[Part 2] A journey on the stunning trail of Izu Peninsula that you should really keep a secret RIVERS Ultra Light Superb Sierra cup rice on a hiker mug, and a coffee chair under a large beech
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
A project to thoroughly review Rivers coffee and cookware from the perspective of a solo hiker
This time, I will be reporting on my solo hiking meals using a mug at the tent site, and finally on my hiking and coffee chairing adventure in the deepest part of the Izu Peninsula
table of contents
- Day 1 Night: Easy and delicious solo camping (hiking) meal made with the "Ultralight Hiker Mug"
- Day 2: Head to the Izuyama Ridge Trail, a hiking trail packed with the joys of hiking, to see the giant beech trees
- Izu Peninsula Geopark has formed a unique natural environment among the Japanese archipelago
- Visit the giant beech trees on the Izuyama Ridge Trail, a hiking trail packed with the thrills of hiking
- Enjoy coffee while nestled in a large beech tree ~Cave Reversible Coffee Dripper & Pond F Dripper Holder~
- STUNSCAPE is an online magazine that focuses on adventurers
Day 1 Night: Easy and delicious solo camping (hiking) meal made with the "Ultralight Hiker Mug"
At night, at the tent site, it was time for the meal I had been secretly looking forward to during my solo hike
Many people who go on solo hikes make do with simple meals that can be rehydrated with hot water to reduce the weight of their packs, but I always feel like it would be a waste. As a result, I'm a mediocre UL hiker who can't bring myself to drastically reduce my pack weight
When I'm walking alone during the day, I'm usually thinking about dinner. Maybe it's because I was used to carrying a big pot and cooking rice every day during my student days. Of course, this isn't always the case, but I find myself wanting to have some kind of meal that I've cooked and arranged myself, even if it's simple
The Sierra Cup Meal, which can be easily cooked in a small cooker, satisfies my desire to cook and save weight in a good balance. On this trip, I used the slightly larger Ultralight Hiker Mug, which was released after the Ultralight Hiker Mug S, which is perfect as a coffee cup, to see if I could make a satisfying meal solo and how well it could be used as a cooker
First of all, the appearance of this "Ultralight Hiker Mug" is a lightweight and sturdy titanium cup, weighing only 34g for the small size (44g for the medium size). The familiar matte finish gives it an appealing texture that will make you want to own it
It's wider than a mug and deeper than a Sierra Cup, and whether this was intentional during the development stage or not, it's a convenient shape for drinking and cooking. The soft roundness of the bottom is unusual for a titanium cup, and gives it a charming appearance
The handle is open at the bottom for stacking purposes. This certainly makes it convenient to stack the cups on top of each other. However, it is a bit inconvenient in that the handle cannot be folded and you cannot use the typical Sierra Cup style of "hooking it onto a backpack with a carabiner." I'm not the type to hang my cups outside in the first place, so this doesn't bother me that much, but for those who do, it may be an issue
The capacity and size of the small size is 180ml, which is the perfect size for a single cup of coffee. Meanwhile, the newly released medium size is 320ml. It's neither too big nor too small, but to make it easier to imagine, if we use a typical Yamashoku pre-made product as an example, it's large enough to cook a single serving of freeze-dried ramen without any problems, but it's a little small (the recommended amount is 330ml of hot water) to make the exact amount of ramen you need with a cup ramen refill
But don't worry, the M-size mug is just the right size to fit an OD gas cartridge (size 110). This should be satisfactory even for UL hikers who are strict about packing
Chicken vermicelli soup
Now that you know the appearance and size, let's get started cooking. First, let's try making a slightly filling soup. Put an appropriate amount of water into a cup, add a can of yakitori (salt) and vermicelli, and bring to a boil. Season with salt, add green onions and chili pepper, and you're done. In just 5 minutes, you'll have a delicious chicken vermicelli soup. Feel free to add whatever flavor you like!
Like this recipe, the key to solo camping (hiking) meals is that they should be made with ingredients that are easy to carry, and that they don't require detailed cooking and can be basically completed by boiling or simmering
Olive and tomato pasta
Let's try something a little more elaborate next time. Add black olives, macaroni, and garlic chips and bring to a boil. After about 2 minutes of boiling, add the finely chopped cherry tomatoes and tomato paste, and continue to simmer while adding the macaroni back in until the water has evaporated to a moderate degree. Finally, season with olive oil, salt, and pepper if possible, and you'll have olive tomato pasta in just a few minutes of cooking in a Sierra cup with just a few ingredients
Incidentally, if you heat a thin titanium cup like this mug on a gas stove over high heat without filling it with water, the heat will be concentrated in one place, which can cause deformation or discoloration. In such cases, it is a good idea to use a stainless steel mesh underlay called a burner pad, as shown in the photo below. This spreads the flame over a wide area and converts it into soft heat, making it easy to cook with materials like titanium, which do not circulate heat as well as aluminum
Garlic suckling pig hotpot
To be honest, I didn't have high expectations at first, wondering how much I could achieve with a 320ml mug, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying the cooking. Next up was the
long-awaited main dish: "Garlic Suckling Pig Hot Pot." This dish uses raw pork belly, so there may be limited occasions when it can be made, but it's worth exploring the limits of cooking. That said, the recipe is the same as before: cut, add, and simmer.
