food – Page 10 – besthike.com

April 21, 2010April 22, 2010

KFC – Quadruple Down sandwich

I couldn’t resist.

… two thick and juicy boneless white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese and Colonel’s Sauce. …

It’s as disgustingly delicious as it looks!

… the sodium content is high — a whopping 1,380 milligrams — more than a half-teaspoon’s worth of salt. For comparison’s sake, the American Heart Association recommends people eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium in an entire day.

Considering the rising consciousness on healthy eating — from rules that will require calorie counts on menus nationwide to Jamie Oliver teaching kids in West Virginia to make better food choices — it was pretty gutsy of KFC to market a product that sandwiches bacon and mayo-based sauce between two pieces of fried chicken.

Still, KFC’s new creation might surprise you a little on the nutritional front. At 540 calories, the Double Down, though not exactly a dieting food, is 90 calories lighter than McDonald’s Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich. …

NPR – The Nutritional Lowdown On KFC’s Double Down

UPDATE – Is it really 540 calories? Or more like 1190 calories?

This crime against humanity will not be sold in Canada. America’s rank as the most obese major nation is safe, for now.

And just in case Wendy’s wants to challenge, KFC has this “sandwich” in the lab …

(via This is why you’re Fat)

You could eat one Quadruple Down, … then set out hiking for the weekend without needing to carry any more food.

April 9, 2010April 4, 2010

the “PCT Method” – hanging a bear bag

Affectionately known by the lightweight hiking underground as the “PCT Method” (presumably because it was first used by long distance hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail), a bear bag hanging method exists that is lighter, requires less rope, offers the benefits of counterbalancing, is easier to set up, and offers simple and quick hanging and retrieval of your food.

Click PLAY or watch and comment on TheBackpacker.tv.

You can make your own system quite easily by assembling the following components:

* Food storage bag
* 40 feet of hanging rope
* Keychain carabiner
* Small stuff sack for a rock (”rock sack”)
* Pencil-sized twig about 4-6 inches long.

I particularly like the second option shown by Bryan DeLay. Many’s the time I’ve needed that in the past.

February 16, 2010February 13, 2010

naked chef wins $100k TED prize

I’ve not been a fan of controversial British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

I find him strident. And not all that amusing.

But I’m thrilled he won the prestigious TED prize for 2010.

At the heart of Oliver’s work is an assault on the obesity epidemic: The CDC states that one in four Americans are considered obese. It is estimated that 43 percent of Americans, or 103 million people, will be obese by 2018. The cost of this epidemic is anticipated to reach $344 billion per year. It currently accounts for almost 10 percent of the yearly US health care costs, and that rate will rise to 21 percent by 2018. WHO’s latest projections indicate that, globally in 2005, approximately 1.6 billion adults were overweight and projects that by 2015, that figure will rise to 2.3 billion.” …

2010 TED Prize goes to Jamie Oliver

God knows he’s passionate. If interested, click over to TED to watch his scary 18min presentation.

February 10, 2010February 9, 2010

Perky Jerky

Kate feels this disgusting product is just the thing to give a tired hiker a kick in the pants.

Perky Jerky is the world’s first all-natural performance enhancing meat snack. Put simply, we’ve combined the most tender and flavorful beef jerky, with an extra dose of energy (caffeine, from the Guarana we add) to provide a jerky experience you won’t find anywhere else.

Perky Jerky

December 19, 2009November 17, 2014

Everest trek – day 6

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles.

Just before dark, the previous evening, I found a perfect tent site by a waterfall just above this bridge.

Wild camping is not illegal in the National Park. But it’s best to be discrete.

Feeling good, I decided to climb all the way to Dingboche at about 4,530m (14,800 ft). Likely I’d need a rest day there doing one or the other of a couple of different side trip options.

Ama Dablam began to loom large.

The trees were gone. Increasingly the scenery became bleaker.

Though nobody ever seemed to mention it, we were disappointed with the weather. In November it should be sunny, clear and cold.

I was psyched, however, upon reaching Dingboche, a memorable village. This is the jumping off point for the excellent Island Peak climb, by far the most popular of the trekking peaks.

The biggest change I found from my last trip to Nepal 11ys ago is mobile phones. All guides and lodges have them. Some European hikers had phones. And phones seem to work almost anywhere.

At first put off by telephone contact in the “wilderness”, I quickly realized what a life saver they must be. Literally. Lives have been saved, I’m sure, by communication.

The second biggest change is that internet has arrived over the past few years. Here is the highest internet cafe in the world.

Actually it was the highest in the world. The owner recently put one laptop and a connection at Gorak Shep 5,164m, right on the doorstep of Mt. Everest.

I took every opportunity to post online my exact whereabouts, as a safety precaution.

Here are the Yaks coming home to my Guest House after a day of grazing barren hills late in the season. I ate much better than the Yaks that day. In fact, I took the ultimate Himalayan culinary challenge … I ordered Yak steak. (Eating meat is strongly discouraged by every guidebook.)

I turned out to be fine. … But I never ordered meat again for the rest of the trip.

all photos from day 6

… on to day 7

days: 1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12-13|14|15|16|17| info page

December 1, 2009November 29, 2009

pack it out? … to where?

So said Sir Edmund Hillary in Nepal.

