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Homemade Energy Bars-easy to make.

Hiking all day causes a person to expend a lot of energy. To keep healthy and feeling good while you are out in the wilderness, you need to consume a higher amount of food and water than you normally do. An average backpacking trip with a normal level of exercise requires a calorie intake of 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day. For cold weather backpacking with strenuous exercise, that number can be as high as 6,000 calories a day. Generally, a person will need 2-4 quarts of water a day.

It is equally important that you eat a balanced diet while on the trail. This includes carbohydrates, fats and proteins. A good amount of fiber should also be included to help keep you regular. (It’s hard enough to have a bowel movement in the wilderness without getting yourself constipated and feeling miserable the whole trip!)

The carbs are easy to get from fruit, grains, pasta, candy or energy bars. The fats can be obtained from nuts, oil or margarine. Proteins are obtained from meats, milk products, nuts, eggs and fish. Fiber can be obtained from vegetables, some grains and cereals, and fruits.

Backpacking trips in hot weather or long trips play a factor in being able to bring fresh food with you. Generally, several food types will last a few days in the heat, but it is a good idea to know what will keep if you are not inclined to eat freeze-dried food the whole trip.

Fresh fruit is a treat on the trail, but it is probably better to stick with the harder fruits like apples, oranges or tangerines. These will vary on how long they last with apples being the longer lasting of these. Dried fruits will last a long time. Cheese can be taken on a trip, but keep in mind that the lower the moisture count in the cheese, the longer it will stay fresh. Parmesan cheese does not need to be refrigerated as it has a low moisture count. If you enjoy cheddar, Colby or Swiss, get the wax covered wheels or bricks and they will last about a week out of the refrigerator. Most backpackers will carry dried milk, but if water is a problem where you are going, you can carry cans of the ultra-high-temperature pasteurized milk. Once these are open, they should be refrigerated, so plan your meals to use the whole can. Meats that will last a while without being refrigerated are hard salami, smoked meats, jerky and pepperoni. Of course, canned meats will last until they are opened. Eggs will last 2-3 days on a trip. You can carry them cracked open in a water bottle that is topped off with water to remove air, but then it can sometimes be difficult to separate individual eggs for different meals. I like taking them in the plastic containers you can buy especially for eggs as this gives more versatility. You can also carry hard boiled eggs for a few days if the weather is not hot and you have an insulated water container. Just drop the peeled eggs into a wide-mouthed water container and pour cold water with a few ice cubes over them.

It is probably a good idea to have your menus planned out ahead of time to save you laboring over what you want to make for supper after a long hike. If it is a simple meal that can all be cooked together, pack all the ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Then when you get to your camp site, you can just pull it out and drop it into a pan, adding water as needed. Be sure and label the bag so you are not guessing what it is towards the end of your trip. You can also package the appropriate amount of pancake mix for breakfast in separate Ziploc bags. The same thing with macaroni or other pastas. Try and get rid of any bulky boxes before you leave by re-packaging in plastic bags.

One-pot meals are the easiest to cook and work well for a group. You can check out our camping recipes for ideas. If you can only cook with a stove then you will need to pick meals that are fairly quick to cook. If you have the luxury of having a fire or a grill then your choices are almost unlimited. You can always make meals ahead of time and freeze them, but they should probably be used within the first 24 hours. It works well to place it in a hard plastic container that is well secured.

Bring cereals that you like, but that maybe don’t crush easily. Instant oatmeal packs work out well. If you like a healthier version, simply place serving-sized portions of regular instant oatmeal in a Ziploc bag and add brown sugar, a little powdered milk, cinnamon, raisins, dried apples, or anything else that takes your fancy and when you are ready to make it, just add the right amount of hot water.

If you want bread that travels well, pick hard crusted breads such as baguettes or crusty sourdough loaves. Smaller breads that do well are bagels, English muffins, tortillas or the flavored wraps and pita bread. Left over pancakes can be carried and used that day for rolled sandwiches-sweet or savory. Don’t forget peanut butter, jelly, squeeze bottle margarine, and honey. Avoid any glass jars and use squeeze bottles as much as possible to save on utensil use.

Minute Rice, Ramen noodles, small pasta like macaroni, instant mashed potatoes, dehydrated vegetables, beans, and Risotto are all easy to carry. Canned beans are heavy, but dried beans take a longer time to cook, so weigh your options. (No pun intended.) Dried beans can be soaked in a water bottle while you are hiking and be ready to cook by dinner time. Be sure and bring plenty of spices so your meal will be palatable. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion salt, chili powder, oregano, basil, cumin, sweet curry (my husbands favorite spice used even on eggs), cayenne pepper and any other spices need for your menu.