As long as you have pork belly and garlic chips, you can use any other ingredients you like. This time I added shimeji mushrooms and green onions. The flavor is good enough on its own, with plenty of umami. You can also change the seasoning to your liking, such as Chinese soup, miso, or soy sauce
Miso ramen soup rice porridge
Finally, I tried making rice porridge, another staple recipe for solo hike meals. The ingredients are just those shown in the photo below, and there's no need to use a knife at all. Of course, if you carry only the amount of seasonings and ingredients you need in small portions, you can make it even more compact with a little ingenuity
Add miso paste, chicken stock, garlic chips, and beef fat to hot water and heat. Once it boils and the beef fat begins to melt, add the rice balls
All you have to do is add the ingredients and simmer, just like you would normally do when making zosui. I didn't add any raw eggs this time, but if you add some, it will make for a truly luxurious miso ramen soup zosui
The Ultralight Hiker Mug is lightweight enough for serious solo hiking, easy to eat and drink from, and features a high-quality design. Now with the addition of a medium size, it's not just for drinking coffee, but also for cooking satisfying meals on a tight budget. This rich flavor, not found in the ultra-light cookers typically used by mountaineers, is especially recommended for hikers who value individuality
Day 2: Head to the Izuyama Ridge Trail, a hiking trail packed with the joys of hiking, to see the giant beech trees
The next day, after enjoying an unexpectedly luxurious dinner as a solo hike meal, I ventured even deeper into the forest than on the first day and walked along the Izuyama Ridge Trail to see a large beech tree estimated to be 500 years old, standing in the primeval forest
The Izuyama Ridge Trail, which runs along a ridge for approximately 43km in the West Amagi area from Amagi Pass, located at the heart of the Izu Peninsula, to Shuzenji Niji no Sato, is a long route that offers a fulfilling hike, with deep virgin forests, open grasslands, and spectacular views of Mt. Fuji, passing through many passes and peaks. It's a course I would definitely like to do a through-hike on, but that's for another time. This time, due to the circumstances of entering the mountains by car, I was forced to do a round trip from Amagi Pass to Nekogoe-dake
Izu Peninsula Geopark has formed a unique natural environment among the Japanese archipelago
What makes the Izu Peninsula so fascinating? The answer lies in its geological uniqueness, which is quite different from other areas of Honshu
Of the three plates that make up Honshu - the Eurasian Plate, the North American Plate, and the Philippine Sea Plate - the Izu Peninsula is the only part of Honshu that is located on the Philippine Sea Plate
About 20 million years ago, the Izu Peninsula was a group of undersea volcanoes located several hundred kilometers south of Japan. Volcanic activity created an island, which moved north along with the plate and eventually collided with Honshu. About 600,000 years ago, the peninsula finally took on its current shape
Even after it became a peninsula, eruptions continued here and there on land until about 200,000 years ago, giving birth to large volcanoes such as Mount Amagi and Mount Daruma, which form the skeleton of present-day Izu. Subterranean activity continues to this day, with plate movements continuing to push the land of Izu into Honshu. These high-altitude areas receive abundant rain, fostering virgin forests of beech trees, andromeda, Japanese stewartia, and rhododendrons, as well as endemic species that grow nowhere else
These double and triple geological peculiarities create a natural environment that is unique even within Japan. The Izu Peninsula is recognized by UNESCO as a Global Geopark, a type of natural park that contains particularly important, valuable, or beautiful geological heritage sites, and programs for conservation, education, and regional development are being promoted
I had no idea that such precious nature was nestled so close to the metropolis of Tokyo. I really don't know much about Japan. I need to walk more
Visit the giant beech trees on the Izuyama Ridge Trail, a hiking trail packed with the thrills of hiking
Unlike yesterday's course around Haccho Pond, this route has extremely poor accessibility, and as I expected, there were hardly any people around, making it a quiet and extremely atmospheric trail. The greenery was even more lush than yesterday, and as soon as I started walking, imposing giant trees began to appear one after another all around. The quiet hike surrounded by the forest made me feel, without exaggeration, as if I had traveled back in time to hundreds of thousands of years ago
The giant beech trees are impressive, but the forest of large, growing Japanese andromeda trees that can be seen from Tehiki-zume to Nekogoe-dake is also a sight to behold. The countless twisting and spreading branches create a mysterious and mysterious atmosphere, making you feel as if you have wandered into the world of a Western fairy tale. As expected, the deepest part of the Izu Peninsula Geopark shows a fresh and diverse nature that far exceeds imagination
