On June 8th, 2010, Bryan and I welcomed our beautiful and healthy daughter, Kaia, to the world. Her name means “the womanly personification of Earth” and she was born at 11:56 am weighing 6 pounds 1 ounce. She is so tiny that backpacking and paddling trips won’t be feasible for a little while yet so we are just enjoying time on local walks and such. In the meantime I am back to posting new recipes and sharing my food finds with you.

I’ll start off with a little treat I discovered recently,  Côte d’Or Lemon Ginger, a filled dark chocolate bar that is a yummy addition to the fare in my pack. As many of you know, I adore ginger and chocolate. It is one of my favorite flavor combinations, however, I was unsure how I would feel when lemon had been added to the mix. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I really love this combination. The chocolate is not as dark as other dark chocolate bars I’ve enjoyed in the past — I’d put the cocoa content at about 60%. The bits of ginger add a nice bite and the lemon enhances the richness of the chocolate. The filling is a tiny bit mousse-like and of a lighter consistency than the outside.

At over four dollars a bar it is one of the more expensive treats — that said, it’s one I’d purchase again. It would make a great after dinner treat on the trail or even for a quiet night of watching fireflies in the backyard.

We just got back from a place I love — Algonquin Provincial Park. If you’ve kept up on my blog you’d remember that we were heading up that way because the Friends of Algonquin Park asked me to teach a workshop and have a book signing.

It was an honor to be the first person to conduct a workshop in the Friends of Algonquin Park’s new series. The workshop was about wilderness cooking, of course, and it took place on Monday August 3rd. There wasn’t much notice for the event so the group wasn’t too big which was fine by me. I had a great time and, like all good teachers, I learned a few new things from the people taking the class. The feedback from the students was wonderful.

Randy Mitson and the fine folks at Algonquin Outfitters provided some great prizes and Wilderness Cooking provided a WhiteBox Stove as well. The winners were as follows…

Tracy Allison - Bakepacker

Carol Anne Albertson - Light My Fire Meal Kit

Susan Lee Anderson - Light My Fire Meal Kit

Marilyn Orr - White Box Stove

Marlene Montana  - Light My Fire Meal Kit

Andrew Bretz - MSR Whisperlite with Primus Fuel Bottle

The cookbook signing on Tuesday went very well too. I had set up a display of cooking gear which attracted a lot of attention. I also took the time to talk with people. It simply amazes me that there are so many parents who are waiting for their children to be “the right age” before taking them on a backcountry trip. It meant a great deal that I was able to inspire more than one family to stop waiting and to give their little ones more credit for being tough enough to handle a properly planned backcountry trip.

Anyway, the signing went over by almost three hours. That was fine with me because there was quite the thunderstorm going on outside. There was a wonderful artist, David Alexander Risk, in the Algonquin Room adjacent to where I was set up in the Visitor Centre lobby. His wife came and introduced herself and we chatted for a bit. Linda is a very sweet lady. I bought my son a beautiful painting of a wolf with some hidden elements in it. He’s obesessed with wolves so he was just tickled with it.

Special thanks to Sophie and Sharon (from Friends of Algonquin) and Algonquin Outfitters for all the support! We plan to run the workshop next year as well but there will be more notice.

The next morning, Wednesday, we headed into the backcountry for five days. We stayed at a place named Welcome Lake on a campsite with over a kilometre of sand beach. It was incredible and some nice down time after such a social beginning to the week.

One morning we saw wolf footprints all along the shore. The next morning the lake was shrouded in mist. It was beautiful. I just adore mornings like that.

Become a Packable Gourmet — How to Create Great Meals for Wilderness Adventures

August 3, 2009 — 10 am until 4 pm
Presented by The Friends of Algonquin Park (FOAP)

Lake of Two Rivers — East Beach Picnic Pavillion
Highway 60 (one kilometre South from kilometre 35.4)
Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

Laurie Ann will discuss:

• how to preserve foods so that you do not have the bulk of a cooler
• basics of food dehydration and rehydration
• backcountry cooking gear
• dealing with dietary restrictions
• foods for children and pets
• alternative packaging systems
• bear-proofing your campsite
• how to safely deal with cleanup in the backcountry
• and any other questions you might have!

To register for this workshop, or for more information, contact Sophie Mazowita at the Algonquin Park Visitor Centre, (613) 637-2828 extension 227. When you call to register please be ready to give a contact phone number, email address, and a Visa or Mastercard number.

The FOAP member price for this workshop is $45.00 (including applicable taxes). Non-members pay $57.00 for the workshop and a one-year individual membership. The workshop includes expert instruction from Laurie, a planning workbook, a copy of A Fork in the Trail, and the ingredients to make a very simple dessert on site or when you return to camp, Chocolate Mousse. Please inquire about couple or family rates. 

Proceeds from this event benefit The Friends of Algonquin Park.  

Book Signing and Wilderness Cooking Display

August 4, 2009 — 10 am until 2 pm

Algonquin Park Visitor Centre — Main Lobby
Highway 60 (at kilometre 43)
Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario

The book will be available for purchase at the Friends of Algonquin Park Bookstore in the Visitor Centre.

So, if you are in the area please consider signing up for the workshop or pop into the Visitor Centre on Tuesday to say “hello”. I’d love to see you there.