1
We packed our bags and embraced the Spring "Reins"
V
OLUME
2010 , I
SSUE
05
M
AY
2010
TOPOGEAR NEWS
MICROSOFT
Material, articles and images contained within this Newsletter publication including subsequent pages may not be copied, reproduced, or
otherwise used for other purposes without written consent of TOPOGEAR
is carrying a new line of
Fine Jewelry.
We are specializing in new 925 Ster-
ling Silver and Semi precious gemstone
Jewelry. The photo above is some cur-
rent examples. We wish to offer some-
thing affordable to all. We hope to find
and offer items under the $200 retail
range, with many under the $100 mark.
We offer a selection that will be ever
changing. We are able to buy direct from
our distributor and many of our items are
individually hand selected when being
purchased.
These items will soon start showing up
on the TOPO site so check back often.
We also have large selections of used
and vintage Jewelry. This stock is also
changing constantly. Currently we have a
large stock of vintage Rhinestone jew-
elry.
If you are looking for a specific item
that we do not show, please
a list of the latest inventory.
May issue of the TOPOGEAR Dutch Oven
Recipe Contest
Our winner this month is Rob Kallam of
Moses Lake, Washington. An awesome recipe
and some great photos! Our thanks to those
that submitted a recipe. Keep them coming.
We are extending the contest for our June
issue! Be sure to read the rules. Then simply
send an email stating you have read and agree
to the rules. Include your recipe(s), and
photo(s) of your Dutch oven creation. Rob is
also a member of our
Rob's cooking table photo also caught our
attention. We are always interested new items
we've never seen. It is shown below.
What is the recipe? The ingredients are
shown above. See Rob's recipe on page 4.
Cut off for recipe submissions to be consid-
ered for the June issue is May 15th.
We have a free Mair lifter going out to Rob.
TOPOGEAR Havasupai Falls Backpack
Trip Report (
Click image for video
)
Yes TOPOGEAR Staff and Friends made
the trip. We basically shut down operations
for 4 days so we could all join in.
This trips is not for the poorly prepared, nor
poorly conditioned. At least not backpacking
it. We found the backpack trip fun, difficult at
times, but so rewarding in the beauty and
peace found in the area. Follow us on the next
page and join in as we briefly touch on points
of the trip. See Page 2 Column 1.
2
Our Team was made up of an age group
from 35 to 61. All of us prepared in advance
by doing conditioning hikes with backpacks.
Nothing can prepare you for the real thing I
guess. We read as much info as we could find,
and spoke to people that have made multiple
trips to Havasu Falls. We had all chosen our
equipment, packs, and weight we where going
with. The lightest was a pack weight (minus
water) of 20 lbs. The heaviest in the group
was 40 lbs (minus water) So add 7.5 lbs of
water to find our actual pack weights. Mine
was 30 + 7.5 or 37.5 lbs. Too Heavy!
We had planned our trip on the full moon,
so as darkness set in, the canyon wall off to
our east gradually started showing signs of the
moon coming up. Suddenly it peaked above
the dark horizon. Then with surprising speed
rose higher and cleared the horizon. It lit us
up as if we were camped near a street light.
We tried for the longest time to capture the
moment with our camera's. But nothing can
capture what we saw and felt. Those will just
be fond memories to us.
We paused briefly among some huge slabs of
rock, ate a snack and watched another string of
pack animals headed up the canyon.
We left out of Las Vegas and headed to the
trail head. We passed through Kingman AZ
and headed generally Northeast on an old sec-
tion of Route 66. Along the way we made a
turn north on a 2 lane road. From there travel-
ing another 60 miles to a dead-end at the Trail
Head.
Continued from Page 1 Column 2 Havasupai
We had our meals fig-
ured so we were not
packing extra.
We arrived late after-
noon with an original
plan to camp beside our
vehicle at the trailhead.
Upon arriving we re-
thought that plan. The
parking area is basically
a shelf cut into the can-
yon wall. Nearly a
straight drop off on
most sides. The remaining side nearly straight
up with barely room to park. There was Rock
fall evidence in the remaining 5 or 6 feet be-
tween vehicles and the rock wall. I feared
damage to the vehicle from falling rocks.
Pitching a tent or just plain sleeping on the
ground in that space was out of the question.
