CLOTHES: Marmot Montreaux Coat

Backcountry Gal is back in action! Life has gotten a bit crazy so please forgive me for not posting more! Since I've been spending more time on the road with my bands (Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers and Brokedown In Bakersfield) and less time in the backcountry (poor me) I've decided to share one of my favorite non-backcountry pieces of the year. Ladies...put this on your gift list...you will not be sorry. I have found that the Marmot Montreaux Coat is the perfect piece for winter. What I love is it's ability to transfer from day to night and the removable hood. It goes with jeans just as well as it does with more formal evening wear. When I'm traveling and am only able to bring a limited amount of clothing, this coat is just the right blend of function and fabulous. It's almost like walking around in a really cozy, fancy sleeping bag...perfect for roasting marshmallows around the campfire or wearing to an evening garden party!

Adventure: Skiing in June!

Summer is officially here and we're still making ski tracks! Our last trip into the backcountry was short but sweet. We returned to a spot we last saw covered in snow. Now that snow has melted away and the rivers are gushing! There was a lot of mud to walk through and rivers to cross but once we gained elevation we were able to find some great skiing. The snow was not quite as good as corn and not quite as bad as slush but fun was had never the less!
After a long lunch of brie, crackers and of course chocolate we spent nearly an hour watching the giant bowl before us. As the air began to heat up, so did the snow. Alone in this great space we were lucky enough to (safely) view two avalanches across the way. Tim even caught one on film! It was a magnificent and humbling sight to see...and definitely gave us some knowledge of the terrain and how to safely ski it! A very memorable moment.
After a long day of skiing, getting back to camp for a good meal and peaceful sleep was much needed. I slept better than usual in my new Marmot Helium Membrain sleeping bag! This bag is durable, warm and condenses into a very small stuff sack. I tend to sleep cold so for me this is a perfect spring/summer/fall bag. The Membrain fabric Marmot uses is both waterproof and breathable. I usually have a tough time regulating condensation but this bag stayed dry on the inside and out and kept me super warm and cozy! A bit of a splurge but definitely worth it if you are in the market for a new bag and plan on having a busy backcountry year.

As always, we're sad to see ski season coming to a close but there is still hope for one more trip. After we play High Sierra Music Festival June 30 and July 1 we're heading back to Yosemite and are bringing our skis just in case. Summer skiing! Break out the bikini tops :) I'll keep you posted. For now, check out Tim's latest video HERE!

Adventure: Finding Nature Nearby

Spring is here and in most places, the weather is beautiful! Unfortunately, we can't always get away for a long backcountry adventure so why not explore the natural places near you. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, Golden Gate National Park Conservancy is one of the world's largest national parks in an urban area—80,000 acres stretched 80 miles north to south, encompassing 130 miles of trails, 1,000 types of plants, 250 bird species, and 700 historic structures. It is a wonderful place for people to hike, camp, swim, and enjoy nature. Get out this weekend and go on a local adventure for some sun, exercise and outdoor therapy!

Tennessee Valley

Muir Beach

Fort Funston

http://www.parksconservancy.org/visit/

Adventure: Backcountry Ski Trip-Upper Rock Creek, CA

After a very busy beginning to 2011 I am finally slowing down enough for some long overdue blogging! As some of you may know, I released my new album "Driftwood" in February (nickibluhm.com) so music has been taking over my world for the last few months. Fortunately, we have been able to squeeze in some ski trips this winter/spring to keep us sane. Here are some photos from our trip to Upper Rock Creek, CA.
Our journey began on a beautiful spring day. Sunny and warm with a slight breeze....perfect weather for our 8 mile skin into our base camp we would call home for the next 5 days.
First things first, we dug for water in the lake nearby and were successful. Delicious Sierra mountain water was now available to us for drinking, cooking and keeping ourselves tidy.
The second evening of our trip, the winds began to pick up and the temperature steadily dropped encouraging us to dig a snow kitchen. This provided us with a great shelter from the wind and a cozy place to hang out during the evenings for cocktail hour and dinner. Digging a kitchen or any other snow structure is also a great activity to do if you're trying to stay warm.
Cocktail hour in our kitchen was a blend of Bacardi 151 and Sailor Jerry's dark rum. It's a great way to pack the liquor cabinet light...but with a punch. We always bring along Crystal Light or Cool-Aide and when combined with our rum blend you are left with a drink we call "The Mule Kicker".

Since we do a lot of snacking throughout the day on things like bars, jerky, cheese, crackers, dried fruit, nuts and candy, it's no wonder that when it comes to dinner time...we get a little more serious. Because we burn so many calories skiing and winter camping (and all it entails), it is essential to eat enough fat and calories. Since we'd had pretty good experiences with Mountain House Foods (http://www.mtnhse.com/) we were willing to try Backpacker's Pantry since that's all we could find where we were. Big mistake, huge. We found that not only were these meals watery and unfulfilling, they also contain very little fat, calories and protein (mostly just sodium). Luckily we brought along chocolate to soften the blow of having a bummer dinner but we won't make that mistake again.

Tim was kind enough to entertain us during our down time by reading "Lawrence of Arabia" aloud.
Although we got 4 beautiful, calm and sunny days, the nights were anything but. Every night we had gusts of wind up to 80 mph and temperatures that dropped into the single digits. Luckily, our friend Brian over at Marmot (http://marmot.com/) gave us some gear to try out including the Alpinist 2P Single Wall Tent above (http://marmot.com/products/alpinist_2p?p=118) which proved to impress us.
The last 24 hours of our trip left Tim looking like this! Our last night out, winter struck hard. We had even stronger winds, greater drops in temperature and steady snow fall creating blizzard conditions all night and into the day. Skiing out was a bit of an adventure but we made it out safely and still smiling.
I was so happy to get back to our cabin so I could take a hot shower, drink a cold beer and slip into my new thrift-store find...Patagonia fleece overalls!

Check out our video!

Created by Tim Bluhm

Videography by Tim, Erik and Nicki Bluhm