High Sierra Topix

Funny. When I first saw this thread, my first thoughts turned to a place to get alcohol. Don't have a go-to spot in the high-country in this regard. I'm kind of a beer guy, so it would be more like favorite pub anyway and my longtime favorite, Dixon's of South Lake Tahoe, changed hands, declined, then closed (at least I didn't see the original location when I drove by there after my Desolation "night run" back in September).

As far as bars that fit in the mouth, my go-to bar is the oatmeal raisin Clif Bar. 'Tis a bit sweet and chewy but it works when I'm up there and working hard. I will do the chocolately ones on occasion and I like them but I find the caffeine content is high enough that I if I consume one of those in the afternoon I have trouble sleeping later (morning is OK, though).

Speaking of fruitcake, a death march tradition of mine is to bake a loaf of banana nut bread (at home) and consume it over the first two days of the trip. Now the banana bread is much esteemed in our family even at sea level, let alone at altitude. This led to one "tragic" moment on a trip my wife and I took up the spectacular Lake Genevieve outlet slot canyon above Convict Canyon (this is a trip that eventually went over the crest to Ram Lakes--not really a true death march). We stopped to rest on a scree-covered sloping bench on the walls of the slot canyon and took out the loaf of banana bread to slice. It sort of plopped out and started rolling, escaped a desperate lunge, then vaulted into space... My wife and I nearly cried. I think we were imagining the taste of the banana bread we lost for the rest of that day.

Luna bars are pretty tasty, and I also like Larabars. Don't really care for Clif. My favorite, though are Bear Valley "mealpack" bars - 420 calories and 3.75oz, all at the price of a single Clif bar. They last for years (I carried over some from an earlier hike and they still were fine the next year. well, I was hungry and at that point any bar is good :-)

BSquared wrote: Surely at this time of year it shouldn't be necessary to purchase a fruitcake! I think a little careful dumpster diving is likely to turn up an arbitrarily large number of discarded fruitcakes...

mine went out with the garbage this morning. Can't eat that stuff, adn the ingredient list was also scary.

I still have some left-over Lara bars, liked the Apple, Chocolate, and Key Lime...I think I got a mixed case (big discount at REI). At first, I loved them...3 weeks later couldn't bear to pick one up...like chewing dust - just could not seem to swallow them anymore. Maybe that's just me. The mountains have a way of saying nope - not again. And here they sit...Bearcan ballast.

but - Those big, dark-chocolate, Milky Ways always yummo!
- gooey chocolate and calories galore!

I still remember a scene in a TV special on climbing in the Himalayas. After many episodes of the Western climbers trying local food and making disparaging remarks about it, the camera focused on one of the climbers offering an energy bar to one of the Sherpas...apparently this had not been done before.

The Sherpa carefully studied the bar, then took a bite... and spat it out almost at once, gagging at the same time, and later spitting repeatedly to get the taste out of his mouth.

Hysterically funny, and a good reminder that food is all in the eye (and stomach) of the beholder!

markskor wrote:
but - Those big, dark-chocolate, Milky Ways always yummo!

Wow. A potential Rachael Ray fan. Never would have guessed, Mark.

Eric,
Heck yes...Healthy diet of the Food Channel (in HI-Def) here.
Good Eats and EVOO for everybody!
It would be nice to have the knowledge of Alton Brown...maybe spend one night as a sous chef teamed up with Mario, in a 20-mile-in, wilderness (back-packable) Iron Chef Kitchen stadium, battling Bobby Flay where the secret ingredients are crushed, a week old, and all "Bearikade"-able.
FYI, I have been known to cook a mean trout...BAM!

...sorry, just winter wanderings...
Mark

I can vouch for Mark's culinary skills when it comes to trout. He even serves it in 5 star restaurant style! (debones it right before your eyes!) I can also vouch for his consumption of milky way candy bars. He generously shared part of one with me this past summer. I used to bring snickers in but they made me fart so bad even I couldn't stand it! But I created my own favorite candy bar this summer when the Premium Raspberry M&Ms that I mixed with my Costco Tropical Trail Mix melted and made everything clump together. What an unexpected combination. Several accidental food mixes turned up during my trips this summer. The other of equal significance was the accidental mixing of Trader Joe's Wasabi peas with Trader Joe's Honey Roasted Peanuts. A bag of each in a gallon ziplock. Lasts about a week in the backcountry for me and mixes nicely with a backcountry daiquiri.

Mike

Or make your own bars.
Mix up your favorite Gorp or Granola then stir in some marshmallow fluff till it all sticks together. dump it into a shallow buttered pan then chill to set. Cut into whatever size bar you want, wrap it up, there you go.
Just like rice crispy squares but more !
OR
Does anyone here remember the old H&M pemmican bars?
IIRC
they were a puree of
Nuts, coconut, & mixed fruit with raisins.
The puree was a very very thick consistancey then spread
on some sort of plate, cut and wrapped.

“Of equal significance was the accidental mixing of Trader Joe's Wasabi peas with Trader Joe's Honey Roasted Peanuts…I used to bring snickers in but they made me fart so bad even I couldn't stand it!”…
(Used to?)…Dream on my friend!

Truth be told, I had the good fortune of hiking with Mike and, while he is quite the nifty fisherman and an almost tolerable backcountry companion, I wouldn’t ever think of sharing a tent with him…or setting up mine too close.

I just have to ask…Why do you think I was constantly third in line as he led us up the trail? The clouds of Ambiance…For a smaller guy, he can really bring it!