- Joined
- May 5, 2003
- Messages
- 2,494
I drank the tea, but it was not the Kool-Aid, if you know what I mean....
I went for a nice hike today in the Black Mt. area in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack Park. It started out partly sunny, but cold. I decided to stop for lunch so I did the obligatory knives-in-a-tree photo. I've never done a multiple knife photo, so I brought some extras just for the shot.
From the left: Helle Harding, Mora, Biker Mike 1095 with horse stall mat custom, Joe Hoover 01 with spalted maple burl custom. My 16" Wetterlings brings up the rear.
Just as I was getting ready to make some lunch, the sky got dark and it started blowing and snowing.
That's my Maxpedition Falcon II with a Ghille Kettle (Maverick) strapped to the side. My comfy seat is a Thermarest. It's just like a big Thermarest sleeping pad, but cut down to about 12" in length. I think it's what they do with the mistakes at the factory. I picked up a couple of them from Sierra Trading Post years ago for about ten bucks. It rolls up to a little bundle and straps onto the bottom of my daypack.
I wolfed down some raman noodles, downed a quick cup of coffee and got moving again to stay warm. I was glad I always keep a wool watch cap and a pair of wool gloves stashed in my day pack. I would have been miserable without them.
As I neared my turn-around point, I started looking for a pine tree so I could sit down for a while and brew some tea. Naturally, all the pine trees were on the opposite side of the marsh from me and I wasn't going to risk walking across the middle.
I hiked around the marsh and found a nice donor tree... a small pine with some easy-to-reach needles.
I pulled out the Ghille Kettle and boiled some water from a stream that emptied into the marsh. I picked a bunch of pine needles... I had a tight bundle about an inch in diameter. I put them in my mug and poured in about 12 oz of boiling water. I put the lid on, boiled them for a minute or two and then let them steep for about ten minutes.
Two thing surprised me about the tea. One, it was colorless. Two, it had a somewhat disagreeable odor. I thought it would smell all piney and fresh. It did have a definite pine aroma, but with some musty undertones of something like body odor. :barf: It tasted OK though, and would have tasted even better with a touch of sugar and lemon. I probably should have crushed the needles up.
When I drink tea, I usually use a big mug and use two teabags. For the pine needle tea (which I will refer to as "PNT" from this day forward) the addition of an herbal/orange tea bag probably would have made for a great cup of hot goodness.
If you haven't tried it, I urge you to give it a shot.
Stay sharp,
desmobob
I went for a nice hike today in the Black Mt. area in the southeastern corner of the Adirondack Park. It started out partly sunny, but cold. I decided to stop for lunch so I did the obligatory knives-in-a-tree photo. I've never done a multiple knife photo, so I brought some extras just for the shot.
From the left: Helle Harding, Mora, Biker Mike 1095 with horse stall mat custom, Joe Hoover 01 with spalted maple burl custom. My 16" Wetterlings brings up the rear.
Just as I was getting ready to make some lunch, the sky got dark and it started blowing and snowing.
That's my Maxpedition Falcon II with a Ghille Kettle (Maverick) strapped to the side. My comfy seat is a Thermarest. It's just like a big Thermarest sleeping pad, but cut down to about 12" in length. I think it's what they do with the mistakes at the factory. I picked up a couple of them from Sierra Trading Post years ago for about ten bucks. It rolls up to a little bundle and straps onto the bottom of my daypack.
I wolfed down some raman noodles, downed a quick cup of coffee and got moving again to stay warm. I was glad I always keep a wool watch cap and a pair of wool gloves stashed in my day pack. I would have been miserable without them.
As I neared my turn-around point, I started looking for a pine tree so I could sit down for a while and brew some tea. Naturally, all the pine trees were on the opposite side of the marsh from me and I wasn't going to risk walking across the middle.
I hiked around the marsh and found a nice donor tree... a small pine with some easy-to-reach needles.
I pulled out the Ghille Kettle and boiled some water from a stream that emptied into the marsh. I picked a bunch of pine needles... I had a tight bundle about an inch in diameter. I put them in my mug and poured in about 12 oz of boiling water. I put the lid on, boiled them for a minute or two and then let them steep for about ten minutes.
Two thing surprised me about the tea. One, it was colorless. Two, it had a somewhat disagreeable odor. I thought it would smell all piney and fresh. It did have a definite pine aroma, but with some musty undertones of something like body odor. :barf: It tasted OK though, and would have tasted even better with a touch of sugar and lemon. I probably should have crushed the needles up.
When I drink tea, I usually use a big mug and use two teabags. For the pine needle tea (which I will refer to as "PNT" from this day forward) the addition of an herbal/orange tea bag probably would have made for a great cup of hot goodness.
If you haven't tried it, I urge you to give it a shot.
Stay sharp,
desmobob
