weeks and weeks at a time, providing academic reading lists or books, requiring him to write even though it was difficult for him initially).

By October, most of the sand has been shaken out of our curriculum choices and we have found the rhythm of what is going to work. Like many homeschooling families, that which looks great on paper in August, doesn't necessarily turn out the same a couple months in. By now, we have a focal point in all our studies and a general backbone of where we are headed.

Curriculum for 2011-2012

Reading: The current goal of reading in our family (beyond just enjoyment and fluency) is to develop conversations in multiple forums about books. The Barracuda therefore will not only write his thoughts about books in report fashion, but also have discussions with adults and peers about different aspects of literature.

Personal Reading: Harry Potter series with book reports for each completed book. He will often choose fluff reading books here and there that he can just pound out like candy when he wants them.

Group Reading: Going through the Top 100 Classic Books Novels list (the list gets reviewed every 10 years or so and you can find out more about where it came from here). These books are read by both The Barracuda and myself and we do Socratic discussion as a family.

Peer Reading: Our homeschool group has a Literature Circle. A children's novel (Ms. Piggly-Wiggly, A Cricket in Time Square, etc.) is read independently, the kids discuss their thoughts about it in a Socratic seminar, and a project is completed about some facet of the book.

Writing: The major focus of this year's writing is to create cohesive essays which are constructed and revised with purpose. A focus on not only conventions, but cohesion and organization of ideas is the major goal.

Copywork: The Barracuda does regular copywork as he is trying to learn cursive writing something fierce. He picks a book of his choosing (right now The Arabian Nights), grabs a passage, and writes for a while.

Daily Paragraph Editing: The boy loves this stuff!

Essays: The Barracuda also completes shorter (only 5-8 paragraphs) essays on various topics he has learned about in science, history, or math. The focus is on thesis writing and clear exposition.

Social Studies: We do not do revisionist history or watered down current events in our household. We talk about smallpox blankets, not Pilgrims and Indians sitting down to eat turkey. My son listens to NPR, The Daily Show, and the Colbert Report with us and we answer his questions honestly. Sometimes it gets turned down a bit when talking about raping small children or equally graphic issues, since the point is to make him aware not scar him.

United States History:
We are doing American Literature and literary periods as they correspond with historical events. We try to read first hand accounts of literature (On Plymouth Plantation, The Declaration of Independence, Nature by Emerson, Civil Disobedience, etc) and discuss their common threads to create a cultural understanding of the time period. We mainly use "Elements of Literature: Fifth Course" (Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson). This is supplemented with Joy Hakim's "Freedom: The Story of U.S." and "Creating America: Beginnings through World War 1 Online Addition" (McDougal Littell) for maps, charts, graphs and pictures.

Geography: The Barracuda has decided he wants to learn the countries of the world as well as the mountain ranges, rivers, and other physical geography. This is taking the place of our world history for this year. We found this foundation to be essential since most of the books we have read are either ridiculously watered down, very stereotypical, or already assume you have a general idea of the regions geography. We are using "World Reference Maps and Forms" (Evan Moor) along with the great computer games at Play Kids Games (scroll down for the Geography games).

Local and Regional History:
The Pacific Crest Trail hike we are planning has become the largest source of our local history, geography, and social studies. The Pacific Crest Trail: A Hikers Companion by Berger & Smith is quite wonderful.

Civics: 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and discussing how to implement the strategies in our lives.

Science: The goal of science in our household is for The Barracuda to understand the interconnected nature of everything around him. From his body to biodiversity and sustainable practices, we try to foster the idea that you must think about the minute details as well as the big picture.

Physical Science: Beakman's World is the jumping off point for many of The Barracuda's science questions. He is then allowed free reign on the Internet to Google topics and discuss what he finds. We also use Thames and Cosmos Physics and Solar Physics Workshops, build catapults and ancient weapons, and are a voluntary simplicity household which uses many simple and compound machines.

Earth Science: We hike and we hike and we hike. Most earth science is done through active discussion and participation. The Barracuda also keeps a Nature Journal where he draws, catalogs, and identifies most everything he sees (rocks, birds, bugs, fungus, plants, you name it).

Life Science: This is probably the most multimedia approach we have to any subject.

