Thursday, January 5, 2017
GLOP Backpacking Meals – Easy to Make, Easy to Clean Up
Many people like to eat freeze-dried backpacking meals on overnight trips or dehydrate their own food and make freezer-bag dinners because you just add hot water to them and they don't require any cleanup. But I don't mind cooking a hot dinner after a hard day of hiking, although I keep my meals simple to make and simple to clean up by eating GLOP.
What is glop? It's the backpacking term used to describe a soupy, often high calorie meal, made in a cook pot. Mine are usually based on a grain or noodle, like wheat cereal, oatmeal, polenta, instant potatoes, spaghetti, shaped pasta, ramen noodles with nuts, fruit, pesto, thai food sauce, chunks of sausage, butter, olive oil, or butter thrown in.
- Glop meals are easy to clean up because they're soupy and the ingredients don't stick to the sides of the pot.
- Glop ingredients are often available pre-packed or easy to repackage in snack bags.
- It's easy to mix and match different ingredients in real times, based on your mood.
- It's easy to save and use anything you don't eat for your next trip.
- Glop meals can be cooked with any stove or fuel type.
- Glop ingredients are easy to resupply on a long distance hike, even in convenience stores and gas stations
Here's are some glop meal combinations that I typically eat on a backpacking trip.
- Wheat cereal, dried fruit, and nuts – 3 packets of instant maple wheat cereal (generic store version of Wheatina), dried cranberries, raisins, mixed nuts. I really load up on the berries and nuts for calories and to improve the "mouthfeel" of the wheat cereal so it's not boring to eat. It's not hard to eat 1000 calories like this for breakfast, which will power you for an entire morning.
- Oatmeal and berries – 3 packets of instant maple oatmeal and a 1-2 ounces of harmony house freeze-dried berries. Add butter in cold weather, when it won't melt in your food bag before use.
- Ramen noodles, ramen soup mix, olive oil – as simple as it sounds. At 240 calories an ounce, olive oil is a great way to dramatically boost the caloric content of a ramen soup dinner. You can buy olive oil in 1/2 ounce packets or bottle it up in a small 2 or 4 ounce nalgene bottle that you refill at home between trips. Hint – the best way to ensure that a small bottle of olive oil does not open in your food bag is to wrap plumber's tape around the threads to get a tight seal.
- Instant Mashed Potatoes – boring by themselves, but fast to cook. Mix in pepperoni or bacon bits, and grated parmesan to add calories and mouthfeel.
- Outdoor Herbivore favorites: Chunky Chipotle Chili, Switchback Soup and Stuffer. Add one cup of instant rice to bulk them out and add a few calories.
I usually only eat one hot meal per day, usually at dinner, so these meals provide me with plenty of variety for the two or three night backpacking trips I prefer taking, once or twice a month.
from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2iKxPnK
IndieView with William Potter, author of Crownless Kings
This isn't a fast-paced action thriller, more along the lines of cerebral literary fiction. So the hope is to take the reader on that thought-provoking journey as they move further and further into the world of this book.
William Potter – 5 January 2017
The Back Flap
Nick's world is just like our own, except for one key difference. In Nick's world, the poor are considered rich, the rich are considered poor, and the goal of every good citizen is homelessness.
Now it's Nick's turn to embark on this adventure. He's just graduated university and wants to be the youngest homeless man his town has ever seen.
But Nick didn't count on what he might have to give up. And the cost of success might just be too high. Not to mention that Nick's own protagonist, Dean, in Nick's yet-to-be-finished novel, still has to find his dad.
Join Nick as he navigates the complexities of life in this upside-down world.
About the book
What is the book about?
The book follows the story of Nick, a recent graduate, as he works his way down the corporate ladder towards homelessness. Everything in Nick's society is just like ours, except that, in Nick's world, the rich are considered poor and the poor are considered rich. So instead of working to gain wealth, you work to get rid of it.
