Vital Vegan-Friendly Winter Gear - Alaskan Edition

Oh Alaska, you frigid friend you. Most people despise winter because they can't bear the cold and get out and play. Not me. With the right winter gear, Alaska's backcountry is my playground and I'm never too chilly for a playdate. 

Skoop Original Insulated Skirt

Life without my down (synthetic!) skirt during the winters here would be unimaginable. I have three Skoop Skirts, a mini, a knee-length, and a floor-length. I also have a different pink mini, too.

Throw the mini on with leggings and boots and prance your little fashioned bum all over town...or just to the grocery store. The ankle length I actually use for backcountry skiing when it's super cold out and the floor length one is just for milling about. It's the one I use the most as I wear it everyday back and forth to work over my scrub bottoms (they are terribly breezy) and out when I walk Bob. 

I bought mine at REI , but they are also available or on the Skoop website. A friend told me the company was started by a doctor's Scandinavian wife, here in Anchorage. 

VEGAN! -  Some skirts are made with goose feathers (down), so be sure yours is made with synthetic (sometimes they just call it "insulation" as opposed to "down", or Primaloft is a common synthetic.)

Image from REI.com

Bogs Classic High Snow Boots 

Are Bogs as big in other wintery states as they are in Alaska? They are huge! I only just recently jumped on the bandwagon and I am loving every warm-footed second of wearing them! The classic ones are rated to -40 F, but they make garden clogs and rainboots as well. I ordered mine a little big so I could wear huge fluffy socks with them. 

I bought my pair from Shoebuy, but they are available on Amazon and their website as well. I really wanted a vegetable patterned one (how appropriate, huh?), but they were last years and didn't have my size! As a note, try ordering one size up, as they tend to run small. I really like that they accommodate my orthotics too!

VEGAN! - I emailed the company and they assured me all their non-leather Bogs are 100% vegan! Even the glue!

Image from Shoebuy.com

Mega Insulated Coat

So, I have a giant, completely ridiculous red poofy coat. Todd tells me it makes me look like a "gansta". Admittedly, I do not care one smidge what I look like because it is the warmest damn thing on earth. I got it from Sierra Trading post four years ago. It was orginally almost $400 and I ended up paying less than $90 for it, with some coupons and seasonal sales. I adore it, however, it's made with down. Sad face. And down...I can no longer do. 

Image from SierraTradingPost.com

When the time comes to get a new coat, I've discovered that there aren't a whole lot of options for me. I'd like to first disclaim that my coat requirements are not average. I need a coat that will keep me warm in -30 F when winter camping or just generally not moving. There's a big difference in a coat that will keep you warm at freezing temperatures when you're active and when you're not. 

I usually turn to belay jackets to fill this requirement. They are huge parkas that are super warm. Imagine you're belaying your ice-climbing buddy for an hour. That coat needs to be warm...and huge. Unfortunately, most of these jackets are made of down. Why? Because down offers more warmth per weight than synthetic. However, it won't keep you warm if it gets wet, unlike synthetic. 

If I had to get a new coat tomorrow, there are two I would choose from. 

Black Diamond Stanley Belay Jacket 

Yes, this is a men's jacket. Women's belay jackets can be hard to come by and when you do find them they just aren't up to snuff when compared to men's. They'll be lacking abrasion pads that their male counterparts have (like women don't need abrasion pads!) or usually they just aren't as lofty. What's up with that? So, yep...I would get a men's XS jacket. Now, there are some cons to this, most notably being the shape. You'll want enough air space in the jacket, but not too much. However, with adequate layering, I'd take a chance on it. 

You can find this jacket on their website. 

GO VEGAN - Synthetic insulation is made without goose feathers!

Image from BlackDiamond.com

If you absolutely must have a ladies jacket, I'd go with this one, below. You can find it on the Big Agnes website here. 

Big Agnes Hot Sulphur Belay Jacket

Image from BigAgnes.com

So there you have it. Some vegan-friendly winter basics for your legs, torso, and feet. Stay tuned in the future for more winter gear tips! And be sure to let me know if you have any suggestions, tips, or questions!

