As you probably already know living and playing in the outdoors takes a great deal of energy. Campers want and need a food source they can take along with them that doesn’t take to much preparation and gives them both quick and long lasting energy.
The Native Americans, our original campers, used pemmican for their high energy, portable food. Pemmican is a mixture of dried meat, dried fruit and animal fat that was stored in rawhide bags. This mixture worked well in cold weather, but when it got warm the mixture tended to turn rancid. Not a good choice in this day and age.
Along came the modern camper with their wide assortment of food choices and the continued need for a high energy food to take along on those long day hikes or while backpacking. Based on the Native American idea of pemmican, someone came up with the idea for GORP, better known today as “Trail Mix”. While the originator of GORP is not known, the original recipe was a mixture of peanuts and raisins, hence the term GORP standing for “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts”. However, you will find in a check of any grocery shelf that today GORP is marketed as “Trail Mix” and is made up of a wide variety of foods and often comes with a high price tag.
For my money and taste making the original recipe, with a slight variation, is the best way to go. Take a pound of raisins and a pound of peanuts, mix them together and place the mixture in plastic bags or other air tight containers to insure freshness. I prefer to make my own GORP from this classic recipe base with the addition of M&M candies at a ratio of thirds. What you choose is up to you as long as the foods do not require refrigeration, are a combination with high and long lasting energy and are made up of ingredients you know will agree with your digestive system as many of them are high in fiber. Using my basic recipe with the addition of M&M’s provides approximately 140 calories per ounce. Whatever mixture you finally use, it is important to keep in mind that you need to increase your caloric intake in order to provide the extra energy needed when participating in outdoor activities. Such foods as granola, different types of nuts rather than peanuts, different varieties of dried fruits rather than raisins and varies types of candy that do not melt are often used. Other common additions to GORP are:
• Dried fruit: raisins, dried apricots, date nuggets, banana chips, apple chips, dried papaya, dried cranberries, dried cherries.
• Nuts and seeds: peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds.
• Chocolate and more: M&Ms, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, carob chips, dried coconut
• Salty stuff: Pretzels, sesame sticks, oriental rice crackers, salty "party mix" cereal.
• Cereals: Any breakfast cereal, especially granola
Personally, I think it is a lot more fun and by far less expensive to make your own GORP even if you are making it in a large quantity for yourself or for a group. This way you can add the foods you like in the ratio that best suits your taste.
In closing, a word to the wise, WATCH THE QUANTITY! The first time I mixed GORP in preparation for a lengthy backpacking trip, I decided to use several pounds of each ingredient for my mixture. I ended up with 9 pounds of GORP which I knew I would never use and NEVER wanted to carry on my back. I bagged the excess and pawned it off on the neighborhood kids (with their parent’s permission, of course).
Enjoy the outdoors and be safe!