As Nick enjoys writing himself, the book also follows the story of Dean, Nick's protagonist, as Dean searches for his lost father. It's a lighthearted, simple adventure story that runs parallel to Nick's actual life.
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing in February of 2015, during my second year of university.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took about eight months to write, then another few to edit. I ended up waiting until after I graduated to release it though so I could spend more time editing and polishing it off.
Where did you get the idea from?
My parents were development workers and so we've lived in some pretty poor places, so you see a lot when it comes to the spectrum of wealth and poverty. The idea that society could be flipped and what that would mean has been something that's always intrigued me. This book was a way for me to explore just what that would mean and how it would work.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The actual structure of how a society would work if the only difference is that money is seen as a bad thing was pretty difficult to create. Because everything needs to be the same, except how we view money and all the nuisances that go with that.
What came easily?
Writing Dean's story was pretty simple. Because it wasn't meant to be complex (because Nick just writes the story for fun) it was a fun and relatively easy story to do. If you look too closely there are a few plot holes but that's the point. As Nick is writing it, it isn't meant to be a polished, complex story.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Oh I definitely borrow from real world people. Not a huge amount but I think the best way to create a human character is to take elements of various people that you see or know. It gives the character depth.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hands down. His writing style is incredible and some of the sentences he writes are stand alone. I would love to be able to write as captivatingly as he did. I love the older writing too, like Catcher in the Rye, Martin Eden, The Consolation of Philosophy (really old), stuff like that.
Do you have a target reader?
The goal is to target people who are intellectually curious. This isn't a fast-paced action thriller, more along the lines of cerebral literary fiction. So the hope is to take the reader on that thought-provoking journey as they move further and further into the world of this book.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Not really, though I'm developing one. I can't just sit at a blank screen though. When I'm supposed to write, I have to write something; even if it's crap and I delete it later. I can't just get writer's block for days.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
For this book I did, though for others I didn't. It was pretty detailed but only a skeletal structure. The characters are developed before the book is even written, as is the town, but the chapters themselves are only just outlines really.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?
I edit as I go, for the most part. If I read a few previous chapters before I write the next it helps to keep the same flow. When reading those chapters, I often make small edits.
Did you hire a professional editor?
No but that's because I know someone who was willing to help. I didn't edit it entirely by myself.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Nope. I need silence. Music distracts me.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yeah, but no luck.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Several reasons. I could have kept trying publishers until one eventually conceded but I didn't want to do that. Plus self-publishing teaches you so much. It was stressful but I kind of liked the process. It's so much more personal.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I did it myself. Because the book is about valuing poverty over wealth I wanted a simple book cover that reflected the book. Plus I'm not a huge fan of those book covers that seem to cram everything into the picture. This was simple. It made sense.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
This is the first book and, in many ways, is seen as a first step because I plan on writing more. So there hasn't been a huge marketing plan, but it's not quite winging it either, if that makes sense.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
There isn't really anything I can think of that you won't hear somewhere else. Maybe just to remember to account for the small stuff. Remember that you might need to register your book with your country's library (like the British Library or the Library of Congress). There are small things like that which can seem overwhelming if you don't account for them.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Travelling, England, India, America, and Uganda.
Where do you live now?
Somewhere in the English countryside.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Not sure. I like exploring ideas and concepts and I hope my books do the same.
What are you working on now?
Two projects at the moment. One is a shorter book which will hopefully be released chapter by chapter on CultureHoney.com; the other is a longer, biography-style novel about a great man I know (it's based on a true story) and focusing on the dementia which develops in his later years. Whether or not both of these will come to fruition is unknown at the moment, but we'll see.
End of Interview:
For more from William, visit his website.
Get your copy of Crownless Kings from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2iTrm9H
IndieView with William Potter, author of Crownless Kings
This isn’t a fast-paced action thriller, more along the lines of cerebral literary fiction. So the hope is to take the reader on that thought-provoking journey as they move further and further into the world of this book.
