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The
World According to GORP
Team OAC's favourite trail mixes
©
Outdoor Adventure Canada
 The
word GORP is an acronym for Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. But
what is it really?
Essentially
GORP is a personally tailored trail mix that hikers and wilderness
canoeists take with them on their trips. When we spend time out
on the trail we expend more energy than we do in our more relaxed
lives back home. It's important to take rest stops and give our
bodies some fuel so that we can attain our goals for the day.
GORP is perfect for this because it is quick and easy.
There are
many variations on ingredients when it comes to creating GORP.
The millions of combinations are as individual as one's tastes.
Having a sweet tooth, I like to make sure there are sweet components
as well as salty ones in my mix. For summer trips, when I know
I'll be in the hot sun where chocolate tends to melt, I'll substitute
candied fruit such as chunks of pineapple, mango and papaya.
There is really
no limit to what you can use to store your own personal GORP.
Some people keep all the ingredients separate until just before
they set out on the trail for the day. This is a great when you
do backcountry baking and want to throw some chocolate chips in
your cake as it saves wading through the GORP bag. Others prefer
the more traditional way of amalgamating it all in one package.
Another great idea is to put it in a Nalgene® bottle and use
a carabineer to clip it to the outside of your pack. This keeps
the GORP from getting crushed and keeps it close at hand. Zipper
bags make a great container for GORP; however, use the freezer
strength bags over the sandwich bags especially on a multi day
trip. The freezer strength bags are more durable and will hold
more GORP.
Whether you
attach it to your backpack or stash it in a zipper bag and stuff
it in your pocket, GORP provides an energy boost when you need
it most. Please remember that sharing with your trail friends
is a welcomed courtesy.
Here
are some favorites from the gang at OAC:
The
Old Standby
Smarties®, sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, and banana chips
Pirate
Food
Cap'n Crunch®, raisins, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch
chips, roasted-salted peanuts, sunflower seeds
Bryan's
All Spiced Up
smoked almonds, barbeque corn nuts, corn chips, roasted green
peas, honeyed sunflower seeds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and barbeque
peanuts
Opeongo
Overload
banana chips, honeyed sunflower seeds, sultana raisins, chopped
dates, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, chunks of dark chocolate,
dry-roasted peanuts and cashews
Jami Lee's Marshmall-O's
mini marshmallows, Honey Nut Cheerios®, milk chocolate chips
If you develop
a recipe you would like to share please send it into us via laurie@outdooradventurecanada.com
For more recipes
and cooking themed articles please view the backcountry
kitchen archive or visit www.wildernesscooking.com.
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