Homemade Beef Jerky

 William Kemsley, Jr. - The Whole Hiker's Handbook, 1979

What could be finer for a Spring day hike than a Ziploc bag full of homemade beef jerky goodness?

There are no doubt more complicated and involved ways to make it and some of the jerky connoisseurs may frown upon this method, but it was super simple, delicious and was made without a dehydrator. I found the recipe in "The Whole Hikers Handbook - The Definitive Sourcebook Featuring The Best Of Backpacker Magazine" published in 1979 by William Kemsley, Jr.

Jerky Preperation

“Jerky is very popular, though I hardly ever take it. If I do, it is not the commercially prepared type. I like the homemade variety. Here’s a recipe for it.

Beef Jerky

1 ½ lbs. beef (flank or round)
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cupWorcestershire sauce
½ cup soy sauce
Remove all fat from meat. Cut into ¼” slices along the grain. It is easier to slice if partially frozen.

Combine dry and liquid ingredient to make marinade. Marinate meat overnight in refrigerator. Drain. Lay meat strips on over rack and place foil on bottom rack to catch drippings. Leave door ajar. Set oven at 150˚F. Dry meat for 6 hours. Turn oven off and leave meat in oven for another 6 hours.

Store Jerky in covered container with holes punched in lid. Makes one pound.”

— William Kemsley, Jr. - The Whole Hiker's Handbook, 1979

Finished Jerky 

As my first foray into the world of dried meat I can claim this as a success; it was meaty and tasted of beef, not teriyaki or cracked pepper, which I liked a lot. It was a little heavy on the sodium so some fine tuning will be in order, but I'll be making it again for sure - in time for some Summer hiking perhaps. If you give it a try I'd love to hear about your results or any alternative recipes you have. Happy Spring, FINALLY!

Vintage Mountain Club Logos Pt.2

Akademischer Alpen Club Zurich

Clubul Alpin Roman

Club Alpino Italiano.

Club Alpin Belge

Harvard Mountain Club

Scottish Mountaineering Club

Karabiner Mountaineering Club

Oregon Alpine Club

Once again my folder full of vintage mountain club logos has reached sharable size. No comparisons this time just a celebration of these fantastic marks. I hate picking favorites as I love them all and they all have an important place in mountaineering and outdoor history but the Scottish Mountaineering Club is pretty special and the Edelweiss flower in the Clubul Alpin Roman is a really nice touch.

Also there has been an update to the Alpine Club of Canada's logo, it has had a refresh since my last Mountain Club Logo post, you can compare the two here.

Tea Chronicles Pt.13 – Jordanian Tea

Jordanian Tea - Dana Reserve

Like many places in the Arab world, tea and coffee are Jordan's social lubricants of choice, and while their tea has many variants it is nearly always served strong and black in small glass tumblers, sweetened with sugar and with some kind of herb or spice for flavoring. This recipe comes from our guide, Salim, at the Dana Reserve in south-central Jordan. He was a quiet, thoughtful man who had quit the military life to pursue a career as an artist and guide. His family had lived in the area for many generations and he knew every inch of the expansive reserve - he cherished his special part of the world and was eager to share it and his knowledge of it with others from around the world.

Jordanian Tea - Dana Reserve

Half way through our hike, Salim took us to his 'coffee shop' - a protected shelf in a mountain, overlooking a deep valley, and instructed us on the art of Jordanian tea.

Firstly the water has to be warmed over an open fire as the wood smoke adds important flavor to the tea. I'm not sure if the wood type is important but in this area there were pistachio trees; tiny, squat oak trees; and juniper trees.

The kettle he used to boil the water held about a litre and was put directly on the fire.

Once the water had begun to heat, Salim added a palmful of cinnamon bark and white sugar. Jordanians like very sweet tea, and while the sugar is an important ingredient, I don't have that much of a sweet tooth. As a compromise, Salim added about 4 tablespoons to the kettle.

Jordanian Tea - Dana Reserve

Once the water came to a boil two teabags were added. The tea he used was called Alghazaleen Tea but Salim also said Lipton Yellow Label was acceptable.

The kettle stayed on the fire for a little longer until it came to a solid boil and was then set aside to steep for a few more minutes.

Jordanian Tea - Dana Reserve

Salim served it in small glass tumblers and we drank it as soon as we could, the hotter the better.

Traditionally, when it comes to tea I am strictly a milk and no sugar man, but there was something magic in the marriage of these flavors; the bitter tannic tea, the rich earthy tang of the cinnamon and the sweetness of the sugar. It was unexpectedly harmonious and worked perfectly.

I  have drunk countless cups of tea in my life but this was one of the most memorable. The planets aligned with the stunning scenery, the great company and this delicious, freshly brewed elixir.

VHD Store

The Vintage Hiking Depot Store is open

The doors to the VHD store are open! (so to speak).

You can get your hands on the VHD t-shirt, posters and our patch and sticker bundle, and check out securely with PayPal.

Find us here

All the proceeds go towards keeping the VHD up and running.