At the trail head you will found horse cor-
rals, composting toilets, a few dogs and a cou-
ple Native Americans there to coordinate pack
animals. We asked if it was OK to head out
and camp along the trail. We were told yes as
long as we got away from the trail to camp.
Our objective was to get down the vertical
descending switchbacks before dark. We
grabbed our packs and hit the trail. The
weather was very pleasant and we made the 2
miles of switchbacks in short order. We
dropped into the wash trail and headed north
toward the village of Supai. We estimated we
had made about 3 miles in that one hour. We
found a large flat ledge about a 100 feet above
the trail. We scrambled up some rocks and set
up camp. Tents were up and dinner cooked
and eaten. It was time to relax and talk about
how those switchbacks might be, going up the
day of our departure. We knew is wouldn't be
nearly as easy!
Morning came with cool air and a light
breeze. We boiled some water, mixed up
some oatmeal and sipped on a hot cup of cof-
fee. Food Prep cleaned up, tents and bags
rolled up and we were off heading the remain-
ing miles to the Village. The total distance
from the upper trail head to the village is 9
miles. We had already spent 1 hour hiking the
day before.
The trail had a fairly steady drop, but not
that steep. The trail generally meandering
along a deep wash that had been cut through
steep sandstone walls over eons of time.
Walking somewhat labored since the trail was
loose gravel or deep loose sand. At times the
trail went to a little higher ground and through
some desert vegetation. This went on for sev-
eral miles. Occasionally we came to a more
narrow passage, and large slabs of sandstone
that had broke loose and fallen from the walls
above
We were traveling fairly fast, averaging
over 3 mph per our GPS. Suddenly we heard a
strange noise. We thought a waterfall at first.
Several horses came running around the cor-
ner, headed up hill, with a rider close behind.
The horses were pack animals. Some of the
tied down material was the US mail making its
way out of the village. This wash is the only
way in and out of the village other than by
helicopter. No roads exist. Off and on we
would meet more oncoming horses and pack
mules.
We read, and were also told that this is the
only US Post Office that still delivers US
Mail via horse back or mule. We made a point
of wanting to send a post card home from the
village once we arrived.
We moved fast in the cool of the early
morning, Though the sun was rising we re-
mained pretty much in the shadow of the steep
canyon walls.
In 2 hours we covered the remaining miles to
the village. So for our group, the 9 mile trip
from the hill top trailhead to the village took 3
hours. We met few people on the trail.
Dropping down a gentle slope you enter the
south end of the village and follow a dirt path
between fenced off property lines to eventually
come to the general store, post office school etc.
The village is home to around 500. Nearly
every property was fenced with horses or mules
staked or loose within the confining fences. It
might make you think you were back in time
until you see evidence of electrical power and
water to the homes. Life here seems way more
simple, but more stark and hard.
We found our way to the camp check in office,
paid our fees and then wondered over to the store,
bought something to drink, and mailed our post
card from the post office. The post mark I found
when I returned home is shown below.
3
Chance to WIN A FREE
"MAIR" Lid Lifter
MAY DUTCH OVEN RECIPE CONTEST
We have a winner for our MAY Edition Dutch
oven RECIPE Contest. The recipe appears on
page 4.
The entry and photos were submitted by Rob
Kallam A FREE "MAIR" Dutch Oven Lifter is
on its way.!
See the TOPOGEAR rules and submission
form at the
Also join our
if you aren't already a member.
Winner receives a Mair Dutch Oven Lid.
Lifter. An example 14 inch lifter s shown below.
Depending on the size, and with shipping these
lifters normally cost in the high 20 to 30 Dollar
range.
The 14 inch lifter is great when working on a
raised surface. The 9 inch is great for those
working in your normal kitchen where counter
tops heights are normal. The most popular is the
22 inch for those cooking directly on the ground
or in a fire pit.
These lifters give great lid control and offer a
large degree of safety over the normal bent rod
type. You are able to hook and grab the lid.
Avoid steam burned arms, avoid dropping the lid
in the dirt, messing with a glove, etc.
The lifter also has a hook bent into one of its
legs to hook underneath the bail wire. With the 3
legs on the ground or table, the lifter will stand
upright, at close range, always ready and within
quick reach.
We walked north past the school then a small
church. Then out of town toward the Camping
area another 2 miles from town. This would
make the total one way trip to be 11 miles. The
11 miles would be from the Trailhead to the
Campgrounds. We soon came to Navajo Falls.