Don’t forget sweet treats. You can bake/make things ahead of time-cookies, marshmallow treats, or bar cookies. The small Jell-O-brand Jell-O or pudding packages can be taken, but remember you will have to pack all your trash out, so keep this in mind. Energy bars or cereal bars will also work.

There are several miscellaneous things you should bring. Olive oil, soy sauce (try to save the packets from your Chinese take-out as this should be refrigerated after opening), ketchup, mustard, Tabasco sauce, vinegar, vanilla, whatever sugar you prefer, syrup for your pancakes, tea and coffee and powdered drinks such as cocoa, lemonade, Gatorade, iced tea, or Tang.

If you are backpacking in higher altitudes, remember that water boils at a lower temperature at higher altitudes. Add 1 minute of cooking time for each 1,000 feet of elevation for foods that normally take 20 minutes to cook. If it takes more than 20 minutes to cook, add 2 minutes per 1,000 feet of elevation. This will impact the amount of fuel you carry.

You don’t have to eat expensive freeze-dried food if you take a little time and effort to plan ahead and have your meals semi-prepped before you start out. If you are not hiking long distances or are car camping with day hikes, you can carry a Dutch-oven and cook great meals and even bake bread or biscuits. Learn to eat well even in the backcountry!

Corie Marks

Submitted by David and Kay Scott
www.nationalparkstraveler.com

The National Park Service recently solicited proposals for the operation of Log Cabin Resort in Olympic National Park. The contract includes management of the lodge and cabins, food service for a dining room and soda fountain, retail services, boat rentals, and operation of a campground for RVs and tents.

The resort is currently being operated by ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment under a temporary contract scheduled to terminate at the end of September 2013.

Log Cabin Resort is one of four lodging facilities in Olympic National Park. ARAMARK also operates Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and Lake Crescent Lodge. Kalaloch is operated by DNC Parks & Resorts. Lake Crescent Lodge is across the lake and the nearest park lodging facility to Log Cabin Resort.

The resort offers several types of accommodations including motel-type lodge rooms, A-frame cabins, rustic cabins with and without kitchenettes, and camper cabins similar to those found at KOA.

We have visited the resort on a half-dozen occasions and found it sorely in need of major maintenance. Boards were rotting on the A-frames and the cabins were beyond rustic. The NPS has worked to improve the facility during the last year and intends to do significantly more during the next several years.

Depending upon funding, the seven rustic cabins will be removed and replaced with eight camper cabins with bathrooms. In addition, the manager’s residence will be replaced and improvements to the campground will be undertaken. These expenses will be borne by the National Park Service.

Gross receipts at the resort declined from $464,000 in 2010 to $411,000 in 2012. Approximately three-quarters of receipts originate from lodging while the remainder is split fairly evenly between retail and food and beverage. The marina provided only $15,000 in revenues for 2012. The NPS prospectus forecasts a major increase in revenues for 2014.

The operation has two major pluses. The first is the relatively small initial investment required for such a large property. NPS is estimating an initial investment of less than $250,000, including $80,000 for working capital. The other major plus is the location on the north side of beautiful Lake Crescent. Despite playing second fiddle to Lake Crescent Resort, Log Cabin Resort is in a superior location with better views and more sunshine.

The ten-year contract will require a franchise fee of 3 percent of gross revenues. The repair and maintenance reserve is 2.7 percent of gross revenues for the first 9 years and zero in the 10th year. Proposals are due in the San Francisco NPS office by June 25.

Riley Yates, Of The Morning Call
www.mcall.com

Two men who trashed a historic farmhouse near the Appalachian Trail are headed to state prison to serve lengthy sentences, due to their long criminal pasts.

At 22, Ronald C. Ulmer is already what is known as a repeat felony offender, a classification that brings enhanced sentencing guidelines. The East Bangor man first got into trouble with the law when he was 12, and he has convictions that include multiple charges of conspiracy to commit burglary as an adult, according to court records.

At 30, Christopher N. Mendelsohn’s rap sheet is only slightly better than Ulmer’s, and he told Northampton County Judge Emil Giordano that he has been in prison five times. Giordano noted a probation officer’s assessment that there was “nothing positive” to say about him — a first, the judge said, in his 10 years on the bench.