VHD Year in Review

Last Hike - A couple of days on the Cleveland Way

So that was 2013. Certainly a huge year for me personally and another big year for the Vintage Hiking Depot. I became an uncle, I got married, I learned to fly fish and tie flies, started Geocaching in a big way and I stayed in a yurt. I reached my 100th post, the VHD poster collection finally came to life (I even displayed them as part of a local art walk) and through the VHD I've been introduced to many great people and learnt so much.

While I feel I've fit a lot in this year there is definitely much more to come. As far as resolutions go it's pretty much identical to every other year; get out more, read more, write more, try more new things and most of all have fun. A very happy New Year to everyone, thank you all for reading and contributing to this blog, here's to 2014.

Friedrich Nietzsche on walking

Friedrich Nietzsche

A wonderful quote by  Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher and composer. Written in 1888 and taken from "Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer"

“Only thoughts reached by walking have value”

— Friedrich Nietzsche - Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer, 1888

Wisdom from the wise, I couldn't agree more or have said it better.

Boy Scouts of America – Camping Merit Badge Book 1966 Gear List

BSA Gear List - 1966

A vintage gear list from the Boy Scouts of America. This particular list is from the 1966 Merit Badge Book. I've had this book for a long time but as a former Scout in the UK, I disagreed with some of the BSA membership policies and it didn't feel right posting it, they have since agreed to take action and while the rule change was voted in by a pitiful margin at least they have made steps in the right direction.

“WEAR Complete uniform Pr. of comfortable hiking shoes* Sweater or jacket* Pr. rubber lightweight* Raincoat or poncho* Rainhat or rainhood*

CARRY IN POCKETS Jackknife Matches in waterproof case Handkerchief Wallet and money (including dime for phone call) Individual toilet paper in plastic bag Compass 2 0r 3 Band-Aids

TOP OF THE PACK OR OUTSIDE POCKET Repair kit containing: rubber bands, needles, thread, buttons, safety pin, shoelaces, cord, extra plastic bags, fire starter Pair of extra socks Eating utensils: knife, for spoon, cup, bowl, plate Flashlight

INSIDE YOUR PACK OR FASTENED TO THE FRAME Sleeping bag or 2-3 warm blankets

INSIDE YOUR PACK Waterproof groundcloth, plastic sheet 1 pr. moccasins or sneakers Plastic or cloth clothes bag containing: extra shirt, extra pants, pajamas or sweat suit, extra handkerchief, extra socks, change of underwear Toilet kit Containing: washcloth, comb, soap in waterproof container, hand towel, bath towel, metal mirror, toothbrush and toothpaste, washbasin (plastic or canvas)

*if not warn, have readily available in pack.”

— BSA, Merit Badge Series - 1966

This is a fairly comprehensive and weighty list but to be fair it is for camping not just hiking. I also love this great illustration to go along with the sections.

BSA Gear List - 1966

There is a whole series of these book covering a multitude of subjects they are cheap and easy to find but packed with great information.

Tying

Olive Woolly Bugger

As many of you may know I recently entered the wonderful world of fly fishing. Living here in Maine it's pretty much mandatory; like wearing Bean boots and sporting facial hair. Like a lot of newcomers I'm overwhelmed by all the different types of flies – dry flies, wet flies, streamers, emergers, deceivers, poppers, nymphs, just to name a few. To better understand them all and how/when to use them  I was advised to start tying own, and now that the Maine fishing season is dying down I can get properly stuck in.

Fly tying is extremely satisfying, and extremely frustrating. I've bought a few how-to books but by far the best instructions I've found are from Tightline Productions. Tightline makes videos for a few companies, including Orvis, and they are incredibly well put together -  easy to follow, well shot and most importantly the flies come out fantastically.

Olive Woolly Bugger from Tightline Productions

This video makes a bombproof woolly bugger, the best pattern I have seen. Their full set of instructional videos can be found here. If you already tie flies or are interested in trying it, check them out.

Tips from the Archive #009

Mother Earth News -The Backcountry Handbook, 1989

A top tip from "The Back Country Handbook" written by the team at Mother Earth News in 1989. This is a tip I hope I never have to use but very good to know. What do you do if you get skunked in the back-country miles from a grocery store?

Tip 009 – The Big Stink

“What if you’re way off somewhere in the boonies and fresh out of tomato juice, mustard, vinegar or bleach? In that case build a small fire, and stand (or hold your pet) in the smoke of burning grass, hay, juniper or cedar. Similarly owners of wood stoves can help freshen a skunked house by building a slow fire of cedar or juniper, then closing the top damper and opening the stove door so that the fragrant smoke fills the room. (Neither of these sister woods contain pitch or other resins, so, unless you drastically overdo it, you needn’t worry about smoke damage.)”

— Mother Earth News -The Backcountry Handbook, 1989

House of Hardy – 1969 Catalogue

The House of Hardy - Anglers Catalogue 1969

Found this gem in Macleod's Books, Vancouver. What a wonderful book shop, there are piles of seemingly unorganized books to rifle through. This catalogue came from its depths; a real fishing time capsule, one to study and drool over. I uploaded a whole bunch of catalogue pages here. Check out the "Anglers and Sportsman's Pipe."

The House of Hardy - Mark 1969

The imagery in this catalogue is pure fishing gold but I especially love their logo - thick lines and great colours.