After finishing up the Mt. Lassen hike before 9am in the morning, I decided that I had enough time to tackle one more trail. I wanted to see one more waterfall in the park: Mill Creek Falls. This 3.6 mile hike to a stunning waterfall is a great way to spend several hours of your day.
Instant oatmeal, that’s one of those foods everyone’s had for breakfast while camping or on the trail. It’s fast, it’s easy. But after a while, those instant packets of blueberry, peaches, or strawberry can get quite boring. And that’s where Straw Propeller comes in to save the day.
Straw Propeller takes that age-old instant oatmeal and adds their own gourmet twist to make this breakfast staple more enjoyable and fun.
The Straw Propeller Apple Crisp is hands down my most favorite product that they offer yet. (I’ve tried three!) The Apple Crisp is a fun spin on the regular ol’ apple & cinnamon grocery store packet. Walnuts are added for some extra crunch and topped off with melty white chocolate for a sweet surprise in every bite. I’m surprised there isn’t chocolate in every instant oatmeal packet! It just makes it that much more awesome. Gluten-free people, fear not! All Straw Propeller products are now made with certified gluten-free rolled oats.
Each serving comes in a little cardboard container making it easy and mess-free. Just add water, wait, eat and throw away. If you’re looking to save space while backpacking, the containers aren’t for you, but they’re great for car camping.
Buy through Straw Propeller for $39 for a pack of 12. You can buy a one flavor pack of 12 or mix and match.
I received this through my Get Cairn box as a part of the Hell Hike and Raft crew. If you’re interested in getting a box, use the code LITTLEGRUNTS for $5 off your first box. Sign up here.
Hike: Mt. Shasta
Where: Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Trailhead: Clear Creek
Level: Strenuous
Duration: 9 hours
Length: 12~ miles out and back total to summit
Gear: Icebreaker Tech T Lite shirt, Triple Aught Design Artemis Hoodie, REI Sahara Pants, Black Diamond Ultra Distance trekking poles, CamelBak Aventura Pack, and Ahnu Sugarpine Boots
Cost of Parking: Free, but summit permit is $20 per person
Mt. Shasta, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Shasta, you got the best of me this time, but I’ll be back. Just you wait and see. Friday afternoon after work, the boyfriend and I drove up to the Clear Creek trailhead to camp out and hike up Shasta the next morning with a Meetup group. We ended up getting in later than expected after driving around in the middle of the forest squinting at all the little forest road signs. We attempted to sleep in the car to save time instead of setting up tent, but it became insanely hot. Cars and people trickled in noisily and slowly after 11pm.
We started our adventure at 6am. Coming from sea level and hiking with lack of sleep made our progress extremely slow. The first few miles of the hike are fairly moderate with a gradual incline to Clear Creek Meadow. Clear Creek Meadow seemed to be the destination of choice for overnight attempts at the summit; we ran into tons of quiet and empty tents next to a clear, babbling spring. After Clear Creek Meadow, the fun really begins.
If you’ve been following along with my blog, you’ll know that I’m becoming a Sun Bum freak. It all started with the Sun Bum PRO SPF 50. I wanted something a little less expensive for use on the rest of my body and picked up the Sun Bum SPF 50 Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion.
Designed for extensive fun in the sun, this sunscreen lotion has accompanied me everywhere bare skin was showing for the last month. This is easy to apply before hitting the trails and is a nice, moisturizing lotion to help prevent scaly legs. It’s water resistant for up to 80 minutes before reapplication is needed. As a skin-conscious person, I really love how it’s paraben-free, PABA-free, and oil-free, with Vitamin E. This is also photo-stable, so it’s guaranteed to protect you against the sun without degrading instantly.
This is coconut scented, so if you’re sensitive to sweet smells, this might not be good for you.
Biggest con for me is how it doesn’t play nicely with other sunscreens, including other items from the Sun Bum line. My standard routine involves applying this liberally in the morning prior to starting on the trail. Reapplication is with the SPF 30 Continuous Spray since it’s easier to apply. Rubbing in the additional sunscreen makes this one clump up and come off the skin in little, ugly grey balls. However, that’s not really a deal breaker for me ’cause by that time, I’m super dirty and giving zero cares at that time.
Buy through Sun Bum for $15.99.
If you’re looking for more Sun Bum reviews, check out the PRO SPF 50 here and the SPF 30 Continuous Spray here.
I’m not quite sure why it’s taken me so long to write about Icebreaker’s Tech T Lite. This shirt is a staple in my closet. It goes everywhere. Not the same one though, at least not usually.
Made of 150gm merino wool like the Icebreaker Aero Tank, the Tech T Lite lives up to its name! This can be layered other clothes or worn on its own. The idea of wearing multiple t-shirts on top of each other has never appealed to me, so this one braves the world solo.
As with all merino wool apparel, it wicks moisture to keep you cool and keeps you warm even when wet. The anti-odor and anti-bacterial properties allow you to wear this over, and over, and over again without constant washing. Despite the thinner material, my older shirts that I’ve owned for a year and counting are still going strong. No holes, rips, tears or stains.
The shirts are incredibly versatile and not technical looking so they accompany me everywhere, even to work. I’ve also worn the shirts several days in a row to work without a stink; merino wool really is magical. Each season the Tech T Lite is released with a plethora of colors, so it is possible to own a “different” one for every day of the week.
One thing that I have to note is that the sizing is all over the place. I have a Small that fits like an extra small, two Smalls that fit like mediums, and a Small that fits like a combination of the two (small?).
The Tech T Lite at full price is a little expensive, but as summer comes to an end, these are beginning to be marked down at 30% off and more. The price is still a slightly steep for a shirt, but these have been worth their weight in gold time and time again.