Sun on my face

How to Become a Backpacking Chef?

Go online to get great recipes and advice from the pros!

• Backpacking Chef (www.backpackingchef.com/index.html)
• Backpacker Recipes (backpackerrecipes.wordpress.com)
• A Fork in the Trail (www.aforkinthetrail.com)
• Camping Recipes (www.quietjourney.com/recipes/index.html)
• Wilderness Cooking (www.wildernesscooking.com/index.html)

Backpacking & Hiking Guide for Beginners

Plan Carefully. Plan your backcountry trips, thoroughly, before you leave home. Be as knowledgeable about what lies ahead as physically possible, and you will be much better positioned to achieve and maintain a healthy attitude, perceived and actual security, as well as a darn good time. 

Communicate Your Plans to friends and family. Make a hardcopy of the destination and time table for your trip and give it to friends or family. Draw on a topographical map where you will be, how long you will be there, and when you should be back home. This may be your link to survival should you run into trouble in an isolated area. 

Know When to Turn Around & Go Back. Follow your knowledge, training, and gut instincts (the "sixth sense"). If you are unsure about a traverse, a climb, a trail, exposure to weather--whatever--back off, live another day, and contemplate your alternatives. Select a different route; Pitch your tent and layover until the storm passes; Wait til morning when the river's water level is lower, before crossing, etc. Keep in mind, ignoring your "sixth sense" and pushing forward into a questionable situation might be challenging and macho, but it can also be called stupid and have deadly consequences. Remember, many of the climbers who've been killed on Everest were the victims of their own inability to turn around when their guts were telling them to do so.

Listen to Your Body--Undress Before Overheat, Dress Before Chills--Drink Often--Eat Regularly. Not only does our pyschological and spiritual being speak to us, but our physiological parts send us loud messages, as well.Hypothermia is a real concern in the backcountry. It's a condition resulting from your body's core temperature dropping below normal. The symptoms you'd likely experience are lack of coordination, chills & shivering, slow speech, and acting out of character. It's important to recognize and even anticipate these early warning signs, and respond to them, accordingly. Several of the mild cases that I've seen resulted from persons exerting high-energy, getting wet with their own sweat, then getting chilled when they stop. For mild hypothermia, get the person into warm, dry conditions--clothes, tent, sleeping bag and provide and encourage consumption of warm drinks. Hyperthermia is also a problem. It can occur, mainly in hot, dry summer temperatures, when your internal body heat can't be released fast enough and you overheat. The Mountaineering First Aid book, is a good suggestion. Well, if you want to come to South America, read some tips on how to prepare yourself to the journey, specially if you decide visiting Brazil! Enjoy it.