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Post by Paws on Jan 3, 2007 12:29:40 GMT 12.75
Could have been! You know that's where they wrote that song; "Buffalo girls can't you come out tonight, lcome out tonight... there is a reason they called them Buffalo girls!
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Post by Toby Benoit on Jan 3, 2007 18:36:45 GMT 12.75
Didn't mean to imply that all of the gals from Arkysaw was ugly. Just the ones I was drinking with. I asked one what kind of cars she liked and she said, "Them ones wid da tilt steerin'. Hit gives me a little more head room!" The other one wasn't hard to figure out either, because the Skoal imprint from somebody's belt buckle was still visible on her forehead. Yep, musta been a regional thing!
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Post by Carter Northcutt on Jan 7, 2007 3:33:08 GMT 12.75
I have been to northwest Arkansas and the fishing there is great. The one thing I noticed that was a problem was all the dang flies. They were thick and they were EVERYWHERE
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Post by Paws on Jan 7, 2007 4:04:29 GMT 12.75
Don't you know how to keep them flies in one corner Carter??
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Post by Paws on Mar 10, 2007 5:52:21 GMT 12.75
My friend Al, his son Mike and I headed for the Smoky Mountains one Friday morning with plans to camp two nights. The drive was quite long from Clarksville Tennessee yet by the time we arrived it was still early enough to pack in, visit Anderson's Bald, and find a comfortable spot to spend the night. We had eaten our evening meal along the road so we concentrated on making the campsite comfortable and elevating our packs to a bear safe height. The next morning I was the first up and had coffee on before Michael awoke. He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat back on a rock as I set up the skillet and opened a can of Danish bacon to set on the Coleman Cricket. He watched intently as I cracked two fresh eggs into a bowl, mixed in flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, powdered milk, and water. I whipped up that pancake batter and set it aside as I prepared a non-stick skillet to go on the campfire ring. As I set out the maple syrup and squeeze bottle of butter he called; "Hey Dad!" "I'm hungry! What have we got to eat?" Al peered from his garbage bag, which had caused him to become "water logged" (but that's another story) and replied; "Huh, oh the granola bars are in my back pack." Al slowly shed the garbage bag and his soaked sleeping bag while Michael retrieved the back pack from the hanging rope. I turned the bacon. Mike thrust his hand into the pack and came up with two granola bars. He motioned with one toward his Dad non-verbally asking if he wanted one. Al shook his head and said; "I would like to have a cup of that coffee though!" I poured him out a cup as I squeezed a little butter into the pan to start the hot cakes. Michael sat down, took a hard look at the granola bars, then his Dad, and said; "Phil, do you have enough for me to eat with you?" Again, he looked at the granola bars with a look that dismissed their existence. I affirmed that there was plenty and Mike tossed the bars to his Dad who began to laugh. "Phil", said Al, "Do you have enough so that I can eat with you?" We all laughed! That morning we ate hot cakes, bacon, fresh eggs, and hash browns. We drank cold milk, fresh coffee and Tang. Before breaking camp, I prepared a picnic lunch of scalloped potatoes and ham for us to enjoy later that day along the trail. Those granola bars? Well; hope the bears liked them!
