• Hudson Bay/Whitney wool point blanket, red, 72″x48″.  8″ L-shaped slice on the interior, partially sewn shut.  To be used as horse blanket, converted into a poncho, or cut into strips for breechclout.
• Wool fabric, black plaid, 2 yard strip.  Likely to be used as breechclout.
• Wool poncho, red and tan, fringed.  A little small but a good price.
• Cotton crepe, unbleached, 1 yard strip.  Good for bandages, sacks.
• 4 Extra flints and 1 steel striker.
• 2 Glover’s needles, 1 hooked leather needle.
• 10 beeswax candles.
• Small clippers.
• Small deerskin poke sack w/ draw string.
• Small tarred leather powder flask.
• Small folding knife with leather sheath and cord; to be hung about the neck.
• Oilcloth satchel; to contain journals and other items deemed sensitive to moisture.
• 4 rabbit pelts.
• Extra sinew
• Small awl
• Small steel shovel head, on which is affixed a tapered steel tube, in which one could inset a strong branch for a handle.
• Iron picket pin, for grazing of stock.  May also be used as a handle for the above shovel head.

All in all a very satisfactory showing.  I found the faire sadly lacking in the remaining clothing I seek–a woolen flannel pullover and linen pullover.  I had also hoped to find an oilskin tarp.  However I also saw things I had not even considered, such as the shovel head, and purchased a few things as backup due to the favorable price, such as the woolens.

Wandering inside the historic walls of the fort, browsing wares, was a exceedingly pleasurable experience.  The docents were preparing a sizable repast of fajitas, and the smell of them on the skillet over an open fire gave the air a savory flavor.

For the long drive I downloaded to my ipod the unabridged journals of Lewis and Clark.  I found this passed the 6 hours rapidly, in fact I was hesitant to end my journey, such was my level of engagement with the narrative.  It’s really helping to inspire me, and build my excitement level.

I’ve found, over the course of about the last month, that the repetitive nature of many of my preparations had begun to take on a toilsome air.  Bake hardtack, grind pemmican, load and unload Bootsie.  The vast majority of my free-time devoted to running various errands,  and the remainder spent pondering what I’m forgetting, what might go wrong.  Sometimes it all feels like so many chores.  It’s important to remind myself that all these actions are in service to the greater adventure to come, and indeed someday I will look back on these chores with nostalgia and perhaps satisfaction.  I try and envision Merriweather Lewis running all over St. Louis trying to make last minute arrangements and secure all loose ends.  I will henceforth view my duties with the same anticipation and glee with which I read of his.

I took this opportunity away from home to subsist on pemmican alone; thereby also saving myself the expense of 3 meals a day eaten out.  The taste of the stuff is agreeable enough, but I could only consume it in small bites as the texture and greasiness are unpleasant.  It’s hard to imagine being able to force down a volume sufficient to sustain my health, but I suppose the necessity will be driven by my hunger.  I could perceive no ill-effects on my system, internal and otherwise, though by the end of the weekend I was feeling mildly queasy and craving some kind of fresh fruit or vegetable.

First I melted down about 6 lbs of beef tallow in a slow cooker.  I read somewhere that this is preferable to on the stove top as the temperature is much lower, yet sufficient to liquefy.  This took almost an hour, which was just enough time to shred 4 lbs of jerky in the blender and crush 7 cups of peanuts.  I mixed the jerky and nuts , along with 7 cups of raisins, in a  5 gal. plastic tub from the hardware store.  Once the fat was melted, I dumped it in the bucket and slowly stirred the mixture until it began to set up.  At this point it was soft enough to pour but firm enough not to immediately leak out of my container.

For the container I decided on this:  I took two brown paper grocery bags, one inside of the other, and lined the inside with two layers of standard wax paper.  I poured the warm pemmican into the bag, keeping a pyrex baking dish underneath in case something went wrong.  As soon as it was poured I transferred the bag and pyrex to the freezer.  This would help it set quicker and hopefully prevent any leakage of liquid grease.

My thinking is the wax paper will retain most of the oils from the pemmican, and what does get through will be absorbed by the 2 layers of paper bag.  With the top of the bag folded down and it all wrapped up with twine I’ll have a nice tidy little parcel that can be carried in a cloth sack.  One in each of my panniers should last me two weeks.

This method will require that I measure out a days worth of pemmican each morning and carve it off of my parcel.  Other than that I think this is the most hassle-free way to go.  It’s cheap, it keeps all my goods in one place for easy bear-bagging, it’s compact.

The pemmican is sitting in my den right now, out of the freezer for 6 hours and not seeping through too bad at all.  The only thing I would possibly change is using an aluminum baking dish underneath rather than pyrex, as the glass insulated the bottom off the batch from the freezer.

I ground up a pound of the dried beef from Tillamook Country Smoker today and started playing around with my pemmican recipe.  It’s starting to look like adding nuts and raisins will affect the consistency of the mixture and inhibit effective shaping into bars.  Perhaps it will be better to just mix the beef and tallow alone–I can have the nuts and berries in a separate container to snack on.  It might be nice to have the variety, instead of one big clump of all the ingredients.

