Tag Archives: Photos
Urban Homesteading
Moving to the country has presented us with a unique opportunity to live off the land in ways we’ve never experienced before. Plans are in the works for chickens, and growing vegetables, and canning, and all sorts of wonderful things that we couldn’t really do in town. I mean yes, you certainly are able to
Dashing Through The Snow
One of the favorite traditions in our family is winter sleigh rides! My grandfather has a handful of horses left, and a couple of sleighs that he built himself. There’s nothing like the jingle of sleigh bells in the crisp air of a sunny winter day! I hadn’t driven in quite a number of years,
Ice Fishing On Buck Lake
Over the past month or so we’ve made a couple of trips out to Buck Lake to visit my parents and do a little ice fishing! Mike had never been ice fishing before this winter, and it’s been a LOOOOOONG time for me (which is kind of sad, considering my mum and dad live right
Calgary’s Aerospace Museum
With the cold weather sometimes making outdoor activities less enjoyable, we decided to take the kids to one of Calgary’s lesser known attractions: The Aerospace Museum. It was more interesting and educational than expected, and the younglings greatly enjoyed themselves.
Nicodemus, The Baby Ball Python
Over the summer, we suffered the loss of one of our beloved pets. Snakey McNinja had really lived up to her name, and had somehow escaped from her tank, only to be maimed and killed by our cat, Tribble. Mike found her on the carpet by her tank in the morning. It was already far
Recipe: Trailside Miso Soup
Few things warm you up on a cold day as much as a hot bowl of soup. At the end of a long days hike in foul weather, a quick-to-make steaming cup of miso is just the things to warm you up. There are instant miso soups available at Asian food stores (T&T carries quite
How To: A Better Way To Carry Eggs While Backpacking
Some people are afraid to pack eggs on a camping or backpacking trip, due to lack of refrigeration. Truth be told, people have been keeping eggs since LONG before refrigeration was invented, and you can too. First of all, eggs can keep at room temperature for long periods of time. In European countries, most people
Backpacking Flores Island: Camping At Kutcous Point
After spending four nights and three amazing days at Cow Bay, Mike and I decided to cut the hike out into two pieces, and go back as far as the low-tide shortcut on Thursday afternoon. We would cross the shortcut at low tide and camp on the other side of it, so we could do
Backpacking Flores Island: Camping At Cow Bay
The following four days were absolutely amazing. Waking up in the morning to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, and watching whales spouting while we drank our morning coffee, it was incredible. We fished, and played in the water, and caught crabs and minnows and whatever else we could find. The beach
Backpacking Flores Island: Walking The Wildside Trail
After departing the trail office, we headed to the beginning of our hike in. There are a number of signs that you find along the trail, which go along with a booklet you can pick up, that explains as you go along the significance of some areas to the native people. We didn’t get the booklet, but
Backpacking Flores Island: Getting There
After weeks of preparation, and quite a lot of anxiety, and making of arrangements, we hit the road for Vancouver Island on Friday, July 20th. The first hour of the trip was uneventful, and then we got to the park gates, just outside of Banff, and it was clear something was amiss. Traffic was backed
Backpacking Flores Island, British Columbia
I’ve just purchased our fishing passes, which I suppose makes it official: Mike and I are embarking on 18 hoours of travel, which will include 1,200 odd kilometers of driving (around 750 miles) a ferry ride, and a jaunt on a water taxi. Our destination is Flores Island, which is a remote Provincial Park, just
1000 Things To Do Before You Die – #17, #25, & #38
Some of you are familiar with my Life List, but if you aren’t, I encourage you to take a peek. Basically, it’s a growing list of items I would like to accomplish before I die. Quite a few of the things on the list have been covered here in previous blog posts, but there are
Five Backpacking Foods You May Not Have Considered
There are a lot of food staples that we all reach for when we are planning a backpacking trip: trail mix, instant rice, bags of strange shriveled meats and veggies, and jerky. However, while planning for our longest trip yet, I’ve discovered some non-typical options that can add some excitement to your usual repitoire! While
Twist-Top Bottles For Backpacking With Liquids!
Taking liquids into the backcountry is a special challenge. Liquids lead to extra weight, and potential messes in your gear, and can be frustrating because even the smallest bottle of ketchup is rediculously over-sized for a weekend away. Don’t even get me started on liquids that are commonly packaged in glass bottles. Putting these condiments
Dehydrating Raspberries, Blueberries, And Mixed Berries
Forgive the crappy phone-photos, but I was so excited to get all of these beautiful berries into the dehydrator, I didn’t take time to find my camera. We got a great deal on bags of frozen berries at the grocery store, so I loaded up, thawed them out, and filled up the dehydrator trays! I
Recipe: Tofu Jerky
Tofu Jerky Recipe Ingredients: 1 brick of firm or extra firm tofu 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 head of garlic, or 2 tbsp of minced garlic (you can adjust this to taste, we like a LOT of garlic) Pepper to taste Directions: Combine everything except tofu in a freezer bag, and
Dehydrating Cucumber, Coleslaw Mix, Steamed Chicken, And Bread!
In an effort to prepare for a summer trip that I don’t dare write about yet, for fear we won’t be able to manage it (financial reasons primarily) I have been dehydrating like mad. Because I dislike getting to the point where we decide we are going somewhere, and then there is no food prepared,
Recipe: Basic Dehydrated Tofu
Tofu is a great option for vegetarians, or an alternative protein if you’re getting bored of the usual. Fresh tofu is heavy, so dehydrating it is the ideal way to make it backpacking friendly! Dehydrated Tofu Recipe Ingredients: 1 brick of firm or extra firm tofu Seasonings or sauce to taste (see below) * You
Recipe: Dehydrated Ground Beef
Add a little beef to your backpacking meals! When people think of dehydrating meat, beef jerky is usually the first thing to come to mind. While jerky is a trail favorite, and a staple of many back-country expeditions, there are plenty of other options for dehydrated fare that can add flavor and fullness to your repertoire. Ground beef goes
Why We Love GSI Outdoors
Some months back, while I was cleaning our GSI mugs (probably after a LARP weekend) one of the insulating sleeves fell on the floor, and since I wasn’t paying attention, a certain pitbull deemed it acceptable to use said mug cozy as a chew toy (see above for Exhibit A) It didn’t make the mug
Gear Review: Evernew Titanium Non-Stick DX3 Cooking Set
Vital Statistics: Gear Type – Pan/Pot Combination Volume – 1.3 L/43 floz (Pot) & 650 mL/22 floz (Pan) Trail Weight – About 8.1 oz Includes – Pot, pan, silicone-coated removable handles, nylon drawstring carry-bag Materials – Titanium, with silicone ceramic non-stick coating Additional Specs – Evernew America Review: Titanium. The word itself sounds impressive. When it comes to
Recipe: Cake In An Orange
After being inspired by a video on Backpacker, we decided to try our hand at making cake in an orange. While it may not be the most practical for backpacking (although you can totally do it!) we thought it would be perfect for car camping with the kids. It could also be a fun way
