Location: Pyramid Lake in Reno, Nevada
Activity: Day Hike
Duration: 4 Hours
Cocktail: Ginger Apple Moscow Mule
Trip Details: This was my first attempt at an overnight backpacking trip with my two dogs. However, it turned into a single day hike due to the cold temperatures, high winds, and the arrival of snowfall in the afternoon.
Despite the fact I fell short of my ultimate goal of getting in one more overnight trip this year before the Winter weather took over, I did have some good lessons learned while trying to pack for myself, two dogs, as well as bringing a mini bar setup on the trail. My next doggy backpacking trip will involve using a different pack that is more compartmentalized to help for better ease of access to get to the dog food and bowls more easily, in addition to having my bar setup more handy to do on the trail.
The overall trail experience was a bit more of steady uphill than anticipated, and after turning one of the corners around the lakeside of the hill, the wind was very intense and steady. I was dressed and prepared for the cold, so that wasn't much of an issue for me, but the short-haired pitbull certainly does not enjoy the cold.
While setting up for the drink and the photo, the pitbull was shivering and the wind was blowing some very ominous clouds my way. In fact, it started to snow while preparing my trail cocktail and was a little rushed to make the drink and take the photos, which didn't allow me the usual time to sit back and enjoy the drink and the scenery as I normally do. Afterall, part of the motive of this blog is to essentially stop and smell the roses while outdoors.
The upsides were definitely the exercise for myself and the dogs. In addition to just getting outside in general. The lessons learned for next time were certainly valuable as well. Lastly, I tried. It didn't go perfectly, but I was prepared and changed my plans based on the circumstance. Which is what happens sometimes when you're dealing with Mother Nature.
Drink Details: I wanted an Autumn style drink, so something with apples seemed appealing. After a brief search online, I found the Ginger Apple Moscow Mule. It consisted of vodka, apple cider, apple butter, lime, fresh ginger, topped with ginger beer, and garnished with a cinnamon stick and apple slice. Perhaps another obvious lesson learned...choose a drink with fewer ingredients while backpacking. I was able to use fresh snowfall instead of packing ice cubes, so that was convenient.
Photo Description: The picture shows some of the natural rock I used to stage my cocktail, and the rolling hilltops with snow in the background. You can also see the clouds rolling in right at about my elevation. Pyramid Lake was in the distance just off to the right of this photo, but ultimately I decided this particular picture showed off the drink and area the best.
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