Pages

Friday, September 28, 2012

Summer Travels

Hi there and welcome to TwoStepsSCD!
Summer has been very busy for me and the writing bug has just not been around.  Sorry ):

I thought I would talk a bit about my travels this summer and let you know how they went and how they were while following the SCD.  

The first major travels that I did were to the Canadian Rockies were friends and I climbed Mount Sir Donald and Takakkaw falls. The trip was completed in about 4 days and included lots of exercise and beautiful mountain scenery.  For the shorter travels I have been starting to precook meals that I can just keep cool instead of bringing ingredients that I have to spend lots of time cooking and heating.  For this trip I made two medium sized pizza's (recipe below) some homemade granola and a few packets of the bagged tuna and salmon along with my standard biscuits. 

For Sir Donald, we arrived late in the evening after a long drive then hiked into the base of the mountain.  A brutal hike that gained over 3000 vertical feet, much of it viewed through the light of a headlamp.  For this two day outing I brought a Tupperware filled with a few slices of pizza, some bars and tuna packets for the next day, along with some biscuits and cheese.  Weight was at a premium so luxury items including some food were scrutinized.
Meadow on the descent
We awoke at first light and headed up towards the start of the ridge.  The exposure was immense and caused your head to spin a bit.  The route would entail about 3000 feet of exposed scrambling and mid 5th class climbing.  We would also end up soloing the entire route due to time restrictions.
About halfway up Sir Donald
Summit!


Around mid-day we arrived at the summit where we preceded to have a bite to eat and take a long nap.  Then came the long process of making it down...  After 20 something rappels we arrived safe and sound at the base and from there made the steep, knee jarring descent to our car.

Our next adventure would involve one of the largest waterfalls in Canada, rock climbing, and tunnels...
Takakkaw falls is the second highest waterfall in western Canada at 1266 feet and just happens to have a rock climbing route that ascends right next to it.  Near the top, the route also sports a 200' tunnel crawl in pure darkness.  Wow what a route!
About half way up the route




The rock quality turned out to be pretty poor but the position of the route was like nothing else I had experience.  Remember, this is no trickle of a waterfall it is a thundering, roaring falls that sprays you down from time to time.

The route ascends the left side of the falls
After this long day I dined on a huge salad with veggie greens from home.  Kale, chard, lettuce, carrots, peppers, green beans, and a big avocado.  Tossed with some olive oil and salt, sooo good!
I have to say fresh greens are so refreshing, easy, and light to bring on trips and taste so much better than packaged food, especially freeze dried.

So, now for the pizza recipe that sustained me for a few high energy days.
Pizza Dough (enough for about 2 medium pizza's):
-2 cups almond flour
-2 eggs
-2 teaspoons olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon Italian spices

Toppings (like always, add what you want and follow your taste-buds)
-Onion
-Bell pepper
-Pesto or tomato sauce
-Leafy greens
-Olives
-Mushrooms
-Cheddar cheese
-Tomato 

Mix everything together.  Separate dough between two baking sheets that are covered with parchment paper.  Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on top of the dough and roll out with a roller.  Roll the dough to the thickness you desire (I like a shy 1/4 inch thickness).  Place into a 350 degree oven and cook until it is lightly brown (10-15min).  Pull the pizza dough out of the oven and lay down a layer of pesto or homemade tomato sauce (make sure its thick).  Next, quick stir-fry the onions and peppers so they are lightly cooked then spread onto pizza.  On top of that add a thick layer of greens (spinach, Swiss chard, kale, etc.)  Next, add some mushrooms, olives and cheese.  Lastly, add some thinly sliced tomato's on top of your piled high pizza.  Place into the oven for 25-30 minutes.

For your trip add cut up slices to a large Tupperware and place in a cold cooler.  It should be fine for at least a few days.
Enjoy!


*For more information, stories, and recipes check out our book HERE on Amazon.com

1 comment:

  1. I use a Pampered Chef baking stone for my pizza crusts and they turn out great. Love your posts!
    Kathy E. (SCD 10+ years)

    ReplyDelete