Beyond Gorp

Book excerpt: * 133 recipes for camping and backpacking * Stories behind the recipes and the people who contributed them * Includes tips on outdoor cooking basics, food drying techniques, and trail food lore Some of the recipes in Beyond Gorp are prized for their camping and backpacking practicality. These include food such as Lead Bread (a brick-like loaf that will keep indefinitely and survive even an air drop). But then there are gourmet offerings (Cashew-Ginger Chicken and Rice and Trail Tiramisu) and ideas on preparing wild foods (Cooked Stinging Nettles). This cookbook is as much about the people behind the recipes and their adventures -- and misadventures -- in the outdoors. Hear the stories behind the titling of Angry Moose Scrambled Eggs and Poison Ivy Pesto with Shrimp. Learn why outdoor writer Tim Cahill needs Fat Cocoa to guarantee a warm night's sleep; understand the expedition fare philosophy of mountaineer Jim Whittaker; and why Celebration Cous Cous was special for writer-conservationists Laura and Guy Waterman. Each of these recipes has been tested by Mountaineers Books staff and friends.