Canoeing-Camping in Big Bend: Cooking in Nature

          As with any camping trip, all the food we planned to eat had to be packed with us from the start as there are no grocery stores along the Rio Grande where we would be living for four days. There are no stoves, ovens, or microwaves in the wilderness so we had to bring our own gas camping stove and firepan. (Big Bend does not allow typical ground wood fires).

Our first outdoor meal—breakfast burritos. We unpacked the folding table, stove, and necessary food-prep items, along with the food itself—eggs, sausage, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, tortillas, hot sauce. A couple people lit the gas stove and cooked eggs in a metal pot while the rest cut vegetables. The eggs burned slightly, but hey, it added flavor. After the sausage was cooked, we each created our own burritos and sat on nearby logs to enjoy the meal together.  

Although we tried out best to keep food off the land, a few crumbs of cheese and egg escaped the table. I watched as some friendly ants spotted the bright orange cheese crumb in the sand by our feet. One mighty ant approached the cheese crumb and took hold of it with its mouth. The crumb was more than half its size. He carried it a couple inches before losing his grip. Attempting his grip again, he became stuck in the cheese and sand. He tried so hard to escape for nearly a minute to no avail. I spotted another ant nearby, expecting it to aid its friend in peril, however, it kept its distance, possibly worried its fate would follow suit of its friend’s. Feeling bad, I thought about trying to help the poor ant, but did not want to disturb nature’s course, simultaneously, believing the small creature could take care of itself. Finally, after countless attempts and much strength, the ant emerged from the sticky cheese. In the process, he lost the crumb to the sand. Defeated, he joined his unhelpful friend in search of more accessible food. The whole time watching this ant, I felt like Thoreau, specifically relating to his “Battle of the Ants” excerpt. I found it fascinating to observe such small beings and peep into their world for a moment to remember that the human world is not alone.

This meal was our last before we launched into the river. Since we were able to throw away our trash, we got rid of as much food as possible so we would have less to transport in the canoes. From then on, we had to pack out every scrap of food and trash because of Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics.

Cooking the rest of the trip was fairly similar to our first experience. If protein/carbs needed cooking, we would use the portable gas stove. We also used the stove to brew coffee and to warm water for oatmeal and hot chocolate. For cooking quesadillas and s’mores, we used the fire pan like a grill, as well as for warmth/bug repellant. Some meals, such as pizza bagels and Nutella peanut butter roll-ups required no cooking. Any perishable items for the trip were kept in a cooler full of ice/cold water.

We had to be comfortable with the possibility of bugs and sand in our food and drink. We had to make sure to eat as much as possible so the amount of food waste would be less (although, naturally, human waste would make up for it in the end). On the first night at the designated campsite in the Chisos Mountains we had to pack our food and toiletries in a bear-proof box so as not to attract bears or have our possessions ransacked by them.  

As far as dishes go, we had a four bucket system. The first was full of river water used to clean off chunks of food; second was soapy for scrubbing, third was clean water for rinsing, and fourth was clean water for bleaching. I was often the bucket #4 attendant and am happy to say I never got bleach in my eyes!

Although I’m a rather picky eater in life outside of camping, I remained adventurous and ate everything presented to me for the sake of hunger and survival. I even acquired some new meal ideas for my own cooking at home.

*New word I learned: “spondonicle” — a device that attaches to a hot pan to serve as a handle