The trail constantly dropping we soon came to a
second sight...Havasu Falls, just before reaching
the campgrounds
The color of the water against the sandstone was
breathtaking. What you see captured by a camera
will never compare to the real view!
From here we proceeded to the campground
area. We replenished our water at Fern Spring.
Though it is supposedly safe we pumped it
through a filter to insure we had no problem. The
water tasted great and was really cold.
We set up camp and proceeded to hike down-
stream to Mooney Falls, Mooney Falls is 210
Feet high and is quite impressive too.
Mooney Falls
We eventually made it back to camp and
started to relax. The winds picked up and we
could tell weather was changing and the front
we feared was moving in. Toward evening the
winds kicked up to 50 MPH and gusted even
harder. The cottonwood trees we were under
started loosing some rather larger limbs. We
opted to move all of our tents to a safer loca-
tion. The winds kept up until the earl hours of
dawn. We had sand in the tents, up our nose
and in our ears. The temperature had dropped
drastically from the 80 degrees the previous
afternoon. We were up at first light, having
already decided we better head out to beat the
rain that was sure to come.
Our plan was to get all the way back to the
base of the switchbacks and camp there for the
night. Then do the last 2 miles up the
switchbacks the next morning.
About half way to the village the rain hit us.
The wind kicked up again. We dug out our rain
gear and put it on. It was cold enough now we
didn't want to be wet on top of it.
We made it to the village and looked back to
the north. The sky looking dark and nasty.
Raining hard or snowing in the distance. We
pushed on hard knowing this time the grade was
to be all up hill. We took GPS readings at sev-
eral points and realized our time was double
that coming in. The dark cloud seemed to be
moving in just behind us. It did stop raining for
us. We pushed hard but could not increase our
speed much. The miles clicked by slow and
hard. We took only 2 short breaks along the
way.
We eventually made it to the last 2 miles.
The switchbacks. It was cold and starting to
snow on us now. We voted to scrap making
camp. Opting to continue on to the top. The
switchbacks proved to be brutal, carrying packs.
It was painfully slow. We crested the top with
it snowing hard, cold, but soaked with sweat
from pushing so hard. Campgound to Trail-
head, 11 miles, 5 1/2 hours! ...stiff calf mus-
cles..!..and memories for a lifetime!
4
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH
TOPOGEAR
May 2010 Dutch Oven Recipe Contest Winner
Submitted by: Rob Kallam
Of Moses Lake, WA
Winner of a "MAIR Dutch Oven Lid Lifter
Join FACEBOOK
Dutch Oven Cooking
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Send us your recipe and photo of your prepared item to appear in this
space. Email to
Mexican Lasagna
2 lbs Hamburger or Pork Sausage
1
1 oz Pack Lawry's Taco seasoning (2 if you like it spicy)
1 1/2 cup Water
1
large Onion
2
15 oz Can Kernel Corn
1
16 oz Can Refried Beans
1 28 oz Can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
1 15.5 oz Pace Mexican 4 Cheese Salsa Con Queso
12 6 inch Corn Tortillas
1
16 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
6
Cherry Tomatoes cut in half
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro Leaves (Or 1/4 Cup Chopped Chives)
*Brown Hamburger, then sauté the onion in some of the grease. Add Hamburger
back in, Taco mix, and water. Mix. Cook uncovered until liquid is gone. Set
aside.
*Divide refried beans into 12 portions. Spread on the 12 Tortillas. Cut in quarters
and set aside.
*In empty 12 qt Dutch Oven put a forth of the canned diced tomatoes on the bot-
tom, 6 oz of the Enchilada Sauce, 1/4 can of corn, then a layer of the quartered
Tortillas spread with beans. Sprinkle on a layer of the browned hamburger and
onions. Repeat with the canned Tomatoes, Corn and 2 oz of Enchilada Sauce, 1/4
of the shredded cheese to make 4 layers.
*Sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese on top.
*Cook Covered at 350 for 30 minutes 7 Briquettes on bottom and 20-24 on top.
*Garnish top with halved Cherry Tomatoes and Chopped Cilantro
Dutch Oven Heat "Three Up-Three Down Rule
It is better to place more coals or briquettes on the lid of the Dutch oven. Many
Dutch oven cooks follow a simple three up, three down rule. Measure the diame-
ter of your Dutch oven and add 3 to estimate how many briquettes to place on the
lid. Take 3 away from the diameter measurement and this is the number you need
to place under the Dutch oven.