Puzzles: Melissa & Doug Human Body Floor Puzzle
Songs: Lyrical Life Science volumes 1, 2, 3 by Doug Eldon
Movies: Thank you NetFlix!
Books: The Incredible Machine by Robert M. Poole , Atlas of Anatomy by Anne M. Gilroy, Human Anatomy and Physiology by Spence and Mason (3rd Edition)

Art:The only time The Barracuda has ever asked to go to public school was to be able to have art class. I wasn't taking his desire for art seriously enough. So now we study a period of art, learn the historical/cultural significance, recreate great masterpieces from the period, and study the artist's technique and their lives.

He is a perfectionist and many of the paintings take him 6 or more weeks to complete. This is one area we have to "talk him down" from being neurotic and gently guide him forward. As far as he is concerned, Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is not completed yet and the city needs greater detail.

Materials: Acrylic Paints, PrismaColor Pencils
Books: Gardner's Art Through The Ages along with the book companion website
Time Period: Currently Post Impressionists.

Math: Most of our math is discussion based. We incorporate our daily activities into mathematical practice. This year the focus is on multiplication, division, fractions and decimals. Currently The Barracuda is working with least common denominators and conversion of fractions to decimals. I expect wrapping his brain completely around this concept (not just being able to do it) will take most of the rest of the year.

Drill and Kill Practice: Math Connection 4th and 5th Grade (Rainbow Bridge Publishing)

Enrichment: The Barracuda picks these things all by himself. The only time we put a halt on enrichment activities is if they will actively complicate other things he has already desired to learn. He would like to begin both Latin and Mandrin, but he has to learn Spanish first. He cannot start the formal dance academy since we will be leaving to hike the PCT in April. By next year we will begin both dance and Latin.

Spanish: Rosetta Stone and Dos Mundos (McGraw-Hill)
PE: Rock Climbing/Mountaineering and PCT Training
Music: Absolute Beginners Guitar Course
Sunglasses are essential for being a rock star and for learning guitar.

Artist At Work

So, what do we do without television? We paint! The Barracuda recreates great masterpieces and learns a lot about the time period, technique, and the artist themselves.


It is quite fascinating to watch a work of art slowly appear. The Barracuda's perfectionism and attention to detail can come out full force. Even if some paintings take him 6 weeks or more, he is always very proud of himself by the end.

The Big Loop around The Three Sisters

There are a few versions of this loop depending on where you enter and which side trails you follow. It is all essentially the same, depending only on where you want to shave miles off as an ultra-runner and where you want to get your water. We parked at McKenzie Pass, followed the PCT the entire way down and then Green Lakes back up to Scott's Pass. If the LeConte Crater Trail still exists, we missed it completely, and that put us at 57 miles exactly. A 43.7 mile version is available here. Be aware that the Volcano Running itinerary uses a different entry point with a smaller parking lot.

When we returned home from the Loowit, school was officially starting. Due to Jules being a public school teacher, our homeschooling follows much of the same schedule. We don't really do holidays or anything, but we generally get a bit more lax in the summer and then pick up more standard work stuff around September. We figured we'd give a couple of weeks to finding school again before we took off on another hiking trip.

The third weekend in September seemed good. It was enough time given to schoolish pursuits for it to seem like we kinda cared, but not so long that the season had ended. Jules took off Friday, and we picked him up Thursday after school to make the long drive down to central Oregon.

The Three Sisters Wilderness is the second largest wilderness area in Oregon and is flanked on three sides by other National Forests. It allows for one rather giant expanse of "middle of nowhere" feeling. With the largest concentration of 10,000+ foot peaks in the entire Cascade Range, the Three Sisters Wilderness sports the only three triple peaks in the nation. They are also the third, forth, and fifth highest peaks in Oregon. The North Sister (Faith) is the oldest of the three and also the smallest. She is an extinct shield volcano held together only by a system of lava dikes and a large plug dome. There is no hope of The Barracuda ever summiting her as she is quite derelict. The Middle Sister (Hope), however, has an untrailed "Climber's Route." Though not exactly a walk-up, it looks like a good one for our Summer of Summiting in the future. Being an extinct stratovolcano she is quite solid and doesn't appear to be going anywhere, anytime soon. The South and final Sister (Charity) has a well established trail to the summit. It is brutal, but a walk up day hike. It was hard for The Barracuda to walk past the trail marker leading to the South Summit, but we had miles to go before we slept and it wasn't going to happen this year. She is a stratovolcano perched on top of an old shield volcano. Though this made her interesting for geological geeks, it wasn't until 2001 that people really took notice of this peak. In 2001, the South Sister began to awaken. By 2004 earthquakes were appearing and vulcanologists were getting excited. In 2007 things began to cool down, but her status has been upgraded to "Active" and eruptions might occur within the next 10 years. This knowledge made the hike even more exciting. The Barracuda versus the Volcano has become a rather interesting thought for our son.

