mountain : American Adventurist

Nestled in the heart of the San Bernardino National Forest is Camp Tahquitz, home of the American Adventurist Mountain Rendezvous. Here in a small hollow surrounded by towering pines, our community gathers each September for a long weekend of camping, community, and enjoying spending time outside in the mountains. Starting on Thursday, members are free to arrive when they want and be as active or relaxed over the next few days as they feel like. That’s the beauty of our community events – we’ve got stuff on the schedule, but what you participate in is up to you. Thursday afternoon saw a rain shower that cooled us off and left the forest damp, which would set the stage for a weekend of near perfect weather. By the time the stars were out on Thursday night, folks were busy enjoying each other’s company at various campsites, and you could tell from the animated conversations that all were having a good time.

Many attendees are still showing up late into Friday, and so the day has a more relaxed schedule. Kids are issued lists for the scavenger hunt, and they set off in search of all kinds of items. This year’s shopping list had some items on it that couldn’t be found in camp, and the staff was impressed with the resourcefulness of the kids who put the work in to go find everything on the list. After closing registration for the day, the staff got together with the crew from Tembo Tusk to cook up burgers and hotdogs for the evening’s BBQ Social. A serious thank you goes out to Tembo Tusk for hosting this BBQ and feeding all these hungry Adventurists!

Saturday is when things really get going at Mountain Rendezvous – from trail runs to classes, and the world-class cooking competition, there’s something going on for everyone. Michelle from Leitner Designs, offered to lead a trail run up gold mountain, and a number of rigs lined up to get in on the action. By mid-morning, our first class of the day was kicking off with Drew at Falken Tire putting on a very informative class on tire tech. He did an outstanding job talking about the intricacies of tire design and how they affect performance, which impacts the age-old question of “what’s the best tire for me?” The class concluded with a very important, yet most often overlooked exercise on how to use your vehicle’s weight to determine the correct tire pressure you should be running. Overall, he did a great job turning complex tire-geekery into fun information that benefited everyone. Thanks Drew, and Falken Tire for your support!

Our next class was on Improvised Medicine taught by Dr. Jo Feldman and her research fellow Tiffany. This class was an awesome experience that taught attendees how to work with the things you have on hand to improvise all sorts of splints and other interventions to stabilize and manage injuries in a wilderness setting. The course was very hands-on as Dr. Jo and Tiffany would instruct on how to treat a given issue, and then they would have the class work with the gear provided to manage injuries. It was awesome to see kids working on their parents and vice-versa, and highlights a great point in that if you get hurt, does your family know how to help you out? Dr. Jo and Tiffany did a great job teaching, and we really appreciate them coming out to share their knowledge with us!

With the courses concluded for the day, folks headed back to their respective camps to work on their entries for a Rendezvous tradition – the Camp Cooking Competition. Members who attend our Rendezvous events know how to make some very good food in camp, and I’m continually impressed by the creativeness and quality of what folks can do in the forest. Our cooking competitors could shame any Iron Chef TV show, both in quality and originality. This year they created all kinds of dishes from scratch right in camp, from Reuben sandwiches, to chili verde. By the time everything was lined up for judging, our entrants had covered several picnic tables with their awesome cooking. This allowed everyone to pile their plates high and sample everything prior to casting their votes for their favorite dishes. LT Wright Knives sponsored the cooking competition at this year’s Mountain Rendezvous, providing awesome prizes to the top three dishes by community vote. With the competition concluded, folks gather around our giant fire ring to enjoy a campfire, good company, and another great evening in the billion-star hotel.

Sunday is the last day of the event, and the big order of the day is to give away a literal mountain of gear provided by the awesome sponsors and partners that support American Adventurist and our Rendezvous events. American Adventurist as a community is very fortunate to have the support of so many awesome companies – and we’re really thankful for that support over the last nine years. Attendees get a raffle ticket at check in, and an extra ticket for participating in events like the Camp Cooking Competition, so the odds are very good for actually winning something. With the raffle concluded, folks pack up their campsites and depart for home or other adventures.

Like all American Adventurist events, Mountain Rendezvous gives back to the community, and this year we raised over $2K for the Scouts at Camp Tahquitz. Our events are a great use of a weekend – whether you want to take advantage of everything that’s offered from trail runs to classes, or just kick back and enjoy a relaxing weekend with good people, you can make your Rendezvous weekend anything you want it to be and that’s what’s awesome. By showing up, you’re supporting the local community, and you’ll have the opportunity to take some awesome classes, eat some excellent food, and enjoy good people around a campfire and have a real chance at winning some great gear from some of the best companies in the overland industry. Keep an eye on the forums for information on our events for 2020. Rumor has it that we’ll be moving our Desert Rendezvous to a new, remote location, and we’re excited to share more information about that in the coming months!

