_hank Jack And Me Recipes

_ABOUT THE COOKS!

Steps:

• The recipes found in this book represent the efforts and experiences of others and not just the author. A majority of the folks who graciously let me include their camp favorites are (like myself) involved in resource management. As a group, we are not unlike groups of other professionals, in that common bonds are forged not only professionally, but personally as well. Though I can't personally vouch for each individual recipe, I can personally vouch for each of the folks whose recipes you find in my book!Based on my experience, I think it's safe to say most camp recipes, if researched at all, will result in a story being told either about the cook or the results of his or her cookin'. Most folks have at some time in their life spent at least a little time around a campfire with friends and family. As our society becomes more urban in nature, I suspect the number of people who've never spent time around a campfire will increase. If you stop and think about it, the more our society seems to "progress", the more folks seem to look back in time. I'm sure social scientists have published numerous journal articles about why "progress" causes some folks to focus substantial efforts into looking in life's "rear view" mirror! Besides the entertainment value, it's the wish of the author for this book to get folks to pause a little after reading some of the stories, to look in their own rear view mirror of life.A Back Country Guide to Outdoor Cooking Spiced with Tall TalesBOB STAUTSWhen not working for our printer, Joslyn & Morris, Inc., Bob Stauts spends much of his free time hunting, fishing, and rafting in the desert country of SW Idaho and adjoining areas of Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. He has also become a Dutch oven cooking enthusiast. You only have to read Bob's recipes to see that Bob likes his grub 'hot & spicy'! Bob's recipes typify those of many camp cooks. At the end of a long, hard day the cook creates an awesome meal out of what's in the grub box and the day's bag.DAVE MCGONIGALDave, a fellow game warden, is one of the most accomplished cooks I've ever met. His name is Irish, but the other side of Dave's family tree has its roots in the Basque provinces of Spain. Growing up on the family sheep ranch in Idaho's Wood River Valley influenced Dave to become a camp cook in his own right. When time came for college, Dave paid his way through school by becoming a restaurant cook/chef. Whenever you see a recipe with Dave's name on it, you can bet you're at the top of the list.GEORGE HIRSCHGeorge Hirsch, a fellow Public TV cook from New York specializing in grill cooking, showed me this recipe when we both appeared at a festival at Itchycoo Park '99, near Manchester, Tennessee. They are quick to fix and will satisfy the "sweet tooth" of campers anytime.Spiced with More Tall Tales

_HANK'S SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Steps:

• If you search long enough you'll find an interesting story behind almost every recipe, some of them worth repeating. Sandy Riney of Las Piedras Ranch passed on the story of how her father, Colonel Henry G. Casey, came by this recipe during WWII. The then, Captain Casey, was flying supplies to Patton's Third Army from Naples, Italy. It seemed like every time Capt. Casey went to his favorite restaurant for pasta, air raid sirens interrupted his dinner. He was able to get next door to a bomb shelter with his martini, but not his pasta. Though I've never been in one, it's my guess you get fairly close to those you share a bomb shelter with. Anyway...in the course of sitting out an air raid, Hank made the acquaintance of the restaurant's proprietor. Over a couple of martinis that made it into the bomb shelter with Hank, he asked the restaurant owner for his spaghetti sauce recipe. Hank said that at the time a plate of pasta cost two bits!Spiced with More Tall Tales - Meats

_COMMON SENSE AND CARDS

Steps:

• "That will never happen to me!" How many times in life do we say this to ourselves! Whether a fleeting thought or an actual verbalization, human nature kicks in when we see a news report about someone lost in the woods. The more time a person has spent beyond roads end, the more likely the thought crosses the mind of "How could anyone be that dumb!?" Yet year after year we read in the paper of folks who are overdue and the local search and rescue unit gets called out. Often the subject of the search is not some 'Pilgrim' on a maiden hike into the wilderness, but someone the reporter describes as knowledgeable and woods-wise. The majority of time the lost soul ends up walking out or is located in good condition by the searchers. We all like happy endings, but unfortunately some searches result in calls going out to contact the next of kin and the coroner.Over the years I've been called to assist with several search and rescue efforts. The time of year, weather, age, and condition of the subject, plus a host of other variables come into play as to how long someone can last in the woods. More often than not the actions of the lost person will determine how long it takes searchers to find that person! Maybe it's human nature, but it seems that once a person realizes he's lost, he feels compelled to walk. Because he starts walking and keeps walking in the wrong direction, searchers end up looking in the wrong places. It boils down to...a moving target is harder to hit!Prior to hand held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers becoming widely available, a map and compass were the best insurance someone heading into the woods could take. It doesn't matter whether you're hiking up a creek for an afternoon's fishing or headed into a wilderness area for an extended stay, the potential for getting lost always exists!When we head for the woods there are all sorts of emergency items one can carry, but two major ones stand out in my mind. The first and most important being "Common Sense" and, secondly throw in a deck of playing cards!I taught hunter education for twenty-one years. When students were told of those two items, without exception everyone in a class would get a puzzled look and ask, "Why?" when I made this suggestion. The cards go hand in hand with the first, most important thing one can carry in the woods, the "Common Sense." When a person first realizes he is indeed lost, the most important thing he can do is STOP! Once a person gets as comfortable as possible given the situation he should pull out the deck of cards and begin playing Solitaire! Before he knows it, someone will be looking over his shoulder telling him to play the Red Ten on the Black Jack. To some, this may sound facetious, but someone telling me how to play Solitaire ain't near as bad as spending time and energy walking in circles waiting to be found!Spiced with More Tall Tales - Introduction