William Potter – 5 January 2017
The Back Flap
Nick’s world is just like our own, except for one key difference. In Nick’s world, the poor are considered rich, the rich are considered poor, and the goal of every good citizen is homelessness.
Now it’s Nick’s turn to embark on this adventure. He’s just graduated university and wants to be the youngest homeless man his town has ever seen.
But Nick didn’t count on what he might have to give up. And the cost of success might just be too high. Not to mention that Nick’s own protagonist, Dean, in Nick’s yet-to-be-finished novel, still has to find his dad.
Join Nick as he navigates the complexities of life in this upside-down world.
About the book
What is the book about?
The book follows the story of Nick, a recent graduate, as he works his way down the corporate ladder towards homelessness. Everything in Nick’s society is just like ours, except that, in Nick’s world, the rich are considered poor and the poor are considered rich. So instead of working to gain wealth, you work to get rid of it.
As Nick enjoys writing himself, the book also follows the story of Dean, Nick’s protagonist, as Dean searches for his lost father. It’s a lighthearted, simple adventure story that runs parallel to Nick’s actual life.
When did you start writing the book?
I started writing in February of 2015, during my second year of university.
How long did it take you to write it?
It took about eight months to write, then another few to edit. I ended up waiting until after I graduated to release it though so I could spend more time editing and polishing it off.
Where did you get the idea from?
My parents were development workers and so we’ve lived in some pretty poor places, so you see a lot when it comes to the spectrum of wealth and poverty. The idea that society could be flipped and what that would mean has been something that’s always intrigued me. This book was a way for me to explore just what that would mean and how it would work.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
The actual structure of how a society would work if the only difference is that money is seen as a bad thing was pretty difficult to create. Because everything needs to be the same, except how we view money and all the nuisances that go with that.
What came easily?
Writing Dean’s story was pretty simple. Because it wasn’t meant to be complex (because Nick just writes the story for fun) it was a fun and relatively easy story to do. If you look too closely there are a few plot holes but that’s the point. As Nick is writing it, it isn’t meant to be a polished, complex story.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Oh I definitely borrow from real world people. Not a huge amount but I think the best way to create a human character is to take elements of various people that you see or know. It gives the character depth.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Hands down. His writing style is incredible and some of the sentences he writes are stand alone. I would love to be able to write as captivatingly as he did. I love the older writing too, like Catcher in the Rye, Martin Eden, The Consolation of Philosophy (really old), stuff like that.
Do you have a target reader?
The goal is to target people who are intellectually curious. This isn’t a fast-paced action thriller, more along the lines of cerebral literary fiction. So the hope is to take the reader on that thought-provoking journey as they move further and further into the world of this book.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
Not really, though I’m developing one. I can’t just sit at a blank screen though. When I’m supposed to write, I have to write something; even if it’s crap and I delete it later. I can’t just get writer’s block for days.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
For this book I did, though for others I didn’t. It was pretty detailed but only a skeletal structure. The characters are developed before the book is even written, as is the town, but the chapters themselves are only just outlines really.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I edit as I go, for the most part. If I read a few previous chapters before I write the next it helps to keep the same flow. When reading those chapters, I often make small edits.
Did you hire a professional editor?
No but that’s because I know someone who was willing to help. I didn’t edit it entirely by myself.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Nope. I need silence. Music distracts me.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
Yeah, but no luck.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
Several reasons. I could have kept trying publishers until one eventually conceded but I didn’t want to do that. Plus self-publishing teaches you so much. It was stressful but I kind of liked the process. It’s so much more personal.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
I did it myself. Because the book is about valuing poverty over wealth I wanted a simple book cover that reflected the book. Plus I’m not a huge fan of those book covers that seem to cram everything into the picture. This was simple. It made sense.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
This is the first book and, in many ways, is seen as a first step because I plan on writing more. So there hasn’t been a huge marketing plan, but it’s not quite winging it either, if that makes sense.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
There isn’t really anything I can think of that you won’t hear somewhere else. Maybe just to remember to account for the small stuff. Remember that you might need to register your book with your country’s library (like the British Library or the Library of Congress). There are small things like that which can seem overwhelming if you don’t account for them.
