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The most important part of gorp: the location where you eat it. Former Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter shares a bag in this archive photo. Photo: Layne Kennedy via Getty
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Fact: Everything tastes better in the outdoors. But when you combine food that’s crunchy and salty (like nuts) with stuff that’s sweet and chewy (like dried fruit and candy), something magical happens. You’ve created gorp, the perfect power-packed snack for generations of backpackers.
Need proof that there’s magic in trail mix? Listen to James “Bernie” Bernholz, a reader from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, who still salivates as he recalls a shining moment with gorp:
“After a 6-hour ascent of Gulkana Glacier, Alaska, my five ravenous partners and I combined and shared the treasures of our dwindling snack bags. I don’t remember the exact ingredients, but they ranged from dried pineapple to a roll of Lifesavers to lint from our wool shirts and even some shavings from a military C-ration bar. On a ledge of million-year-old ice under a slate-gray sky, the perfect gorp was created, consumed, and not to this day duplicated.”
Fortunately, some of you remember (and even write down) the formulas of your most successful concoctions. We know, because when we asked for a peek at your homespun trail mixes all the way back in 2000, more than 40 readers forked over favorite recipes.
Then it was our turn to conduct round after round of rigorous taste testing. Throughout fall and winter, we mixed up gourmet blends, fruity health mixes, sweet-tooth specials, and a few bizarre antigorps. A panel of hungry editors sampled the recipes, sampled them again, and then voted for their favorites. Between bites, we came to a few conclusions:
First, to each his or her own. While most hikers think of gorp as a blend of fruit and nuts eaten by the handful (with the requisite crumbs sprinkled on your fleece jacket), readers told us to think outside the zipper-lock bag. Gorp, they said, can be a sweet and crunchy ball, a smooth bar, or a simple grab bag of chocolate goodies.
Second, we couldn’t name one overall winner, because, even among our small group of editors, tastes differ incredibly. Still, a few recipes stood out among the mounds of M&M’s and hordes of raisins. You’ll find those recipes for trail magic below. Bon appétit!
Chef: Brett C. Claxton; Gaylord, Michigan
By our reckoning, at least one out of every three backpackers is a self-professed chocoholic, which is why this gorp quickly became a staff favorite. Sample comments: “One word: fantastic!” and “perfect for a tired, death-march boost.” Chef Brett Claxton (above) boasts (and rightly so): “What makes it unique is the slight smoky perfume from the smoked almonds and how, if the gorp gets warm, the chocolates melt together. Keep in a zipper-lock bag and dip in a cool trout stream to firm up the chocolate.”
Mix ingredients in a zipper-lock bag. Yield: 1 pound.
Chef: Wayne Limberg;Arlington, Virginia
“Calories are seldom a problem for the hiker, but fat and cholesterol can be, especially for us aging boomers,” professes Wayne Limberg . “This recipe is designed to keep those bad numbers down and save wear and tear on aging arteries. The secret is the corn nuts: They’re low in fat, but salty enough to keep you drinking water.” Our testers agreed that the unusual elements work well together and satisfy those familiar on-the-trail salt cravings.
Mix ingredients in a zipper-lock bag.
Chef: Bevan Quinn; Guilford, Vermont
“Tastes standard at first chomp, but then the cinnamon kicks in for a nice surprise,” reported one editor after subsisting on little more than Cinna-Gorp and water on a round-trip climb of Washington’s Mt. St. Helens. Another likened it to “cinnamon toast with chocolate.” Creator Bevan Quinn claims backpackers aren’t the only fans of this recipe. “On a 0°F February night at the Perch shelter on Mt. Adams, New Hampshire, I had a few handfuls of gorp before bed and left the bag on the floor next to me. The next morning, I noticed a little hole in the bag and a trail of Cinna-Gorp on the floor. Mountain mice like it, too!”
Mix ingredients in a gallon-size zipper-lock bag. Yield: 4 pounds.
Chef: Barbara Burke; Birmingham, Alabama
At first, only a few of the diehard “heat” lovers among the editors appreciated this spicy gorp. But after 5 days of taste bud-numbing dehydrated food, our crew finally saw the light: sprinkle a handful of this crispy heat over pasta to add a kick. We quickly dubbed it “backpacker’s hot sauce!”
Preheat oven to 250°F. Warm the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Brown both cereals in the oil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and spread onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add remaining ingredients, and mix well. Yield: 6 cups.
Chef: Sharon Burrer; Silverdale, Washington
“No time for coffee? Grab a handful of this stuff.” That’s the verdict from our taste testers, who praised this simple but imaginative concoction. “Just three ingredients, but they’re darned good ones,” said one editor. The only downside is that the chocolate-covered coffee beans are expensive—$6 to $8 for a 10-ounce bag. Fortunately, you don’t need much of this gorp to reap its energy-boosting or taste bud-titillating benefits. Starbucks, eat your heart out.
Mix ingredients in a zipper-lock bag. Yield: 3 cups.