This got me thinking on containers further.  I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to shape the pemmican.  Do I pour a giant batch into a casserole dish and cut it into bricks as I’ve seen others do?  Do I find a 2 or 3 cup container and press each individual ration from that mold?  Do I wrap in wax paper, or cheesecloth, do I dip it in wax?  The stuff is very soft and greasy and crushes easily.

I’m toying with the idea, though it would cost $200-300, of buying a case of 16oz tins and making each ration an actual sealed unit.  It would be akin to what might have been provided on an 19th Century military expedition.  This would resolve a lot of questions on how to measure, package, and store my food supplies.  Given that I saved a considerable sum thanks to the beef donation, I could probably afford the purchase of these tins.  It would perhaps give my trip less of a fur trapper aesthetic and more of a military explorer feel, which I would enjoy.  Maybe I’ll even make labels similar to the one pictured for some extra satisfaction.

Other containers I’ll need to acquire are some screw top aluminum or tin bottles.  I’ll be transporting lamp oil for my lantern, denatured alcohol for my stove, and grain alcohol for a night cap.  Each will need a lightweight sealable vessel.  I’ll need tins for my other foodstuffs as well–oats, butter, sugar, coffee.  The more compartmentalized my supplies the easier to load, unload, and find things.

Bob had a large volume of “salted out” beef which he was willing to donate to the expedition.  It is beef that has dried a little too much, bringing the salt to the surface and rendering it unsuitable for sale.  It is still perfectly edible, and possibly even better suited to my needs due to the dryness.  Needless to say, I was thrilled at the opportunity as this will save me between $700-$1500!!!

It’s added satisfaction to know the beef is coming from a local operation, only a couple hours from my hometown.  I promised Bob I’d raise a toast to him as I pass Hoodoo Butte in Oregon, as it is one of his favorite parts of the trail.

Now that I have the beef out of the way I need to start figuring out the best way to process and store the pemmican.  I may need to buy or borrow one of those small dorm room refrigerators to keep my supplies fresh for the time being.

I returned to work solo with Bootsie on Sunday. I pleased to say that it went a good as I could have hoped and I ended the day with a good deal of satisfaction and excitement. The training from Dee has already made a drastic difference in her responsiveness. It’s amazing how clearly the change can be perceived in even her body language. Whereas before she would walk alongside me–head up, ears perked–she now trails me with her head down, calm and surrendered to her role as the follower. She was very responsive to my speed and movement. Very impressive!

Now I have renewed desire to get out there and play with her! It was starting to feel like a chore just doing the body work around the yard. Of course that must continue too, but I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to take her out past her comfort zone and start working on her trust in me!

Three tools I recommend, which have made this job infinitely speedier and easier: a silicon rolling mat, a non stick rolling pin, a stainless steel dough scraper. When working on my car, fixing things around the house or undertaking a craft project, I find having the right tools for the job saves precious time and frustration. Baking is obviously no exception. (Unfortunately this is rarely the case for me, witness: the stove.)

Below you will find some photos of the process.

Above is 8 days worth of hardtack. About 2.5 pieces per day, yielding a nominal 400 calories. That is less than 10% of my projected caloric intake, but I figure it will be a welcome change of pace from the pemmican!

While gaining in understanding of the mechanics of leading, I am still mystified by the subtle clues to her physical health. She seems to have some tenderness in one of her rear legs and under her belly. Is this just comparable to the knots in my back, or is it something to worry about? I do believe she is being fed too much hay—she is already looking a little rounder—so I am cutting back on that going forward. I have yet to find a proper veterinary dentist to take care of the teeth so that will be a top priority this week.

I put in a call to each national forest and BLM office through which my portion of the PCT travels and only one of them has an absolute requirement for bear-proof food canisters, though nearly every one of them highly recommend them. I like the idea of bear-proof panniers so I’m looking into their effectiveness this week. I’m not sure if the extra amount they weigh versus canvas panniers will be prohibitive. I hope to make a trip to Yucaipa this weekend to visit a tack shop—the owner seems to be highly knowledgeable in matters of mules and pack equipment and I plan on utilizing his expertise.

I cooked 4 days worth of hardtack this week, bringing my total rations up to 34 days. This chore became considerably more attention consuming when I discovered that my stove now only burns at 300° or 550°. I might as well be using a wood-fired kiln!

Regarding bear canisters, I have yet to find a definitive list of where they are required. I may need to contact each national forest individually. The only certain requirement I’ve found in the guide book is a 12.5 mile stretch of the John Muir Trail from Forrester Pass to Glen Pass. I’ll have to make some calls this week.

The Bear Vault looks like it could be an acceptable canister, should I need one. However, having a big plastic tub would be a glaring reminder of the 21^st Century. I have found several makers of bear-proof panniers that I’m looking into. This may be the way to go as they conform to my vision, plus I might be able to use them as a seat and table.

I baked about 9 days worth of hardtack ration tonight. I recommend against storing uncooked hardtack in the fridge for later baking—despite being in a sealed Pyrex dish they seemed to absorb a significant amount of moisture from the air and took longer than usual to cook. Plus they stuck to the baking sheet like crazy, and in my violent attempts to release them for rotation I accidentally turned my oven up to 500°. No doubt I will be cursing my ineptitude for 10 days on the trail, as I choke down charred hardtack.