About You
Where did you grow up?
Travelling, England, India, America, and Uganda.
Where do you live now?
Somewhere in the English countryside.
What would you like readers to know about you?
Not sure. I like exploring ideas and concepts and I hope my books do the same.
What are you working on now?
Two projects at the moment. One is a shorter book which will hopefully be released chapter by chapter on CultureHoney.com; the other is a longer, biography-style novel about a great man I know (it’s based on a true story) and focusing on the dementia which develops in his later years. Whether or not both of these will come to fruition is unknown at the moment, but we’ll see.
End of Interview:
For more from William, visit his website.
Get your copy of Crownless Kings from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2iTrm9H
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Winter Navigation and Escape Route Planning
Whenever you plan hikes in backcountry areas, far from roads or towns, it's useful to plan out escape routes in case an unexpected thunderstorm storm or blizzard blows in, you encounter white-out conditions, avalanche conditions, flash floods, forest fires, or you need to evacuate a companion.
I do contingency planning like this when hiking across exposed terrain without much cover, above-treeline or in winter, when there's a real risk of bodily harm or death if things go pear-shaped. Counting on rescue or extraction in such extreme conditions seldom pays off and the only way to save your butt is to save it yourself.
While local knowledge, namely planning with someone who knows the local terrain week is useful, you don't always have access to it. On the flip side, complacency, because you are local, can be dangerous unless you think out the pros and cons of different routes with your partners in advance.
An example is in order. While this will prove most useful for White Mountain winter hikers, it makes some universal points about how to plan winter escape routes that are applicable for anyone planning an above-treeline hike or ski tour.
Winter Escape Routes in the Presidential Range
The Presidential Range is a mountain range in New Hampshire's White Mountains that links Mt Washington's northern and southern ridges. The range includes nine mountain summits that are 4000 feet or higher, including Mt Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe, Eisenhower, Pierce, and Jackson. A full nineteen miles traverse of these peaks in called a Presidential Traverse and includes nine miles of above-treeline hiking with 9,000-10,000 feet of cumulative elevation gain. However, numerous winter hikers also climb the individual peaks.
The ridge is bounded to the east and west by steep ravines and glacial cirques. While there are several dozens hiking trails that climb to the ridgeline, most are too dangerous or remote to use in winter, limiting the number of good winter escape routes available.
The best winter escape routes (marked in black) in the Presidential Range are:
- Valley Way Trail – Easy to find from the Madison Springs Hut (closed in winter). Heavily wooded below treeline (4500′) providing good protection. Runs directly to the Appalachia Trailhead and Rt 2.
- Lowes Path – Can be difficult to follow without a compass from Thunderstorm Junction to treeline in bad visibility, but leads to Gray Knob cabin which is manned and has a radio. Runs directly to Lowes Garage and Rt 2.
- Jewell Trail – Top of trail is exposed, but easy to follow through krummholz. Runs directly to the Cog Railroad lot with good winter road access.
- The Cog Railroad – Hard to miss. Follow the railroad track down to the Cog station. Good winter road access.
- Ammonoosuc Trail – Easy to find from Lakes of the Clouds Hut (closed in winter). Very icy at the top and a bit hard to follow in poor visibility. Traces a safe route down the ravine and runs directly to Cog railroad lot with good winter road access.
- Edmands Path – Top can be blocked by deep snow, but drops into the trees quickly and leads to a road with good snowmobile access. Once down, you can walk out to the AMC Highland Center and Rt 302 in Crawford Notch.
All of these routes avoid dangerous terrain and serve to get you below treeline and into cover as quickly as possible. Most are easy to follow with a compass in a white-out or because they follow obvious geographic features that force you to hike in the right direction. In many cases, they're also the only safe route off the ridgeline and out to safety, because other routes are too dangerous to follow.
