The Beartooth Vegan

Making instant camper-friendly Power Foods for covering long distances. 

Posted by Chris Bangs

This week I am making instant backpacker superfood meals for my next trip to ski Granite Peak in the Beartooth Mountains.

Granite Peak is the highest peak in Montana at 12, 807 feet.

It is approximately a 146 mile bicycle ride to the West Rosebud Trailhead from my house, and
bushwhacking up a creek is listed in the route description.

Sounds like a lot of fun!!!!!!

Here's what I'm making for high grade, premium endurance fuel. It's sprouted, raw, tastes amazing, and it's on the go instant organic food!!!!!!

Start with Soaking:

I started with

almonds, buckwheat,

 pumpkin seeds, quinoa, garbonzo bean,

 lentils, and sunflower seeds.

Just soak things in water for a day, 

overnight, 

or for 24 hours.

Soaking beans, seeds, and nuts.  

Next step: Germination 

Drain off the water, and set up for germination. 

There are many methods for germinating.

Here I have garbonzo beans sitting on a baking dish (cover with towel.)

Lentils in a large bowl (cover with towel.)

Quinoa in mason jars with lid off.

Buckwheat (on the far left) in a mason jar tied with 

cheese cloth, and draining into bowl.

Takes about 12-24 hours to germinate.

Rinse 1 to 3 times a day while germinating.

Do not let foods dry out.

Then:

Look for little tails to start growing.

Edible at any time.

After soaking,  let germinate for 1-3 days.

 Drying:

Once all nuts, seeds, and beans grow little tails it's time to dry them.

Place items in dehydrator,

and set temperature to 115º fahrenheit. 

Keeping temperature below 115º will ensure the raw quality of the live foods!!!

Dry for 6-10 hours.

Once sprouted, dry in dehydrator. 

Breakfast Cereal

Spouted Buckwheat

Hemp Seed

Chia Seed

Spouted Pumkin Seed

Spouted Sunflower Seed

Raisins 

Golden Berries

Sweeten with other dried fruits or lots more raisins. Tastes great hot or cold. Especially good with Almond Milk!!!!! 

Allow the chia seeds to soak for 10 minutes prior to eating. No cooking necessary.

Dinner Flour Soups

Vitamix has an optional blade made for making flour.
Here I made spouted red lentil flour.

After turning lentils, garbanzos, and quinoa into flour, I divided the flours up into 5 different store bought soup mixtures.

Dinners

Corn Chowder

Refried Bean

Thai peanut bulgar

Split Pea

And,

Corn bean thai pea mix.

Add veggie bouillon to flavour.

By adding the sprouted bean flours to the pre-made soup mixed I am increasing the amount of protein to my dinner with high grade, super nutritious, organic, raw, and instant,,,,, superfoods!!!!!

Sponsored by:

(Fueled by:)

Mate Factor

 Yerba Mate Energizing Tea

I love yerba mate. It has just the right amount of caffeine and helps alkalize the body.

Try Mocha Mint, Lemon Ginger flavoured Mate.

Available in tea bags, great for camping!!!!

Soup mixes, dried fruit, and Yerba Mate!!!!!

Navitas Naturals

Coconut Water Powder

A great way to drink coconut water in the backcountry. 

Great as an everyday sports mix too!!!

Coconut Water gets in where the action is!!!!

Hilgard Peak;

posted by Chris Bangs

Wet Slides,

Turn Around Times

and Alarm Clocks......

What does this have to with a bike, a pair of skis, one pink sled, and Yellowstone National Park?

An adventure?????? Maybe.

Most of the time I don't really know what I'm doing.... I just trust in the process of life to figure it out for me.

-The trying-
-The failed attempts-
-The gentle urges to keep going-
-To keeping pushing up against the tread of rational thoughts-

How flipping cool is it to ride by a herd of Bison on the road; to look in the eyes of the largest land mammal of North America?

The keeper of the plains,
The cornerstone of a continent's eco-system,
The holders of wisdom and knowledge,

I can see the brutal past in their eyes,
Covered with a layer of forgiveness,
And the sacred journey we all must share,,,,,,, into the future.

I want to stop and pet them, and tell them that I love them;
but they're big, and they have horns,
and they don't need me to coddle them.

So I keep going.....

So many thoughts go through my head on a 100 mile bicycle ride........

May 3rd;
3AM;
Jump on my bicycle that weighs about 150 lbs with the trailer and the gear.
AND RIDE!!!!!!!!

102 miles in 14 hours

Though the dangerous Gallatin Canyon at dawn,
Climbing gently for the first 90 miles all the way to West Yellowstone and Hebgen Lake.

Spinning wheels,
Wet, sweaty, and cold.

Mild hallucinations,

And where did it get me?
Physically, mentally, spiritually!!!!!!

It brought me to a place of pain and struggle,
A place that smells of courage and fear.

A place where it's cold and the wreckage of winter glows in the daylight.

A place where my mind and body suffer,
and my spirit soars!!!!!

This is the place where I find myself dreaming awake.

Like I've written the story myself,
and invented the world.

This is the place that bring to me a feeling of awe,
Where everything is magical,
And if my alarm clock would just go off on time........

I'd live to see the adventure through.

But not all things are meant to be.

Some things are only a possible future,
and failure happens whether you like it or not.

• skis
• ice axes (2)
• crampons
• rope

      √ Check!!!!!

BUT,,,,,,
This was as close as I got to the peak. A long look across the valley to the beautiful Hilgard, highest peak in the Madison's.
Highest peak in Montana outside of the Beartooth's.

Dangerous snow conditions prevented me from skiing into this basin, and claiming this peak as my prize.

This is what I'd have to live with;

The failure of an idea,
The benefit of having dreamed,
The accomplishment of trying,
And the spark of life igniting inside me!!!!!!

This is what peace looks like!