Make Your First-ever Backpacking Trip Awesome

Whether you're 5 years old or 50 years old your first backpacking trip can be very exciting or very scary. To make sure this is a positive experience planning is the key. Start with picking somewhere that's easy to access and not too far and not too difficult. Don't forget you're carrying everything on your back so try to pack as light and fast as possible. If you're not going to use the gear at least once or twice you probably don't need it ( this would exclude first aid supplies).

This weekend we took our 5 year old on his first backpacking trip. To make sure this is fun his pack carried water and his sleeping bag. Unfortunately, someone else had to carry the rest of his stuff. Since we only went about 1 mile it was no big deal. We went very slow and took lots of breaks making experience for everyone in the group. Several times throughout the trip he said, "this is the best camping trip ever."

Don't be afraid to take little ones backpacking. Its just like car camping but with a lot less stuff. The experience of being away from traffic, city lights, and the like will make it an experience of a lifetime. You don't need a ton of stuff to have a good time camping. 

How To Build An Alcohol Fueled Beer Can Stove

This is a very easy and very efficient stove. There are many different versions of the stove on-line, but this one I have found to work best. Most of them are hard to use and hard to light, many of them are very dangerous and can explode. This version uses the least amount of equipment and seems to be the safest to operate.

Equipment Needed 
Pocket Knife, Beer can, Alcohol
 

Instructions
- Start by drinking the beer
- Cut the can in half and cut the top out of the top half of the can
- Line the bottom portion with the bevel on the top half of the can
- Using you finger a spacing guide, us the blade of your knife to crease the top half of the can into baffles
- Put the top half of the can into the bottom half of the can
- File with 90+% alcohol to the cover the baffles of the top half of the can

What the Wheat?

Recipe specifics: Style: American Wheat Beer Size: 5.0 gal OG: 1.071 FG: 1.018

Bitterness (IBU): 16.3 Color (SRM): 10.0 ABV: 7.0%

Grain/Sugars:
5.00 lb Two-row (US), 37.0%
5.00 lb Wheat (US), 37.0%
3.00 lb Crystal 20L, 22.2%
0.50 lb Honey, 3.7%

Hops:
1.00 oz Hallertauer (AA 3.2%, Pellet) 60 min, 9.2 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertauer (AA 3.2%, Pellet) 45 min, 4.2 IBU
0.25 oz Hallertauer (AA 3.2%, Pellet) 30 min, 1.8 IBU
0.25 oz Hallertauer (AA 3.2%, Pellet) 15 min, 1.1 IBU

Yeast: Safale S-04

Batch Notes:
$28.90 Grain and Hopps $2.00 Good Earth Water -----

Brown (ish) Beer

American Brown Ale
Batch size: 5.5 gal OG: 1.068 FG: 1.017; ABV: 6.7%

Grain:
8.00 lb Two-row (US), 65.3%
2.00 lb Crystal 60L, 16.3%
2.00 lb Brown Sugar, Light, 16.3%
0.25 lb Molasses, 2.0%

Hops:
1.00 oz Centennial 60 min, 26.6 IBU
1.00 oz Mt. Hood 15 min, 5.4 IBU

Yeast: Safale S-04

Meatloaf

2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 cup finely crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup honey
1 cup Johnny's Jamaica Me sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl thoroughly mix Johnny's sauce, ground beef, crushed saltines (use a roller), onion, pepper, garlic powder, and egg. Form mixture into approximately 8 x 4 x4 inch loaf (you know - meat loaf shape) and bake in a 12 x 8 inch baking pan for 1 hour. Mix catsup and honey and spoon on top of loaf and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy.

Stuffed Peppers

4 peppers - any color, I like to use different colors for fun
1 cup (uncooked) brown rice
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 pound hamburger
1/2 bulk sausage
6 once can tomato paste
8 once can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 package McCormick Arroz ala Mexicana Mexican rice seasoning mix

• Cook rice per package instructions
• sauté chopped onions then add hamburger and sausage - brown - drain off grease
• add rice seasoning mix, tomato paste, 1 cup water, and rice to meat and simmer while preparing peppers
• cut tops from peppers, clean insides and parboil
• arrange peppers on cooking sheet or casserole dish, fill with meat/rice mixture, pour tomato sauce on top
• bake at 350 for 45 minutes
• sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake for 15 more minutes

Enjoy!

Simple Chocolate Stout

4 Lbs American 2-Row
1 Lbs Crystal Malt
1 Lbs Chocolate Malt
1/2 oz Northern Brewer Hops
1 oz Willamette Hops

Instructions

1. Start by bring 2.5 gallons of water to a boil
2. Take the water off the heat and add all grains. Attempt to hold the mass temperature at 160 degrees for 60 minutes (there are dozens of ways to do this... I will discuss my method in future entries) 
3. Sparge the mass with 2.5 gallons of boiling water
4. You now have the wart
5. Start the boil (60 mins total boil time)
6. 30 mins add 1/2 oz Northern Brewer Hops
7. 10 mins add 1 oz Willamette 
8. Cool as fast as possible to 70 degrees
9. Pitch yeast (home grown strain...will discuss my method in future entries) 
10. Primary fermentation for 7 to10 days
11. Secondary for 10 days or more
12. Bottle or Keg