_FANNY PACK SNACKS

Steps:

• When planning a trip of any sort don't forget some snacks to keep you going. Whether rafting, horse camping, hiking, fishing etc., some extra ready to eat grub when you're late getting into camp helps one's attitude. As with anything else though, convenience often translates into a bigger bill at the grocery store. If you doubt that statement go to the store and price some store bought jerky. Go home and with your calculator figure out the price per pound. You'll find you could eat rib eye steak three times a day for the same price. Make your own and you'll end up with better jerky at a fraction of the cost. I always make my own venison jerky, but you can use beef just as easily.Over the last few years food dehydrators have been improved and price wise are very affordable. Just like making jerky, you can buy and dry a bushel of apples cheaper than you can buy a pound of dried apples off the grocery store shelf. Dried or dehydrated snacks take up less room, weigh less, and end up being more edible than fresh stuff after a couple of days in your saddle bags or day pack.A Back Country Guide to Outdoor Cooking Spiced with Tall Tales - Snacks & Desserts

_HANK, JACK AND ME

Steps:

• All three of us moved to Challis, Idaho, within a year or so of each other. Hank Ketchie worked for the US Forest Service as a forester and arrived in 1977. I moved to Challis as a rookie game warden in November, 1978. Jack, when he did work, worked for me, and moved there in February, 1979. Jack and I had been acquainted for only a short time and didn't know each other very well before we both moved to Challis. I met Hank within the first week or so and it didn't take us long to become friends. During our first conversation we realized we'd attended Utah State University at the same time. Though we hadn't met there, we did have friends in common from college days. Being stationed in a small central Idaho cow town as a resource manager or a game warden presents its own unique social obstacles. We weren't social outcasts but socially we were cast together!That first fall of '78 went by in a blur. Trying to learn a new patrol area kept me going both night and day. Right after the first of the year the boss called me up and said to get my affairs in order 'cause I'd be spending five weeks at the police academy. Trust me, my social affairs were nonexistent which meant it didn't take me long to get ready and be gone. When I finished up in mid-February, I drove over to Wayan where I'd previously been stationed, before heading home to Challis. Jack had been staying with a friend of mine, Steve Somsen, since I'd left for Challis in November. He wasn't real glad to see me, but with a little persuasion loaded up and headed north with me. The first time I ever saw a horse smile was the next day when I unloaded Jack at my rented pasture in Challis. In Wayan the snow had been up almost to his belly while in Challis bare ground told Jack he'd indeed made a good move!Besides being a forester, Hank was a horseman. Not a cowboy, but a horseman! He did a little horse trading, horse training, and shod horses to support his hunting and fishing habits. A couple of days after I got back with Jack, Hank came by to see him. Hank didn't look too long before he said, "Besides being ugly, what other bad habits does he have?" I told him of the ones I knew but also said there were probably others yet unknown, which would surface soon enough!On several occasions I loaned Jack to Hank for various little chores like packing out an elk or two. In addition we made several rides together both for work and pleasure. It didn't take long to compile a pretty long list of Jack's faults. I don't know who had the most to learn, Jack or me! Any question I asked resulted in a common sense answer that came from experience and not from a book or magazine. Besides sharing his knowledge, Hank built a pair of pack boxes for me, doctored my stock when I was out of town, and showed me the lighter side of shoeing horses and mules. Like the time a two-year old filly getting shod for the first time got touchy and began wrestling Hank for control of a front foot. She won the match but when she set it down she ended up with her legs crossed. Hank didn't cuss or get upset, but simply said, "I like a lady who crosses her legs when she gets nervous!"On the professional level Hank and I worked timber sales together. Hank looked at things from the silvicultural standpoint and I from a wildlife management perspective. On our days off we hunted, fished, and explored the Pahsimeroi Valley, Hank riding Dan or Spot and me on Jack. Whether sitting in a duck blind or the cab of a truck coming back from a horse trip we always found something to talk about. I was the first person who knew that Hank and his wife, Deb, were expecting. Likewise Hank called me first when he killed a bull elk with his bow, or when his dog, Rev, learned a new trick. But, Hank kept a secret from me along with others for nearly three years. He had cancer!Towards the end, Rich Rodgers, Nick Zufelt, and I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to visit Hank. Hank could still get around a little and after the others said their goodbyes and left, he walked me to the elevator. As the door closed Hank said, "Jack has improved enough I'd put him in my string!" Hank said this with dry eyes, but mine were still running when I hit the ground floor. These many years later, two emotions come to mind when I think of Hank! For the short time we spent together I'll always be grateful, but I'll always be sad because of how short the time ultimately ended up being!Spiced with More Tall Tales - Dedications