After hunting hard for two days in the mountains and eating nothing but oatmeal, those flavored packets, and dried soup/noodle mixes I opened a can of kipper snacks. I warmed the slightly smoked fish fillets on the stove and man, they were delicious. I immediately opened another can. Hunt hard and your body craves meat and fat. I always have some homemade jerky and energy bars in my day pack. The energy bars aren't that tasty, but they have loads of calories. The tuna packets are tasty and fairly compact. The Mountain House dehydrated meals are light weight and taste OK, but they'repricey.

This year I contemplating packing my Jetboil and coffee press in my daypack, nothing like a hot cup of coffee or tea in the middle of the afternoon or with lunch. I picked up a new, bigger day pack, actually it's a backpacking long week-end pack, medium in size. I's like to do the spike camp thing, but I know how cold it get's at 9-10k feet in Oct. The cot and extra wool blanket sure are comfortable and warm, not to mention the stove and heater. Maybe just one night... a warm, snow free night.