Backpack chow can be really good if you just think about it. Take a package or two of Ramen Noodles add a can of boned chicken, tuna, or whatever to the noodles. Add chopped wild green onions,leeks/ramps, wild mushrooms, garlic, green pepper, dried and reconstituted mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced carrots, or any other backpackable veggies that won't get crushed easily and will keep a day or two out of the fridge. Have Kool-Aid or instant iced tea with this, some dried fruit, a tortilla or freshly baked bannock, and you've got a fine meal. Pre-cooked rice is an excellent versatile staple that may be used as a side dish, main dish, dessert, or even a bread substitute. Oat meal, corn meal, Cream of Wheat, and Maypo, may all be pre-measured into Ziplock bags along with various condiments to make a ready to hydrate or boil in the bag meal that is lightweight, nutritious, has a good shelf life without refrigeration, and is also delicious. A number of dehydrated soups produced by Ramen, Lipton, Herb Ox, etc are available that require only the addition of boiling water. Dehydrated potatoes in various styles and flavors are inexpensive and make excellent meals. Dehydrated meats and vegetables are also available in a huge variety. The variety of pasta and rice "quick" meals is without limit. Most can be prepared in less than fifteen minutes and fortified with dehydrated vegies, meats, or stand alone. Don't forget sauces, gravy, and marinade mixes. Then of course there are the old "stand bys" breakfast bars, dry cereals, pop tarts, candy bars, crackers, peanut butter and jam, Vienna sausages, jerky, Slim Jims, potted meats, Spam and Treat. Add canned meats and condensed soups or as much weight as you are "willing" to carry. Don't forget the powdered varieties of goodies that help to complete your outdoor adventure. Nothing is better than a hot strong cup of coffee, cocoa, tea all complete with sugar, sweetener and powdered coffee lighteners many of which are now flavored. How about a tall glass of Tang made with ice cold water from your canteen? Got milk? Powdered varieties are widely available. Powdered milk may have clarified butter or "Ghee" added to reconstitute it to a whole state. Clarified butter will not spoil. Add powdered eggs, flavored drink mixes, some baking goods, and even fresh eggs, which may be kept unrefrigerated for a week or more. Add a variety of small sized, single serving, canned food products and you can eat like a king. Remember to take advantage of those things along the way that are edible. Mushrooms, pine nuts, butter nuts, paw paws, wild grapes, wild onions and garlic, sheep sorrel, dandelion greens, cat tail roots, sassafrass bark leaves and roots, walnuts, hickory nuts, berries, fall fruit, mint, fish and game may all be considered for your menu when in season. Plan your trip to travel by or near fresh water supplies that you may use. Also available from a number of outfitters and camping supply stores are pre-packaged ready to eat meals. These are similar to the Vietnam era MREs or LRPs with improved menues, ingredients, convenience, variety, and price tags. While they are considerably more expensive than anything you pre-package for yourself at home, they do have the added value of maximum convenience. They are well worth consideration as an addition to your backpacking supply list. Hey, where else you going to get freeze-dried ice cream?? Make your outings memorable by making them truly enjoyable. Nothing is more enjoyable than sharing a great meal prepared in the great out doors and shared with good friends. Oh yes, you might want to take along a few of Al's Granola bars for the bears!
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Post by raingauge on Mar 10, 2007 6:52:06 GMT 12.75
Now I admit my idea of a backpack fits on some of them four legged friends I've got. It's kind of a trade off, though, the more comforts you want = more horses, more horses = more work. BUT, I got into packing horses because I like to eat. I cook near the same on the trail as I do at home, the people who backpack have helped horsemen with a better variety of dried and prepared foods, etc. For Toby, a "smallish" mule can carry more weight than one of my "big" horses. Serious! I've seen those mule men put three hundred pounds on a small mule in country where I would only pack 150 to 175 pounds on a horse. Mules are way tougher. Some of us just like horses. I've seen horses, when we get to camp, be plumb wore out, just stand there straddle legged for a while, and we unpacked the other guys mules, and they ran and played! That was after about 25 miles of rough country. I've heard those people in South America that keep llamas pack them, and also use them for food. No need to have cattle and horses, the have an all round animal. Hanging around this board will help me plan better meals on the trail, and several other tricks to keep down the amount of horses I need on future trips. Geez, what a guy does for fun......
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Post by Paws on Mar 10, 2007 7:57:27 GMT 12.75
Yep but it sure is fun. Those two were among the many that liked to laugh at the size of my pack and I even found where they added a rock of about four pounds to it on the second day, but nobody smarted off when it came dinner time. That first night there in the Smokies was my first visit and I guess none of us had any idea that reservations were needed for the bear cages. We ended up sleeping off the trail in a pine grove. That peat must have been near two feet deep before I hit a spot solid enough to call a bottom for the fire pit. We had already eaten dinner on the drive in so all we had to do was set up camp hang the bags and hit the sack. Old Al wanted to experiment with putting his sleeping bag into a plastic garbage bag to "keep it dry!" Plus he was wearing jeans and cotton shirts which he decided to sleep in. I never said anything. I was getting ready and had already slipped off my trousers and long sleeve and was changing out my boots for light tennis shoes. Mike asked why I was putting on tennis shoes. I chided him a little and told him that if a bear showed up I needed to be ready. He bust out laughing and said ; "Look dad he thinks he can outrun a bear!" Al started laughing. I said "boys I don't need to outrun the bear, just one of you." Al quit laughing and I thought Mike would pass out in tears! ;D You know since than I must have heard that joke or similar a hundred times but I swear I had never heard it before. Just came to me on the spot! Man, that was a good time.