Winter Hazards
If you look at a map of the Presidential Range, there are about two dozen trails that lead above-treeline to the summits along the ridge. Why are most of them impassable in winter? What makes a trail that's safe for three-season use, dangerous in winter conditions?
Avalanche Zones
The prevailing winds that sweep the Presidential Range run from the west to the east, blowing snow off the ridge into the eastern cirques and ravines which are prone to avalanche activity. While avalanche forecasting is available for Tuckerman Ravine and Huntington Ravine on the east side of Mt Washington (because of their popularity with skiers and ice climbers) avalanche conditions can occur in other locations, including north and western facing slopes such as King Ravine, Castle Ravine and the Ammonoosuc Ravine. While a 35-45 degree slope angle is a useful avalanche forecasting heuristic, slides do occur on slope angles greater than 45 degrees in the Presidential Range. The best strategy is to avoid steep slopes when climbing or descending from the ridge.
Visibility
Above-treeline trails are marked with rock cairns that can be very difficult to follow in dense fog or white-out conditions because they blend in with the boulder-strewn landscape. Trails that are easy to follow the rest of the year, can easily vanish under snow cover and become very difficult to find. It's not that unusual to follow a compass bearing when hiking above-treeline in winter when landmarks or trails aren't visible.
Snow depth
Hiking off the ridge and into an area with deep snow should be avoided because of the time and effort required to hike out. For example, you wouldn't want to hike down into Oaks Gulf in the Dry River Wilderness because you'd have to break trail for miles to get back to a road. That can be virtually impossible without a big group.
Exposure
The average wind speed on Mt Washington is 40-45 mph from January through March. While wind speeds tend to be a bit lower on the other Presidential peaks, frostbite is always a big concern above-treeline making many exit routes less desirable than others. For example, you wouldn't want to hike down the Osgood Trail, the Airline Trail, the Howker Ridge Trail, or the Castle Trail in winter because they have so much unprotected exposure to the wind and precipitation. The Mt Washington Auto Road also has a tremendous amount of exposure, although it can be used as a last resort off Washington in bad visibility, because the road is easier to find than most above-treeline trails.
Poor Road Access
Many roads close and become inaccessible in backcountry areas during winter, which can also make escape routes less desirable. For example, hiking out the highly-exposed Caps Ridge Trail from Mt Jefferson leads to a seasonal road which is impassable and closed in winter. When planning a winter trip, it's important to know about seasonal road closures and access.
Decision Points
While escape route planning is an important aspect of winter navigation, you shouldn't overlook the need to plan out decision points during your hike or tour. These are locations where you will decide to keep going along your intended route, turn around, or hike out one of your pre-planned escape routes (perhaps to a pre-planned car spot.) These decision points should include the junction of your route with each pre-planned escape route, among others.
When planning a decision point, it's important to specify where the decision will occur and the criteria you'll use to make your decision, particularly if you're leading a group or hiking in a group of peers without a designated leader. While the dynamics of group decision-making are beyond the scope of this article, this topic is covered heavily in AIARE avalanche awareness courses, which I recommend you take if you plan to hike, ski, or climb above-treeline in winter.
See Also:
- Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain
- Winter Weather Forecasting in New Hampshire's White Mountains: Concepts
- Information Sources for Winter Weather Forecasting in the White Mountains
from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2iGthid
Park West at Lions Gate
Coming Soon to the Lions Gate area of North Vancouver is a new master planned community. Consisting of 263 over two towers (23 and 19 stories) Park West will be the first buildings in the new community that when completed will be a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented neighbourhood, with parks, retail and the great hikes of the Capilano River. Located on the corner of Capilano Road and Marine Drive, Park West is a unique location with easy access to the Lions Gate bridge, Park Royal and a quick drive up Capilano to highway one.
Join our VIP list to stay up to date on this development and many other like it coming to the north shore
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