A cozy place to .... in the woods!

Okay, lets get down to the nitty-gritty about backpacking on the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) – doing your “business.” While there are whole books written on how to potty in the woods, the A.T. offers an additional option, the moldering privy. They provide modesty, shelter from rain, and seat positioned over a pile of composting…well you get it… One thing you won’t find is toilet paper, make sure to pack your own or hope you choose the right leaves.

Many shelters along the A.T. have privies to reduce the human impact on the area and some are quite creative. This photo is of a simple model found in North Carolina. For a fun take on A.T. privies, check out these two posts by crafty bloggers: Appalachian Trail Hike: Privy Survival and Appalachian Trail – The Toilets – Trail Privies.

Waterfall in the Many Glacier Valley, Glacier National Park

This little waterfall can be found on the Switcurrent Trail in the Many Glacier Valley section of Glacier National Park. As pretty as it is, there were several even prettier waterfalls along the trail.

To learn a little more about this section of the park, read my post: Six Things to See and Do in Eastern Glacier National Park.

This rock is located in Jurassic Park, a popular climbing area near Estes Park, Colorado. If you look closely, you can see a top rope rigged. On the day I took this picture, there were about a dozen climbers on the various rocks.

The Edge of Time

Jambalaya on the FL Trail

Planning food for a backpacking trip can be almost as fun as the trip itself for a wannabe foodie like me.  I challenge myself not to use premade meals, but rather prepare my own lightweight feast.  Using some cookbook recipes and creating a few of my own, not only saves money it also allows me to work around food sensitivities.

My upcoming trip is a four-day section hike on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina. Using The Appalachian Trail Food Planner by Lou Adsmond, and Lipsmackin’ Backpackin’ by Tim & Christine Conners, I am prepping recipes such as Tree Frog Soup with Rattlesnake and Sunrise Spuds.   Before you freak out, the soup is a split pea base with spam – it just has a cool name!

My addition to the menu is a jambalaya with dehydrated sausage and pork sung.  I even carry a 1/8 oz bottle of Tabasco to kick it up a notch. I am also adding Korean instant coffee- complete with cream and sugar – to my pack.  It is less expensive than the name brands and tastes great.

To find ingredients for trail food, I haunt health food stores and Asian markets.  Both have great selections of unique dehydrated and lightweight foods.  Your local supermarket will also have fast prep dried foods you could use.  Beware of some name brands, which have an abundance of MSG.  Read labels of prepared foods if you are sensitive. This is why I look for alternatives in the health food stores.  Amazingly, the Asian markets offer many MSG free choices – just read the label.

I would love to hear what your favorite trailside meals are.  I still have a few days to add to my menu, so please post them in the Comments.  Happy trails!

Black-Necked Stake

Being the atypical gal that I am, all I wanted for Valentine’s Day was to visit Myakka State Park.  For years I had heard of this uniquely beautiful park and the river that gives it its name.  At last I got my wish and wasn’t disappointed.  In fact I was surprised at the seemingly pre-historic beauty of the park and the abundance of wildlife found there.

Located off Highway 72 east of Sarasota, the Myakka River winds through 58 square miles of prairie, wetlands, pineland and hammock.  The diversity of habitat attracts a broad variety of wildlife.  During our visit I had opportunity to photograph birds, wild boar, alligators and even an armadillo. Continue reading »

Leanne Wiggins (my daughter) wrote the following trip report as a special guest to our blog. Thanks for your contribution!

Alexander Springs Swimming Area

Growing up, I went camping many times with my family all over the country. I was thinking it was finally time to go on one on my own. I’m in college, I have a job, and my boyfriend’s birthday presented the perfect excuse to go on a short trip.

We took a lot of time picking out a campsite – we looked at price, whether pets were allowed, what kind of marine life was available there, and the location of the site. After looking at many, we finally decided on Alexander Springs. It costs $18.67 per night, allowed pets (although in the end we didn’t bring our dog anyways), and they had a wide variety of fish. Being only an hour to an hour and a half from Daytona Beach – our leaving point – it seemed perfect. Alexander Springs – Here we come! Continue reading »

TRO maintains a stock of local aviation charts.

Exciting news for our local customers – the Trail Ridge Outdoors store is now mobile. We have configured our credit card processing to support sales in the field. After reviewing our customer profiles we discovered that a large percentage of our local customers are based at the Orlando/Apopka Airport so we now offer free delivery to the airport. Customers may now call or email us and pay by check or credit card on delivery.

Another new feature we have added is standing order service on aviation charts. Customers will automatically receive the most current editions of charts as soon as they are published.

Until now there has not been a local supplier for the airport. Additional items will be added to the mobile inventory as we receive feedback from our customers.

The next phase of our mobile unit is to bring outdoor adventure gear to local events and festivals in the Central Florida Area.

Kayaking one of Florida's spring fed rivers.

Fall is knocking on our door at last. In Florida fall arrives later than for most of the country, but I think we appreciate it more. After a summer of hot humid days spent cooped up inside an air-conditioned house, the first cold front to arrive is a relief.

You see, we don’t do spring cleaning, we do fall cleaning. This is the first time in months we get to throw open the windows and air out the house, inspiring a major cleaning spree in my house. It’s also time to sweep the cobwebs from the soffits, clean off the patio and get ready to resume outdoor living.

This is when I start to plan family campouts and backpacking trips. By November the weather will be ideal for Florida adventures. The Florida Trail stretches for more than fifteen hundred miles passing through temperate and subtropical ecosystems. Florida also has a multitude of fresh water springs providing swimming, canoeing and kayaking opportunities. Campgrounds such as Juniper Springs also offer shady campsites and easy access to trails.

Of course I’ll miss the sleepy days of summer. The quiet waterways and beaches were a real pleasure. So were the summer deals many hotels and restaurants offered. But those days will be back, and for now it’s time to get outside and enjoy the first breaths of cool air in months.

Tips for Eco-Friendly Camping: First review the principles of “Leave no Trace.”

This article offers a few more ideas to keep your next camping trip eco-friendly so that we may all continue to enjoy what is left of our wilderness.

Eco Friendly Eco Wise ~ From TotalEscape.com

“Seems you can’t go deep enough. The further into the forest you go, you still seem to see it – evidence of neglect for our land. In every outting these days, we constantly notice tons of litter & graffiti. Deliberate disrespect for the open spaces & valued wilderness lands. What is going on here?” Click to Read: Eco Friendly Eco Wise

The Optimus Nova Plus Fits in the Palm of Your Hand (Click for Details)

This is a good article on backpack cooking. I enjoy creating new meals for the trail from what I find and my local supermarket or health food store. The possibilities are endless now that so many instant products are available.

Backpacking Gourmet Cooking, by Jessica Linnell