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Post by g8rhed on Mar 10, 2007 11:21:14 GMT 12.75
....now that guy that invents powdered Bud Light is gonna' make ***$MILLIONS***
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Post by Toby Benoit on Mar 10, 2007 15:24:44 GMT 12.75
Dwight Schuh, editor of one of them darn bowhunting magazines, is a llama man. He takes extended solo trips into the back country with his archery gear, a good backpak and a loaded up llama. Two to three weeks worth of provisions for him and jhis companion. He's quite fond of the animals and swears they make a better companion than a horse or a mule with a much milder disposition. You're right, of course, Phil. Just because you're, "roughing it" doesn't mean you should suffer! For crying out loud, you're supposed to be enjoying the trip. I know I certainly enjoy it more with a full belly! I like Mules RG! They've got character. I knew a fellow in Lowsyanna who coonhunted on his mule. They'd follow the dogs and he'd ride the thing right into the thickest woods to where the coon was treed. When he got to a fence, he'd dismount and toss his coat over the wire, then on command the mule'd hop right over. I've got a little collapsible cooler, a little larger than a kids lunch box, that you can put a cool pack in and still have room for a pound or two of bacon, a couple of pounds of sausage, and butter n cheese. I also have a 8 cup coffee pot (an absolute necessity) and a couple of tin cups that came with it. I certainly don't go all out like Phil, but I don't deny myself much either. I have two packs I strap together for weekend outtings. They get pretty heavy, but carried up high on my shoulders, I can tote them a decent ways...or could. I haven't tried it in a few years, but am making plans for an extended campout during turkey season. No need for pack forses when I got three youngins to spread the weight around on. A good walking staff is a must too by the way. I'm unsteady enough, but under a load, a good staff's a blessing if you set your foot wrong! What about your canine buddies Phil? You ever thought of buying a pooch pack and letting one o fthm join you? I like some dogs better'n a lot of people at a campfire!
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Post by Paws on Mar 11, 2007 3:09:17 GMT 12.75
I'll get my notes I been collecting for backpacking together and see if there might be any recipes in there . (I think there are over eighty now!) Pack animals would be terrific! I think my preferences might be Alpacas (cutest eyes), and short legged mules. Seriously though, as I get older I'm trying to reduce the weight. Expensive man is it ever! I got my eye on an oven, camp stove, a 12 man tent, and a titanium cooking kit . Those few things will run in excess of a thousand bucks. All of that stuff together is less than 10 pounds. Then I add my cot and sleeping bag and we are at twenty pounds. My fanny pack with emergency junk runs at 15 so before we pack groceries we are already at thirty five pounds. I can handle a load of about fifty pounds more without too much trouble. If I'd get my ass in shape I could probably add twenty or twenty five more pounds. I figure a hundred to a hundred and ten is my outside limit.
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Post by Paws on Jul 9, 2007 12:33:36 GMT 12.75
Toby I wish I could take one of the pooches but these yahoos except for the Pittweiler like to run off and do their own thing and she hits a hundred and thirty so I figure she would just carry enough to feed herself! Hey, I just might be able to saddle her though or hitch her to a wagon!
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Post by azslim on Mar 16, 2008 13:17:12 GMT 12.75
Here are couple of quick backpacking meals, altho I also carry them in my daypack while I am out and about hunting or scouting.
Save your seal-a-meal bags and reuse them with some minute rice and onion soup mix. Then boil about 1/2 a canteen cup of water and dump in the rice/soup mixture, maybe add a little more water if necessary. I have also done this with potato soup mix & rice or a can of oysters. The military canteen cups hold about 1/2 quart so it makes a great warm meal while sitting and glassing. I was getting the Bear Creek soup mixes but Costco hasn't had them lately so I will have to come up with a different plan. You can also use rice, bullion cube and shave in some jerky. Also heat up your oysters, sardines or kipper snacks by building a little fire and when you have some nice coals crack the can open and put it on the coals. Since these are all packed in some kind of oil you don't have to worry about burning. Pull out some saltines and a little cheese and you have a pretty good meal.
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Post by Paws on Mar 16, 2008 14:10:46 GMT 12.75
Sounds good Slim. Man I'm glad you joined us.