On Monday, Giordano sentenced Mendelsohn, of Upper Mount Bethel Township, to 21/2 to five years in state prison, plus three years of probation, in three theft cases that included the burglary of Tott’s Gap Farmhouse in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in August 2011.

Ulmer was sentenced Friday by Judge Michael Koury Jr. to five to 10 years in state prison, plus five years of probation, for the farmhouse break-in alone. Assistant District Attorney James Augustine said he’s never seen a defendant so young with such a bad record, with probation officials also concluding there was “absolutely nothing favorable” about him.

“From the time he was 12, he’s been breaking into houses, stealing,” Augustine said.

The National Parks Service estimated that the damage to Tott’s Gap Farmhouse exceeded $38,800. Ulmer, Mendelsohn and others left graffiti on the walls and removed radiators, a wood stove, window frames and other items that they sold for scrap, significantly damaging the building in Upper Mount Bethel while they did so, according to court records.

Ulmer pleaded guilty in February to charges of trespass, theft and criminal mischief.

Mendelsohn admitted in March to two burglary charges and one of receiving stolen property. In his other cases, police said that in October, he twice stole from Cliff’s Automotive in Bangor, swiping a boat motor, radiators, transmissions, tires and other parts from the back of the N. Main Street property.

On Monday, his defense attorney, Brian Monahan, said his client isn’t as a bad as his record and the probation department make him out to be. Monahan said he also plans to dispute the amount of damages that were estimated by the National Parks Service.

riley.yates@mcall.com

Harriet Baskas , NBC News contributor
www.nbcnew.com

You may now have Grand Canyon National Park in your bathroom, Denali National Park in the kitchen and American Samoa National Park in your den. Not the parks themselves, of course, but their scent, because in honor of National Park Week (April 20-28) the Air Wick fragrance product company and the non-profit National Park Foundation (NPF) have rolled out a new set of National Park Collection candles, oils, automatic sprays and reed diffusers with scents said to be inspired by “the unique flora and fauna” of six of the country’s national parks.

“There are over 400 national parks in America to discover and explore, each unique in its own right,” said an NPF spokesperson. The parks featured in the new collection “engage consumers and offer a variety of seasonal scents.”

Those parks are: Grand Canyon National Park, Hawaii’s Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, Virgin Islands National Park, the National Park of American Samoa (the only national park south of the equator) and Denali National Park in Alaska.

And while the NPF receives some of the proceeds from sales of the national park-scented products, at first whiff the partnership strikes some as a bit odd.

“With many kids content to not even go outdoors, much less experience the parks, do we need new efforts to replace real park experiences with idealized commercial substitutes for fresh air?” Kurt Repanshek wrote in National Parks Traveler magazine when the initial licensing agreement was made.

But the National Park Foundation hopes the air freshener line increases awareness of the national parks and “inspires families to experience the parks first-hand.” And Air Wick’s perfumers are confident they’ve created fragrances that evoke these iconic destinations.

Fragrance experts walked the parks, studied how visitors use and view the national parks and, using “headspace” technology, took air samples from the parks to capture the scent molecules at specific locations.

“We can capture a scent anywhere; a flower in the jungle canopy or the air sweeping over the alpine meadows of Yellowstone,” said Richard Koontz, home fragrance manager for Reckitt Benckiser, which produces Air Wick.

“Those ‘olfactive bits’ can be put on a map and reconstructed by a good perfumer,” global scent expert Roger Schmid told NBC News, “And if the work is well done you can recreate a scented trail that corresponds to the geography of a park.”

Koontz said Air Wick’s fragrance experts created “aromascapes” of the parks by using a mixture of scents. “For Grand Canyon National Park, we worked from a headspace of an actual cactus flower, so we could be sure the final creation was authentic and true. The perfumer added a touch of citrus to make it sparkle, like dew on the cactus flower, cool marine notes to evoke the rapids in the Colorado River, muguet [Lily of the Valley] and a touch of white peach – just for beauty and harmony.”

Tropical plumeria and sweet honeysuckle were used in the aromascape of Virgin Islands National Park and coconut and island palms were used to evoke American Samoa National Park.

“These air fresheners are usually not that expensive, so the rendition could be difficult,” said Schmid, “But what is certain is that scent is linked to memory and can make you travel.”

For those that want to experience – and smell – a national park in person, National Park Week runs through April 28 and a wide variety of special events such as birding tours, living history encampments, talks and walks are scheduled at parks throughout the country. From Monday through Friday, April 22 to 26, every national park is offering free admission.

Happy Earth Day from Adventure-Crew!