Stay warm my friends!

What Do Vegans Bring Backpacking?

“To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.”

— John Muir

John had it right. If you haven't had the profound pleasure of visiting Alaska, come on up already! And when you make it up here, give us a holler, we'll show you around.

Blueberry picking is my favorite thing ever.  Period. I cannot put into words how deeply I yearn to go on our adventures to pluck those juicy, sweet little orbs. It's on par with Christmas. For real. That magical feeling swells and swirls in my heartstrings in anticipation of mid-August when the blueberries are ripe and perfect. I think about it all year long. 

Vegan + Prius = Level 100 Eco-Hippy. 

We like to pick our berries up at Sheep Mountain, in solitude. It's a vast place that's dominated mostly by four-wheeling hunters (Boo! #sorrynotsorry), but never really see anyone. People aren't generally backpacking where we go. Reason number one, the water situation is less than ideal. I mean, we got water, but we had to bushwhack the same amount of time we actually spent hiking up to our campsite. Reason number two, stupid four-wheeler noises in the distance day and night. Reason number three, it's out of the way. Way out of the way. 

On the plus side, there's lots of berries. The night before, we dehydrated a noodle recipe that I unfortunately wasn't able to document and do a post on. Maybe next week? But, I can give you some insight into what foods vegans bring backpacking. Or, at least the kinds of things that Todd and myself bring. Here's what we brought on this trip. Maybe it will give you some ideas!

• 2 servings of homemade, dehydrated Teriyaki Pasta
• 1 bag of falafel chips
• 1 tub of hummus
• 4 Prime Meatless Jerky strips
• 2 Nutz over Chocolate Luna Bars
• 2 Fruit Leathers
• 1/2 Endangered Species dark chocolate bar
• 1 box of Hot Tamale candies
• 2 servings of homemade oatmeal packets
• fresh blueberries picked for our oatmeal
• 2 Starbucks Via coffee packets
• 1 single serving Silk Very Vanilla soy milk
• 1 single serving almond milk caramel latte
• water
• small concentrated Crystal Light bottle (in case you filter some funky tasting water, it happens)
• snacks for the road trip up included Annie's Chocolate Bunny Grahams, Original Sun Chips, Gatorade, Monster Energy Drinks (don't judge), and Justin's dark peanut butter cups.

Our backpacking adventures may or may not also kind of be a junk food adventure as well. We don't eat a lot of processed foods at home and so when backpacking, we tend to go a bit crazy.

It can be heavy and cumbersome to bring fresh fruits and veggies, ensuring that they are properly prepared and packaged so they don't get damaged. I did try to bring some fresh foods. Okay, so I bought some apples...that we left at home....

In case you're wondering, yep, Bob has his own pack. It's the best thing ever. Also, please don't judge me based on this photo. I am just now realizing how absurd I look.

I know you're not supposed to cook next to your tent (I did work at REI afterall), but it was super windy we we got to the top and at that very spot on the right of the tent, was the only place of calmness. 

Regrettably, we were a bit early on the bluebs. Next week they'll be perfect. I only picked a small amount, until I finally felt bad and quit. Some bushes had ripe berries, a few were totally green, but most were somewhere in between and I felt pretty guilty picking them. 

Last year we went super late (not really thinking of picking berries) and hit the motherload up at this spot. However, a lot of the berries were seriously past their prime and tasted fermented almost! See last years trip in this post.

Bob did a little doggy meditating in the sun the next morning, when the wind was gone. I almost brought my yoga mat, but I only had my heavy one at home. It would have been a most epic yoga practice though!

Todd snapped some early morning pics while I was still sleeping in the tent with Bob. There's a few more fun photos on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter that you won't want to miss. Like the time we had to eat with twigs...#mybad.

Yep, I think it's settled that we'll be heading up there again very soon. I can hear those little blueberries calling my name! Bob can too.