Day 1 - McKenzie Pass to Linton Meadows - 15.2 miles

The North Sister and the smallest bit of the Middle Sister call you forward in the distance when you start at McKenzie Pass. The South Sister is still too far away to see. The weather was incredible all but the last day, and by that time, the rains were a welcome change.

We have never had a whining child. Even as an infant, he didn't whine or cry much. When hiking he has always been happy and ready to go. Imagine our surprise when less than 5 miles in, on level terrain, the child breaks down in tears exclaiming he cannot go on. I mean, complete freak out. We discussed it, he calmed himself down, continued less than 20 yards and more break downs. He said he wanted to quit, we turned around, less than 20 yards and he wanted to continue. To use the word "agitated" would not adequately describe the level of frustration Jules and I were feeling. On the last, "I can do it" it was decided that hell or high water the boy was going to walk. So we walked.

Thankfully, by the middle of the first day he had rallied and we pulled out 15.1 miles. Not what we were hoping for, but it didn't put us too far behind. (Shortly later he began to sniffle a bit. Ever since he has been on the edge of a possible cold whenever he gets tired. We think this might have had something to do with it.)

The alpine meadows in the Three Sisters are home to some of the worst bugs on the entire PCT. However, if you go after August, there aren't any. We found the meadows some of the greatest and most beautiful we had seen.

Living amongst the Cascade Range you see mountains all the time. In fact, fellow homeschool moms and I have often laughed at real estate agents calling something a "view lot." Around here you are either looking at a river or a mountain from some angle on your property. Everything is a view lot. However, the mountains in the Three Sisters are different. They have been formed lower on the tectonic plates than our mountains. This means they are in the middle between the granite peaks of the High Sierra and the composite volcanoes of our Northern Cascades. The granite substructure still exists, but the upper layers of more mailable volcanic rock are exposed. When the last Ice Ages came though, the entire state of Oregon was covered in glaciers. These glaciers ground away the upper structures of the softer volcanic material. What is left, are the crumbling remains of once giant volcanoes. Rather than the basalt we are used to, the ground is covered in red, porous extrusive volcanic rock which blew out of the last eruptions from the area. Acres and acres and acres of it. Every once in a while there will be a small, scraggly, misguided tree trying to eek out existence, but not much. Unlike the small, soft pumice we walked along at Mt. St. Helens, this rock is jagged, hard, and dense. It has the tell-tale bubbles of most lava rock, and is just as annoying to walk on, but adds a much more severe quality to the landscape. Rather than stark, the area looks brutal. Think Mordor from The Lord of the Rings.

Lava rock, lava rock and more lava rock. After the first mile and a half a trail emerges, but for much of the first day we were either walking over, or surrounded by lava rock. Here The Barracuda is descending down Yopoah Crater and the subsequent lava flows surrounding it. The lava rock really works the lateral muscles of the feet on all the uneven terrain. It cuts into your shoes, your pants, your skin and anything else it happens to scrape against.
These lava rocks were created from the flows of the North Sister's lava dikes. They protrude out the front end of the mountain to hold it together. By mid-day we began to pass the North Sister and into the saddle-like structure of her Middle Sister. Here the shield volcano status of the North Sister really shows through. The Obsidian Cliffs were a highlight of this trip. The trail is not only littered with obsidian rocks, but huge boulders of it make cliffs which shine in the sun. The rocks were everywhere. Their beauty was both stunning and dramatic with how prolific it was. Conversations quickly turned between geology and the native practices which valued the rock so much.

