Trail Food Inspiration for Valentines Day

I won't be spending valentines day in the Backcountry this year unfortunately, but for those of you that are or might be thinking about a last minute trip - here are a few food ideas to think about:

Wine 
Wine in a glass bottle is heavy to pack in if you plan on being in the backcountry, and nobody wants broken glass or spilled wine in their pack or at camp. There are a few options here if you are a wino and want to bring a nice wine to drink on V-day Outdoors. First - Platypus (the company that makes hydration bladders) has a nice wine carrier that is a really nice way to bring your favorite wine to your destination. This carrier also preserves the wine so you can carry your favorite vintage for a few days without worrying that the taste/flavor will deteriorate. A cheaper solution is to go to the grocery and pick up a boxed wine to bring along. To pack it in your pack just remove the exterior cardboard box to expose a "wine bladder" inside. Boxed wines do however have alot more wine, so unless you and your special someone are big drinkers I would recommend drinking some of the wine prior to the trip, or pouring some of it out into a container to save at home. The other great part of this option is that you can repurpose the finished "wine bladder" into a nice pillow for sleeping by blowing it up slightly and wrapping a fleece jacket around it, or you can use it to transport water to or from your campsite. Finally - there are alternative packaged wines at the grocery store that I have seen more and more of these days. At some stores I have seen individual serving size "pouches", and I have seen large juice box type packages from several wine companies.

Cheese
For most parts of the country it is great time to be able to pack in cheese to your favorite spots because the cold temperatures will keep even the softest cheeses fresh like they were in the fridge. This could be a great snack on the trail or an appetizer for dinner. I like to bring in a baguette to enjoy with cheese. You also don't have to worry about the high fat since it is wintertime and you burn significantly more calories while hiking in the cold.

Chocolate
Chocolate actually provides great energy to hike with, and is easy to find around this time of year. If you want to be health conscious shoot for dark chocolates because they are healthier for you than milk chocolates. Check out this article from WebMd about the benefits of chocolate in our diets.

Full menu Idea
Backpacker Magazine- Trail Chef's Valentines Day Menu

Stay warm and have a good Valentines day everyone