Into the Wild with Food

I haven't said much about our big hike this year (Namib Naukluft Park)- simply because time and personal issues have over shadowed the build up. Now with only 1 week left before we leave for Namibia and the 8 day hike, it's all systems go and little else fills our days. We eat, sleep and talk hiking all the time.

Last year I did a whole series on the food preparation and the actual hike. This was a very good excersise, but after actually hiking 6 days with gourmet food on our backs, we learnt a few hard lessons. While eating well is important, we now know that you can and have to live with less luxury - espeically now that the hike is 2 days longer than last year.

An important lesson I learnt was that time spent cooking - is time and gas wasted. The sun sets early and you have to hike until the last possible minute, but still leave enough time to set up camp, cook, eat and clean up all before nightfall. Once it is dark, you don't want to be washing plates, laying out your sleeping bag or worse, still cooking.

I started yesterday with my first experiment - Mieliepap cakes. They are very easy to make, and most importantly -the weight to nutrition ratio is perfect for long hikes.

Mieliepap Cakes (Cornmeal Cakes)

1 Cup Mielie Meal (Cornmeal)
¾ Cup Hot Water
1 Chicken Stock Cube
30ml Milk Powder
30ml Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil for Frying

Mix all the ingredients until you have a stiff "dough".
Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Heat the oil in a pan.
Shape the dough mix into patties, and fry in the hot oil until golden.
Serve immediately while still hot.