Strawberry Vanilla Cashew Milk + Alaskan Ski Train Photos

Okay, so I know you're all wondering how The Ski Train that Todd and I went on this weekend was. I'll give synopsis.  It’s was an all-day train party ride (like a legit, real life train) that went over 130 miles one way from Anchorage (we boarded in Wasilla), past Talkeetna to Curry where it stopped and let a bunch of cool cats like myself out to ski to our hearts content, which coincidentally was about four hours. On the way up we played Apples to Apples and ate a questionably large amount of Twizzlers and Pringles. We skied and played about, took a break to eat homemade vegan breakfast burritos, then piled back on, ate a bunch of food, drank a few adult beverages (some people more than others), and enjoyed the scenery on the way back home.

Check Produce On Parade's Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram to see some of the trip photos and a video of some Alaskan scenery. Also, there might be a video of Todd doing shotski. 

Here's a taste...

Highlights of the trip were:

• The lady in the seat across from us dislocated her shoulder and exited the train in Talkeetna to seek medical care.
• One of my coworkers was one of two people who were "confirmed missing". If you aren't on board at the appropriate time your ass gets left behind. Fo' real. A couple rescue team members stay behind with a tent and some food. Then, you pay one hefty fine for the train to come get you the next day. We were told the fee starts at $500...with an unknown limit. Yikes! 
• Someone was lifeflighted. Seriously. A helicopter came and hovered right over the train all Black Hawk Down style, then landed beside the train and someone on a stretcher was boarded. Rumor has it this person broke their femur. Strongest bone in your body. I would know. Radiology and all. Bones are kinda my thing. And breasts. I can say that because I'm a Mammographer. 
• There was a police car there too! In the middle of nowhere, because of the lifeflight thing I'm assuming. Apparently they can drive on the railroad tracks with this adjustment rail thing...omg, I had no idea. Did you know that?!

Anyways, it was a lot of fun and my first proper train ride. There were a few party cars (think passed out people in spandex), some quiet cars (I kind of wish we were on one of those) and a few middle-of-the-road cars, which we were in. If you really like being around people and that whole vibe, then I think the ski train would be outta this world amazing. I like most people in this world pretty much out of sight, hence, the blogging (it's kinda how I socialize, cue laughter). So, it was a little overwhelming for an anti-social, awkward, hermit grouch such as myself. I wish I wasn't that way, but I am. I just function better solo, or near solo.  

Honestly, I'd rather bring a picnic and ski out in the woods with just my pups, Todd and a few friends. However, I'm totally glad I did the ski train because it was a pretty incredible experience. See some trip photos at the end of the post! 

On Sunday after Todd and I recouped from our trip, I made him some delicious strawberry vanilla cashew milk. 

Creamy and delicious with absolutely no processed ingredients, you'll only find whole foods in this milk. No added sugar either! This beverage is sweetened only with dates and strawberries. What I really like about cashews is that you can just throw 'em in the blender and since they're so creamy, there's no need to strain them as you would with almonds or shredded coconut. I do this a lot for smoothies. I think it's better than using a storebought dairy-free milk and it's so quick and easy!

Strawberry Vanilla Cashew Milk

Serves 1 

Note: If you don't have a high speed blender like a Vitamix, I would suggest soaking the cashews for a few hours. 

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup frozen strawberries (about 6 large), halved
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

In a blender combine all ingredients and blend on high until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Serve cold.

Listening to Evan McHugh – What Would You Do

"Oh and I'm takin' my time, I'm getting it right oh I try, but I'm into you still summer is over and winter is here I'm movin' so slow day's getting longer and on as we go I'm taking my time, I'm getting it right Lord knows, Lord knows I try"

German Word of The Day: Strawberry --> Erdbeere (pronounced: aired-beareh) I love this word, Erdbeere. 

Good Deed of The Day: Sign this petition to help stop fracking on national forests and wildlife refuges. Petition author is the National Resources Defense Council. 

And now, Ski Train photos! 

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