From the observation deck on Mt. Nekogoe, where we decided to turn back that day, we could see Suruga Bay and even Mt. Fuji in the distance. This varied natural entertainment stimulates all five senses. This is one of the reasons why this trail is recommended for everyone, and is irresistible not only for forest lovers but also for view lovers
Enjoy coffee while nestled in a large beech tree ~Cave Reversible Coffee Dripper & Pond F Dripper Holder~
As I mentioned earlier, my destination for the day was neither the pass nor the summit. It was a giant beech tree near Tehiki-gashira. I was a little worried that I might just pass it by, since I didn't know its exact location and there was no sign hanging there, but in the end, those worries were unnecessary
I had passed dozens of giant beech trees up to this point, but this one was in a class of its own. The thickness of its trunk, the way its branches spread, and the thick moss that clung to it made it instantly recognizable as a beech, exuding an overwhelming presence
Finally, I found the large beech tree. The surrounding area was open, as if intimidated by the aura the tree was giving off, and it seemed like I would have a good chance of chairing. I quickly rented a spot where I wouldn't be in the way and began preparing for my intended coffee chairing experience
Today's coffee was made using another Rivers coffee extraction system, the Coffee Dripper Cave Reversible & Dripper Holder Pond F
The "Coffee Dripper Cave Reversible" is a lightweight dripper for enjoying paper drip coffee outdoors. Made from soft silicone, it's easy to pack. The slightly acute 50° angle of the cone is calculated to ensure that the coffee beans are firmly entangled in the hot water during extraction. The acute angle is also advantageous in terms of stability
This is not the only attention to flavor. As the name "reversible" suggests, this dripper has different "ribs" (inner bumps) on the front and back, allowing you to choose the extraction level to your liking
The role of the ribs is to create a gap between the filter paper and the dripper body, controlling the flow of hot water. Thicker ribs create more space, resulting in a slower extraction speed (longer extraction time). This results in a more bitter and less acidic extraction, even with the same brewing method
On the other hand, a pattern with many thinner, long and short ribs will extract faster than the former, resulting in a shorter extraction time. In this case, it will be easier to brew a cleaner, less bitter coffee
To be honest, this was the first time I had ever heard of the mechanism behind the ribs. In reality, anyone who pays this much attention to brewing coffee every day must be a serious coffee enthusiast. To be honest, I'm not sure if this makes a noticeable difference in the taste
However, it is true that in the world of professional baristas, adjusting the taste by controlling the extraction speed is a common practice, and the fact that anyone can be so particular about the brewing method, which is essential for creating a taste that suits their taste, in the mountains is something that coffee lovers will no doubt be happy about (and if you're not particular about it, you don't have to worry about either one)
The only drawback I would like to point out is that due to the characteristics of the material, silicone, it tends to attract dust. In the mountains, there are places where there is a lot of dust, dirt, and dead leaves, and it is difficult to use a wet cloth, so it is difficult to remove all the dirt, which is a bit of a concern from a hygiene standpoint
In any case, this lightweight, compact dripper that is easy to use for those who are particular about taste and the ultra-lightweight and compact foldable dripper holder "Dripper Holder Pond F" are a perfect match, and there is little to dissatisfy when it comes to enjoying authentic coffee in the mountains
If I were to take it on a solo hike and only intend to enjoy one cup, I would bring the Micro Coffee Dripper 2, but if I plan to brew more than one cup, I would bring the Cave & Pond F
Sipping coffee while relaxing beside a large beech tree makes time stand still and fills you with an indescribable happiness. At the same time, even thoughts of small things like the subtle differences in taste, such as bitterness and sourness, well up in your mind, even though it may sound trivial
It was a strange feeling, as if I was blending into the still, quiet winter forest, as if I existed as part of the vast earth. I probably wouldn't have made this discovery if I had just passed by as usual. But it's not a bad idea to take a detour every once in a while and sit still amidst the vastness of nature, which is beyond the comprehension of humans
Reference: Yoko Hasuike, "Easy Sierra Cup Recipes," Yama to Keikokusha
STUNSCAPE is an online magazine that focuses on adventurers
STUNSCAPE operates its own in-house outdoor and lifestyle brands, including the "Rivers" introduced here, which strike a high level of balance between functionality and design. They also publish an online magazine that focuses on adventurous people, with themes of travel and outdoor activities
If you want to see an authentic and inspiring story about the outdoors, this is definitely worth a visit
Go to the web magazine "STUNSCAPE"
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