Backpacking through mountain valleys in Chile requires not only long hours of physical activity but the skills to navigate, evaluate dangers and analyze the environment a hiker crosses.  What more could Western seniors Ellie Chatman and James White want to learn on their one-month hike through Patagonia?

How to cook lasagna.    

Through a student program led by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Chatman and White went to the Patagonia mountain range in Chile where, after a 10-day first-aid training course, they backpacked and sea kayaked for 70 days.  Chatman and White learned about survival in the backcountry facing hands-on experiences in rescuing, mapping, awareness of the environment and cooking.  

Cooking in Patagonia did not include following directions saying “just add water” in freeze-dried meals, Chatman said.  Instead, students were given ingredients every 10 days and were taught to cook meals such as fresh baked breads, cakes, pasta dishes and tuna casserole.  

Chatman said not only were backpackers taught how to prepare these meals but how to be creative with their utensils.  For example, cooking oven-style by raising a cooking pot above the flame, allowing food to cook slower on a low heat.

When backpacking for long periods of time, freeze-dried foods can seem repetitive, but cooking provides good flavors and  is a fun activity to do in the backcountry, Chatman said.

Chatman and White now plan to teach about homemade cooking in the backcountry at 7 p.m.,  Oct. 16 at the Associated Students Outdoor Center.

Attendees will learn how to cook food such as cinnamon rolls and calzones with a simple stove kit, which includes a pot, silverware and a gas canister stove.  

The purpose of this class is to teach backpackers, when they have the time to do it, how to cook independently for themselves, Chatman said.  

“Cooking [homemade meals] is great for people who want to camp with friends and hang out,” Chatman said.  “Why not cook when you get to the lake and have a good meal?”

On a quick hike to a mountain summit and back, a backpacker may not want to take the time to sit and cook a meal.  But for those who are camping in a location for longer periods of time, cooking is another great way to enjoy the outdoors and each other’s company, Chatman said.

“When you get to camp and don’t have much to do, [cooking] is something that will take up a good amount of time,” White said.  

Along with teaching how to cook a homemade meal, the class will also incorporate how to prepare meals to eat on a backpacking trip.

Freeze-dried foods are definitely the lightest and easiest to pack, but packing ingredients for homemade meals requires a little more thought and planning, REI Outreach specialist Pat Kennedy said.

Kennedy teaches backcountry cooking classes at REI that explain how to choose backpacking-efficient food items.
Nutrition content, ingredient weight and understanding how to cook in a simple pot or pan are all incorporated in educating campers on how to appropriately prepare their meals.

“[Homemade cooking in the backcountry] is all about planning before you go out,” White said.  “Usually, I’ll mix my dry ingredients together and put them in one Ziplock bag.”

If one plans his or her meal in advance, he or she can pack food ingredients almost equal in weight to dry-freeze foods, most likely spending less money, White said.

The longer people have been camping, the more bored they are with eating freeze-dried foods, Kennedy said. 

Campers are planning to cook more homemade meals and are becoming more creative in their menu choices.  

Kennedy is currently experimenting with all the different meal options he can make with pre-cooked bacon, including adding it to scone mix.

White said he gets excited to plan his meals before he goes camping and hopes by teaching the outdoor cooking class, backpackers can find cooking as another element to adventures in the backcountry.

“I hope that other people can see the value of going outside and being active,” Chatman said.  “[Cooking while camping or backpacking] is a different way to bring people together.”

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