Any hiker carrying their trash back from the Himalaya to Kathmandu is making a mistake. The capital of Nepal has a worse trash disposal system than either Namche Bazaar or Lukla, in the mountains.

Should we carry trash all the back to our home nation? … Think of the carbon footprint.

As far as I’m concerned, in Nepal it’s best to burn paper in the mountains. Shatter glass into a remote waterfall. Bury metal under a pile of stones.

I did the same in the Andes.

This all contradicts the dictates of the Nepali National Parks.

Leave a comment if you have a contrary opinion.

October 26, 2009October 16, 2009

expensive European hiking gear

Before I traveled in Europe, I vaguely thought of their gear as … nice. Way overpriced. Gaudy. And sometimes completely goofy. (Especially the tents.)

Then I toured the huge Sportler store in Bolzano, Italy.

Later I was overwhelmed with the even bigger Schuster store in Munich.

Brands like Salewa, Kaikkaalla, Meru, La Sportiva, Mammut, Vaude, Deuter, Hilleberg, Vango, And more appealed. Quality is generally very high.

Mammut-t-shirt

Also more familiar brands: The North Face, Salomon, Mountain Hardware, MSR, Primus, Therm-a-rest, Marmot, Arc’teryx.

Arc’teryx? How has that Canadian company become so HUGE worldwide? What a success story. They fit right in with the expensive European brands.

Actually, Arc’teryx was bought by Adidas in 2001. Then sold to Amer Sports of Finland in 2005. It’s a multi-national now.

My advice to every European hiker coming to North America: Buy your gear in Canada from Mountain Equipment Co-op. Or check prices on Amazon.com and comparison shop in the USA.

Europeans will get sometimes twices the value for their Euro currency in North America as compared with European prices. Especially on American brands.

My CAD Mountain Hardware Scrambler daypack is always CAD$50 back home. In Europe it’s normally €55. That’s CAD$86.40.

An MSR Hubba tent on Amazon.com is US$250 . At Schuster in Munich it’s €329.95 (US$468.14)

Yet there’s some gear available in Europe that I can’t get at home.

Want to take a Cheeseburger in a can hiking? They are available widely in Germany.

cheeseburger-in-a-can

Taste Test: Cheeseburger In A Can

October 15, 2009October 14, 2009

is that a banana in your pocket …

Or a Banana Guard ™

official website – Banana Guard

Check the Froot Guard and Froot Case while you are there.

It actually works perfectly, if you want to carry the extra weight.

Thanks Rockin’ Ronnie for embarrassing me with this piece of goofy gear.

August 26, 2009September 5, 2018

Mt Blanc to Matterhorn – day 3

Hiking trip report by site editor Rick McCharles. Day 3 of 7.

day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | info

This turned out to be the most memorable day of many amazing days.

The weather was terrible. All day. Terrible.

The most remote and wild terrain of the entire route.

I was quite happy to finally arrive at Cabane de Prafleuri.

These refuges offer accommodation as well as food. Nice.

I got a chance to dry out. And warm up. Then walked on when the rain slowed.

Very impressive this day was Lac Dix, man made, created by one of the highest dams in the world.

The wildflowers and wildlife this day, were the best of the entire Haute Route. It’s an animal reserve.

In the early evening the weather worsened. Again.

I decided to stay at an alpine hut rather than try to climb out of the valley.

A long, impressive ridge would take me up to Cabine Dix.

That photo I shot the following morning. The night before, in the rain and dark. I thought I’d never get there. It’s very high. Nearly 3000m. Higher than the pass I would cross next day.

Cost for dinner, bunk bed and breakfast was US$65.

The dinner was excellent. The bed very comfortable. The breakfast the worst I had in Europe.

I was the only Anglophone that night. Ordered about like a German soldier.

Overall, I’d rather sleep in my tent and cook my own food.

See the rest of my photos from day 3.

… on to day 4

day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | info

August 24, 2009September 5, 2018

Mt Blanc to Matterhorn – day 1

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.

day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | info

It was a beautiful sunny day in Chamonix. I had my perfect gear set. And far more quality food than I needed to start a week long hike. (Note the British Old Cheddar. Buying that imported merde is not chic in France.)

Effortlessly, I found myself atop the first high pass of many.

Effortlessly because I took a bus and cable car to get up to altitude.

My guidebook author Kev Reynolds would not approve. The best way to do the Haute Route is walking every step from Chamonix to Zermatt, 180kms or so.

Another guidebook editor, Hilary Sharp, advises not to walk underneath any working cable car.

Everyone I met doing the Haute Route cheated at one point or another.

My plan was to cheat on the lower valley sections, and opt to take every higher, longer, more scenic option. There are many trail alternatives on the Haute Route.

The main goal for the day was Fenetre d’Arpette, 2665m. It didn’t look so tough.

There is a lower trail alternative … but it was called the Alp Bovine route. (I translated that as COW PATH. Wanted nothing to do with it.)

that small lower notch is the "Window" — align=”aligncenter” that small lower notch is the \”Window\”

Instead of sticking to the BORING regular trail, I over enthusiastically decided to climb the edge of the Trient glacier moraine.

That turned out to be a HUGE mistake. I ended up scrambling a cliff – for HOURS – to regain the trail. By the time I finally reached the pass it was close to sunset.