Good Old Raisins and Peanuts

GORP sounds like it could taste disgusting, like it could be a euphemism for a goo-filled bug patty, but it’s not.  As Laurie March so enlightens readers in her cookbook A Fork in the Trail, GORP, better known as trail mix, stands for Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.  Today, many varieties have spawned from this most basic ingredient list.  You can occasionally find some of those recipes in the outdoor magazine, Backpacker, which is where I first read about GORP.  GORP is a hiking staple; Hikers eat their GORP like Italians eat their pasta, and as a hiker I figured I had to try it. 

It is said that the original GORP consisted of raisins, peanuts, and M&Ms, but in March’s first cookbook she has recipes for: Chocolate Blueberry GORP, Honey Mustard GORP, Pizza GORP, and Spicy GORP.  Some prefer M&Ms only GORP.  Other hikers don’t like chocolate so they substitute yogurt covered raisins or mini marshmallows to get that hint of sweetness.  Many hikers even enjoy adding their favorite cereal to their GORP.  Me, I love Frosted Cheerios, so I figured why not put those in my GORP?  After all, it’s all just a matter of personal opinion.  Experiment.  Do whatever you have to do to get the crunch you want.  Do whatever you have to do to get your perfect ratio of salty to sweet.

On my maiden voyage with GORP (during a Food Writing class senior year of undergrad) I combined: chocolate-covered raisins, Craisins, dried blueberries, peanuts, walnuts, Frosted Cheerios, and white chocolate chips.  I have learned that the concept of making GORP nicely sums up a fundamental wilderness cooking tenant:  “Backcountry cooking is all about experimenting,” I was told during a Wilderness Cooking 101 course at JMU.  “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.” 

Hopefully, I won’t make as many mistakes with GORP as I have made with regular cooking.  Think turkey meatloaf cooked to 165 degrees Celsius and frozen-veggie-canned-chicken potpie.  Yikes.