Day 2: Linton Meadows to Red Meadow - 24.7 miles

When the sun shot out and over the Middle Sister in the wee morning hours and illuminated the meadow in front of me, I was reminded of why we pack up before the sun and start hiking when it is still freezing outside. The beauty of moments like this is why we backpack.

We were moving by 6:30 and got to watch the sun rise over the mountains. I much prefer sleeping in places of exposure to watch the sun come up. At this point, when both Jules and I are there, we have figured out our morning packing up routine. Everything in our backpacks has only one place in the tent. Each person unpacking the tent has only one role. It all moves with a level of precision which allows us about 20 to 30 minutes from waking up to dressed, packed and moving. For someone like me who hates surprises this is a soothing and quite enjoyable experience. The Barracuda knows exactly what to expect as well, and this has greatly helped with the process. He knows his jobs, he knows the expectations, and there needs only minimal instruction. It gets the day off to a good start.

We filled up water at Reese Lake and began moving briskly to beat out the morning chill (another added benefit of an early start). It wasn't too long before we left the Middle Sister completely and began once again seeing evidence of obsidian. The South Sister is an old shield volcano, with a stratovolcano perched on top. Now the obsidian was in giant rubble style piles. Huge moraine mounds of obsidian followed us down from the meadows of the Middle Sister to the barren plains of the South Sister.

At this point we were supposed to take a short-cut side trail called the LeConte Crater Trail. It runs between the various rock outcroppings, craters, and mountains in this barren stretch. We completely missed it. If it exists, it cannot be signed well or marked as far as we are concerned. The trail stretches out for miles in front of you and no side trail could be seen.

The obsidian was a highlight of this trip. The entire pile of rock on the left side of this picture is made of obsidian - huge boulders of it. The trail is littered with obsidian. It is everywhere. The Obsidian Cliffs of the day before were not piles of rubble such as these, they were sheer walled towers. Talk about a geology lesson. The entire family was entranced with the beauty of this rare place.

The first trail sign we came to was Wickiup Plains. Normally the whimsy of this bent sign post sporting three or four different trail markers all heading in different directions would have produced a fond smile from me. It looked very much so like something out of a cartoon desert scene. However, in this instance it meant an added 4.4 miles to an already long day. The plan was to do 2 twenty mile days and a leisurely walk out the third to drive home. With the bizarre, stunted behavior of The Barracuda on the first day, and now this, that just wasn't looking like it was going to happen. It was a bummer coupled with a shocking surprise for me. My stress level shot up a bit. I wasn't a happy camper, but what are you going to do? You just have to keep walking.

By the time we rounded the South Sister and headed up the backside of the mountains we had begun to see day hikers and weekend warriors again. The eastern side of the Three Sisters is where most of the action is at. With both the South Climb walk up summit and the Green Lakes area, this is the most heavily populated of region. Before this, we had only seen dirty PCT hikers trying to pull out their throughs before the season closed in. Though The Barracuda greatly enjoyed these encounters, they were only a handful. Most of the pack had moved through the area and we were only getting the tail end. The Green Lakes area was a highway compared to the rocky, barren west side.

When we rounded Green Lakes the warm rain began to fall and the storm moved in. Though we were getting wet, the scene was enough to keep us happy. The rain pelted the water, the sun still cut through the storm and played up the colors on the shore. All the while, the backside of the Middle Sister looked on.

Spirits were lifting as we hit Green Lakes. We were obviously making good progress, regardless of the detour. The weather was looking a little treacherous, but we had managed to out hike the storm this far which added to our feelings of accomplishment. When the rains began to fall in sprinkles they were warm and we just kept pushing on. If it had to rain, it was a beautiful place to do it.

We were well past Green Lakes when the storm finally cracked above us. With thunder claps and pouring rain showers, we dawned jackets a laughed at our now familiar mantra of wet hiking, "At least it isn't New Mexico!" It all passed quickly enough and within a little over an hour we were dry again. By now we were meeting back up with a couple of people we had seen from the other side. One older gentlemen startled us with the comment, "You guys have come a long way." It took us a minute to place him before we responded with the same. He had been doing the same hike from the opposite direction. His starting place was south and clockwise, we were north and counter-clockwise. We shared trail conditions, water, and good tidings before pressing on. Much like the PCT hikers we saw the day before, this encounter raised The Barracuda's confidence a bit. He greatly enjoys seeing others who hike like we do.