A BIG thank you to all of the people and companies who make Mountain Rendezvous possible. To Tembo Tusk, our BBQ social sponsor. To Drew from Falken and Dr. Jo and Tiffany, our instructors for our classes. To LT Wright Knives for sponsoring the cooking competition. To Leitner Designs for leading a trail run, and to all of the awesome companies that supported our event. And of course, many thanks to Camp Tahquitz and the Long Beach Council for letting use their outstanding location again. Special thanks to Greg Richardson for all of the awesome event photos!

Please support the following companies that support you and TREAD LIGHTLY! out there – see you on the trail!

Promethus Design Works

“Oh wow! That looks like real food.” Adam exclaimed as I poured the contents of a package labeled Classic Marinara with Penne into a bowl. We both leaned in for a closer look. What we saw looked just like pasta and sauce you would eat at your dinner table—and it also smelled excellent. Spoons were quickly employed and seconds later we were staring at an empty bowl, contemplating what we had just eaten. It turns out the folks at Good To-Go weren’t kidding. Their dehydrated backcountry meals are awesome, and completely redefine what a meal in a bag can be.

If you’ve done any sort of backcountry adventuring, you’ve no doubt had an experience with freeze-dried food. Most folks tend to pack freeze-dried food on their backcountry outings because it’s light weight, easy to pack, and easy to cook. But if we’re being honest, we all know that freeze-dried food isn’t the most enjoyable culinary experience out there, which is why you’ll see folks crush a whole meal on day one and struggle to finish a third of a meal several days in. What gets me is the sodium overload that results from eating an entirely freeze-dried diet. Sure, you can pack other, bulkier, less durable, heavier foods, but that can quickly turn a fast and light trip in to an expedition loaded for bear. Planning your meals is an art and a science, because if you fall into a calorie and/or nutrient deficit on your adventure, your enjoyment of the adventure can really take a beating. Thankfully, Good To-Go has figured out how dehydrate backcountry meals that you’re actually going to look forward to eating every single meal of your trip, meals that will keep your belly full and your body well fueled.

Good To-Go is dehydrating flavorful, chef-created meals, and that makes all the difference in the end product when compared to a freeze-dried meal. In other words, Good To-Go is recreating dishes from all over the world and packaging them in a way that the dishes’ original awesomeness is just minutes away from a reunion with some moisture. You’ll notice the difference the second you crack the seal on a Good To-Go package—your nose is hit with tempting aromas. When you’re done salivating over the smells, look in the package where you’ll find recognizable ingredients instead of assorted colors of cubed something. Heat up some water and pour it in. While you’re waiting for your meal to rehydrate, take a gander at the ingredients on the back of the package. Here you’ll find words you recognize and a nutrition label that adds up to better for you than other backcountry meal options. Try this: Pay attention to what’s in your first few bites. You’ll be blown away by the taste and texture. Each ingredient tastes like the real thing, and you won’t spend your time wondering what cubes you’re eating.

Dehydrated meals will take a longer to cook than freeze-dried meals, and if you’re in a cold or windy environment, you’ll need to take some extra steps while cooking or you’ll be eating a cold meal. Start with using water that is at a full boil. Give the meal a quick stir and then insulate the package in a hat or a pannier box, something that keeps it out of the wind and cold and you’ll be in good shape. Dehydration also doesn’t produce quite as light of a meal as freeze-drying, but this token weight penalty is more than worth it for far superior food. Once you’re waiting on the clock for your meal to cook, make sure you follow the part of the instructions that tell you to hang out and think about how big the universe is—enjoy where you are and that you are outside.

Good To-Go meals taste great, and the simple experience of eating food that has the texture and the other properties of real food is will completely reset your expectations of what backcountry food can be. All of the meals are made with natural ingredients that have real nutritional value, so you won’t be eating pounds of sodium and countless mystery cubes over the course of a multi-day trip. Better fuel for your body also translates into better performance on your adventure and keeps the group’s morale up. Take a second to insulate your meal to keep it piping hot, and then take a few minutes to take in where you are. Hopefully, you’re in an awesome spot outdoors and you’re about to eat a meal that you’re actually going to enjoy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for a Good To-Go package when you need an easy meal at home—they’re that good.

You can learn all about Good To-Go by checking out their website. You can order Good To-Go’s excellent meals directly from their website, or drop into your local outdoor gear shop.

Tag: mountain

2019 Mountain Rendezvous

Good To-Go Backcountry Meals