Design by Keri Davis @sharpenddesigns

This write-up was originally featured in our Spring 2025 Trail Break issue.

Perfect Mountain Hut Margarita

David Page, Executive Director

• 2 parts 100% agave tequila (no need for top shelf but reposado is nice for color)
• ½ part Grand Marnier or Cointreau if on hand—or if “perfect” is out of reach, Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
• Juice of 1 good soft fresh lime (or to taste)*
• Optional: Dose of jalapeño, finely diced

Using roughly these proportions, mix to brim in Nalgene-style water bottle. Sample liberally (and refill as necessary) to ensure proper mix of sweet and sour. Spice with diced jalapeño if desired (start small, you can’t walk it back!). Seal tightly against leakage in pack. At camp, fill cup(s) full with fresh powder collected off trail and away from pee hole, or icicle shards as available. Guess Snow-Water Equivalency (SWE). Add margarita blend to rim. Sip and enjoy.

*Note: limes are highly variable depending on season, location and purveyor, so this is make-or-break. Hard, old gas station limes may require extra squeezing or additional orange liqueur to counteract.

Snowstorm Ramen

Kate Thorpe, Development Director

• 3 oz of soba noodles or other noodles of your choosing (instant ramen works too)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sriracha (tinker with this depending on your spice tolerance)
• ½ cup freeze dried vegetables
• ¼ cup dried shiitake mushrooms

Pack wet and dry ingredients separately. In camp, place the dry ingredients in your pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until noodles are done and veggies are soft, then pour in sauce. Yum!

Powder Day Mashed Potatoes

Megan Fiske, California Stewardship Manager

• 1 packet of instant mashed potatoes
• 1 bouillon cube flavor of your choosing (optional depending on how salty your instant potatoes are)
• 1 packet of smoked salmon
• Parmesan cheese
• Dehydrated veggies (my current favorite is shishito peppers!)

Boil water and prepare instant mashed potatoes, add cheese, bouillon cube and salmon. Warm up on stove as necessary, crush and sprinkle the shishito peppers over the top, then enjoy!

Chocolate Chalet Pudding

Hilary Eisen, Policy Director

• 1 box instant pudding mix (chocolate is recommended)
• ½ cup powdered milk
• 2 cups water
• Chocolate chips, M&Ms, or other trail mix goodies—optional

Mix pudding mix and powdered milk together and divide among bowls (technically, there are 6 servings/box but we don’t judge!). Stir a proportional amount of water into each bowl, making sure there are no powdery clumps remaining. Set outside in the snow for a few minutes until thickened to pudding consistency. Top with trail mix goodies and enjoy!

Summit Spice Chai

Emily Scott, Operations Manager

• 1 cup instant dry milk powder 
• ½ cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg 
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves 
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 
• Black tea bags – Assam or Darjeeling recommended 

At home, mix all the ingredients together (besides the tea bags). At camp, add two spoonfuls of the mix and a tea bag to a mug of boiling water. Steep and enjoy! 

Trailhead Toaster Pastries

Kerry McClay, SnowSchool Director

• 1 box Pop-Tarts (Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon preferred, but Strawberry is acceptable in emergencies)

Yes, that’s it. Eat cold. Or place packet near a fire for 5 minutes for “toasted” effect. Keep these in your pocket, and you can avoid all recipes and cooking to focus all your energy on touring dawn-to-dusk-patrol. Bonus: zero dishes.