By the time we were ready to find a campsite the day had been long and tiring. Though we had eaten lunch, our normal snacks weren't munched upon with the rains. The tent was pitched and food made as I went into sugar shock. I hate sugar shock. It sneaks up on me and really throws me for a loop. The Barracuda's blood sugar sensitivity comes from me and my side of the family. Jules forced food into me (almost literally since your body begins to feel extreme nausea and gag) and I sucked on extremely concentrated Gatorade before going to sleep. By morning all was well, but it worries Jules every time.

No mileage had been added up since we were slightly worried what the result might be for the last day. Jules had to make it to work the next morning regardless so it didn't really matter. It was only after coming home that we realized The Barracuda had reached another milestone. It was nearly a 25 mile day.

Day 3 - Red Meadow to McKenzie Pass - 17.2 miles

The trail was so very different from the backside of the North Sister. Gone was all the lava rock and open meadows. It was replaced by glacial sand and scrubby evergreens nearly the entire rest of the way.

Somewhere around day 2 or 3 the food conversation begins. This is about the time Jules and The Barracuda start in on what they want to eat. These discussions torture me even though I am often dragged into them. Why on earth do I want to think about the tastiest thing I could imagine when I can't eat it right now?! That just seems brutal. However, they love it. Discussions usually go something like this:

Jules: "You know what sounds really good? Taco Del Mar with a mocha and some Thai food."

The Barracuda: "You know what sounds really good? Dairy Queen blizzard with a side of steak and some pizza! We should go to Izzys!"

Jules: "Oh, you know what sounds so good? Los Reyos and some sushi!"

The Barracuda: "CHICK-FIL-A!"

By this point in time The Barracuda is practically squealing with delight. Jules is trying frantically to outdo him and they are both giddy. They begin to groan and moan in joy as if they are pleasurably eating the food right there in front of them rather than staring at miles more trail. I hike behind them thinking that many of these ideas sound really good. My mind begins to wander into territory of what I would like....a giant salad bar from Sweet Tomatoes....a really good breakfast skillet and some pancakes from the Hot Cake House or maybe a giant burger with a side of pancakes (a very hard decision even under normal circumstances)....a steaming hot bath with tea and cookies.....some Gorge Juice or maybe a Jamba Juice or maybe a peppermint latte..... It is a level of masochism that borders on psychotic. I don't know why hikers do this to themselves.

The last day of hiking a loop is often times the quickest and easiest. Somehow the terrain is never bad, the weather seems easy, and you are pressed on by the thoughts of either food or a warm car. This day had by far our worst weather. By the end of the day we were all in rain gear and cold with wind screaming by. We had moments of great weather, but nothing that would count as warm. The last few miles we were hiking to just stay warm and keep our resolve to make it to the car. It had the worst elevation. Scotts pass was 2 solid miles of unrelentingly steep uphill switchbacks. Every once in a while you would get a tenth of a mile of slight uphill only to once again tilt dramatically skyward for another long stretch. It had the most uncertainly. We didn't know what time we would be driving home, or how late we might be driving to get Jules to work the next day. There were also a couple of sections that seemed unusually long prompting Jules and I to shoot uncertain looks of "did we miss the sign?" Yet, it was by far our easiest day. We pounded out 17 miles before 3 o'clock and were hobbling into McDonald's before 4.


The whole family at McKenzie Pass just about a mile before the car. Don't let those smiles fool you, we are freezing! Guadie is sporting her backpack, and that giant, sad looking dog is Optimus. I have not formally introduced Optmius Prime yet. He is our family's 200 lb British Bull Mastiff puppy. He is still little and will probably gain another 20-50 lbs. This was his first long distance hiking endeavor so he didn't have to wear his backpack. He wasn't too sure he liked it, but he did really well.

Jules has been wanting to hike the Sisters since he lived in Georgia. It is a hike he would have flown across the United States to do and I was very glad we were able to complete it together as a family. It was a great ending to the backpacking season this year. With snow now moving in, our weekend/overnight trips might have to simmer down a bit, but there are still plenty of mountains we can summit all the way through October. Our move has pushed us to begin thinking about what is possible. We live close by and we've got gear so now all we have to do is make time!