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Post by azslim on Mar 16, 2008 15:21:20 GMT 12.75
I'm glad I did to, just sorry it took me so long. from the looks of things they guys I wanted to talk with on NAHC are here so I don't have to go back there now. What a POS site it is now.
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Post by Paws on Mar 17, 2008 1:34:45 GMT 12.75
Well maybe they'll get the kinks worked out and once you get through the commercials there is some pretty good stuff there and a lot of good people too. Shame the owners are such assholes. I mean you can seek a profit without being a damned jerk.
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Post by azslim on Mar 20, 2008 4:44:07 GMT 12.75
Another thing I like on BP trips or in hunting camp is Ready Crisp bacon. This is pre-cooked so you don't have to worry about it going bad. Comes 3 packs to a box and 1 pack is about 20 strips, give or take a few. I will bake up some biscuits, usually for supper. And for breakfst the next morning put a couple strips of bacon in the pan, then split the biscuits and put them on top of the bacon. Heats them both up and makes for a fast sandwich.
One of my lazy suppers is to mix up some instant spuds, stir in shredded cheese, dried chives and crumbled bacon bits. A big bowlful sure makes a good meal. I have taken the ingredients out in the field, just haven't mixed it up yet. The bacon nukes up real good, about 5-7 secs per slice and it crumbles right up.
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Post by azslim on Mar 31, 2008 4:58:26 GMT 12.75
Since it is pretty hard to pack bread on your back without it getting flattened a good alternative is pita bread. I will pack a pita or 3, pick up a couple pouches of tuna at the grocery store and snatch a handful of mayo, onions & pickles from the local corner store that has hot dogs for sale. Out here it is Circle K, it's probably a 7-11 for you folks. The condiment pouches don't need refrig'd and will last a long time. Then you just open the tuna pouch, squirt in your lubricants and stir em up then stuff in the pita's. Also tastes great with plain old saltines.
Been known to make fresh fish taco's too. Pack along your outback oven & stove, a few tortilla's, some shredded cheese and a small can of salsa and a little bottle of olive oil. Pull your fish out of the creek, fry em up and pull the meat off the bone with a fork onto the tortilla, cover with cheese & a little salsa and have lunch. And if you are familiar with the eible greens in your area you can add some of them to the taco. Out here we have "Miner's Lettuce" that grows by the streams and tastes pretty good on the taco.
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Post by Paws on Mar 31, 2008 12:36:35 GMT 12.75
Pita bread is terrific! You know those Pringles cans do a real nice job with Ritz crackers too. Slim have you seen the NAHC add for that little "Tactical" pack? Am I imagining things or is that thing just a tiny day pack of less than 500 cu inches?
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Post by azslim on Mar 31, 2008 16:02:32 GMT 12.75
I haven't paid attention to the NAHC gear in years. And it is getting that way for the BB. I already had most of my gear and I was not impressed with what they offered. I joined them because the mags used to have good info for my Hunter Ed classes, but not so much in recent years. Were I not already a life member I would not be renewing.
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Post by Toby Benoit on Apr 4, 2008 9:52:47 GMT 12.75
Never thought about pita bread Slim, but I'm one of them wierdos that doesn't mind my sammiches getting smashed in the pack. Still tastey! Ever make stick bread? I learned that here from Phil a couple of years ago I think, anyway the kids love it. I'll let them peel down a long palm limb and wrap the end of the stick with a simple bread dough. When it's done it forms kinda like a test tube shape when it slides off the palm stick (the palm gives it a taste just like fresh Cuban bread). They bring along little packets of jellies and apple butter and such and pour them into the "tube" and even as modest as it is, you'd think they were enjoying the finest pastries any baker ever offered. I let them kindle and tend the fire to a nice bed of coals and they prop their sticks on rocks or logs to suspend the bread near the heat and turn it regularly so it doesn't scorch on one side. Buncha goofy kids! I also bring along a pot and use one of the Old Koots suggestions to let them bring along ziploc bags filled with egg yolks, chopped onions, peppers, meats, mushroms, etc. The bags get a good mix in their packs and I use the pot to boil a bunch of lake or river water and they drop in their bags. After a while, they pull them out and the egg is cooked...instant omelettes. They can get as creative as they want and it's always a really special meal for them. I ain't got much else to offer them youngins any better than to love the outdoors and I try to take them out on little day trips like that every couple of months or so, that is, whenever I'm not taking them hunting or fishing, lol.
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