Chef: DeeDee Grafius;Modesto, California
“Good, healthy food you can get your hands on quickly.” That’s DeeDee Grafius’s humble opinion of her gorp recipe. An all-seasons, all-conditions backpacker, Grafius makes sure her trail mix can stand up to backcountry life. “I like to scramble and get off the trail. It’s much easier to grab a few nuggets than a handful of loose nuts and fruits. Plus, when it’s cold and I have gloves on, I can handle it easier without spilling.” Our testers loved the “unique combination of wheaty and sweet, with a hint of date.”
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss together soy nuts, crisp rice, corn, sunflower seeds, cranberries, and date nuggets and set aside. Pour barley malt, fruit syrup, and peanut butter into a saucepan and boil until the mixture is hot and foamy, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour the syrup over the seed, grain, and fruit mixture, and mix well. Press onto a greased cookie sheet with a wet glass used as a rolling pin. Bake until the mixture bubbles, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let it cool in the pan until cool enough to handle, then pull the mixture into nuggets or cut into bars. Cool completely. Store in the refrigerator until your trip. Yield: 6 cups.
Chef: Pat Villeneuve; Tempe, Arizona
Why mess up a good thing with a lot of extraneous ingredients? That’s Pat Villeneuve’s mantra. “I perfected this recipe while hiking the Appalachian Trail: Pour the contents of a large bag of M&M’s into a zipper-lock bag. Stir to distribute colors. Enjoy!”
Chef: Chris Lancaster; Brighton, Tennessee
Some folks find that chocolate and other candy make traditional gorps too sweet. To them, we say: Try Wafer Gorp. “It has a healthy, veggielike taste with plenty of crunch, and just a touch of sweetness provided by the restrained dose of M&M’s and the yummy vanilla wafers,” said one tester. An added bonus: This gorp is featherweight.
Mix ingredients in a quart-size zipper-lock bag. Yield: 2 cups.
Chef: Patricia Armstrong; Naperville, Illinois
“Gorp as I make it,” explains Patricia Armstrong, “combines three basic types of ingredients in a confusing array of varieties and binds them together with a chocolaty matrix. Here’s how:
Our testers thought this cranberry option was a winner. “I love the crunchies inside the chocolate bar. It’s like a new experience with each bite,” raved one tester. It’s best for cooler trips so it doesn’t experience meltdown.
Chop nuts and dried fruit and place in a large dish. Add coconut, oats, wheat germ, Grape Nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and mix well. Melt chips and molasses in a double boiler, then pour over mixture. Mix well and press into a cookie sheet. Cool and cut into 2-by-4-inch chunks. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil; freeze or store until ready to use. Yield: 9 squares.
Chef: Donna C. Zimm; Duluth, Minnesota
“A veritable berry-fest,” enthused one editor, but after a few days in our packs, this mixture started to lose its visual appeal. That’s when we stirred it into our oatmeal and discovered the true calling of this fruity gorp: to add punch and pizzazz to blah bowls of morning gruel. And darn it if it ain’t good for you. “This gorp is for all the fans of Rice Krispies Treats,” creator Donna Zimm says, “but it’s high in fiber, low in sugar, and made from all-natural ingredients.”
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the marshmallows, and stir until melted. Add the crisp rice cereal and cooked wild rice and mix well. While the mixture is still warm, pinch off 1/2-inch bits and allow them to dry on a cookie sheet. Mix 4 cups of these rice crumbles with the rest of the ingredients. Yield: 8 cups.
Chef: Ken Horstman;Terre Haute, Indiana
“Fritos in gorp! What an interesting combination,” said one tester. And chef Ken Horstman has good reason to use this unique ingredient. “I can’t eat nuts,” he says, “so I use Fritos for the salty part.”
Mix ingredients in a zipper-lock bag. Yield: 13/4 pounds.
Chef: Lisa M. Johnson; Citrus Heights, California
This sounds very similar to the original, but it has a different taste. “I’m not a fan of milk chocolate, so the semi-sweet chips make it taste more like a dark chocolate mix,” commented one picky tester.
Mix ingredients in a zipper-lock bag.
Chef: Wayne Limberg;Arlington, Virginia
“You’ve been planning for weeks and are halfway to the trailhead when you suddenly remember that you left the gorp at home,” Wayne Limberg recounts from experience. “Don’t panic. The ingredients for the mix below can be found at any convenience store and result in a more-than-acceptable gorp.” Acceptable, indeed. Just the right combination of crunchy-chewy-salty, said our testers.
Chef: Tania Brown;Kanab, Utah
If you thought eating vegan meant gnawing on bark, wait ’til you get a load of this mix. “Crunchy, sweet, salty, and free of animal-derived products. It tames hunger quickly, but doesn’t leave you with that brick-in-your-stomach feeling like some trail mixes,” said one tester. Tania Brown developed the recipe and uses it to introduce others to a healthy diet. “I meet people who want to adopt a health-conscious menu and don’t know where to start. Usually, I find these people with candy bars, MSG-coated, artificially flavored snack chips, and guilty looks,” Brown says.
Mix ingredients in a zipper-lock bag. Yield: 4 pounds.
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