Quite often we've brought heavy food for the first night - pasta with fresh asparagus and roasted peppers, makings for panzanella (including fresh tomatoes), frozen salmon, Asian coleslaw are among the favorites. Someone I once hiked with related a story of someone who surprised the group at lunch the first day, after a hot and dusty climb up a mountain, by pulling out a half gallon of ice cream that had been rolled up in the sleeping bag with dry ice - then proceeded to eat the whole thing themselves!

Our friend Paddy, may his soul rest in peace, would often bring a pint of "holy water" for happy hour around the campfire. In more recent years it was transferred to a Nalgene container, but he hauled in (and out) the glass bottle for many years.