My favorite meal is a pasta dish my wife and I do. Pasta, Feta Cheese, GreenBeans, Onions, Dried Salami, Olive Oil and Herbs. Super high energy dish, the veggies, cheese, and meat will all stay fresh for days and it's a "just boil water" 1-pot dish which are usually my favorites. I'll bring fresh green beans from from the farmers market and a small onion. Those get chopped at camp and the green beans get added to the water before the pasta to soften them up. Once the pasta is cooked and strained we add the onion, feta, oilive oil which is pre-mixed with herbs, and diced up dried salami or some other cured meat. When we're backpacking with friends this one is always a hit. ... View more

I've never been on the trail without someone knowing where I am. Even with the last second hikes I've taken I always text a friend of a family member a quick "@ the xyz trailhead, back in x hours" that way someone out there knows where to start looking and when to start worrying. I always carry my 10 essentials as well, even on day hikes I make sure I'm prepared to spend a night in the woods. Maybe an uncomfortable hike, but a survivable one. ... View more