If you have a 12 inch Dutch oven. 12 + 3 = 15. Place 15 briquettes on the lid of
your oven.
12 - 3 = 9. Place 9 briquettes underneath your oven.
This should give you an approximate oven temperature of 350° F. Each two addi-
tional coals will give you about 20° F more heat
Over 1290 Members !!
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For our Newsletter readers only
Starts
5/1/2010
Expires
5/15/2010
Once these 2 units are gone this offer expires without notice..
TOPOGEAR SPECIAL OF THE
MONTH
JETBOIL Group Cooking Systems
We have (2) Units Originally Purchased
To test market. We were unable to
Secure a JETBOIL dealership so these are
being Clearanced!
$79 per unit includes FREE Shipping
*Note we are not a Jetboil dealer and these come with no
warranty. But they are not used and come in the original
box and packing. A super bargain!!
For special ordering instructions
See Catalog at
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Backpacking, Cycling, Paddling, Military. Lights, Knives, Packs,
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Desert River Outfitters is located in
Bullhead City Arizona in North-
western Arizona on the lower
Colorado River. We provide kayak
and canoe sales, rentals and guided
river trips around the tri-state area
of Arizona, Nevada and California.
Charter Fishing Trips
in NV, UT, CA and Mexico
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Paddling Festival
Hosted by SOUTHWIND KAYAK
CENTER
Newport Dunes, California Visit
site for latest info
1-800-SOUTHWIND or
1-800-768-8494
Don't miss our
Discount Sale
.
Look for items marked with the
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take advantage of the limited time
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LAS VEGAS DUTCH OVEN SOCIETY
Las Vegas, NV
Gathering & Camp Out
Location: 13 mile campground - Red Rock
Date: 5/7 thru 5/9
Time: Dinner served at 3:00 pm on Saturday
Theme: Mexican
JUNE
LAS VEGAS CANOE CLUB
Event: Boulder Beach Camp-out
Date: May 15th & 15th
Location: Lake Mead NP Boulder City , NV
Theme: Camp-Canoe-Fish
www.camp-cook.com
Home of the REAL iron chefs !
MAY
UPCOMING EVENTS
HIKING GROUP
Join our FaceBook group.
Share photos, trail info,
and advice.
Love Hiking, Camping and
Backpacking? Join our Face-
book group. Join us and share
your photos and trip logs
Event: Las Vegas Canoe Club Java Night
Date: June 7, 2010
Locations: Las Vegas
See Group website for details
LVDOS + Las Vegas Canoe Club
Event: Camp and Dutch Oven Cooking
Date: June 11, 2010
Location: Hilltop Campground, Mt Charleston, outside
Las Vegas
See Club Website for details
7
WEATHERED WONDERS
Creations by Artist Dave Bruce. Utilizing materials recycled from aban-
doned buildings and alleyways. One-of-a-kind birdhouses and furniture.
These creations can be found through various stores and specialty shops.
Each piece is handcrafted with pride and signed with love, from Dave's
heart to your home.
Email
Cell: 602 576-7376
Shade USA is a national distributor of comfort and conven-
ience related outdoor products that are perfect for the beach,
camp grounds, soccer field, baseball diamond, parks, and lakes
or any vacation destination (including your own back yard).
We specialize in unique and innovative products which feature
portability, comfort and value.
UPCOMING EVENTS
JULY
AUGUST
BULLEHEAD CITY ANNUAL REGATTA
Event: Annual Bullhead City Regatta/Birthday Party
City Wide Party-Float 11 mile stretch of the Colorado River
Kayak-Canoe-Tubes-Just about anything that floats!
Pre-party-Fun - On the water-Food and Music after
Compete for prizes! Enter your group
Location: Bullhead City, AZ across the river from Laughlin, NV
Date: August 13th and 14th
Email us your event info, meet-ups, Dutch Oven
Cooking meets, Expo's, Community events, art
fairs, craft fairs, gun shows, knife shows, etc.
We will post your info for FREE in this section!!
LVDOS Gathering and Camp Out
Location: Sawmill Picnic Area
Las Vegas, NV area
Date: 7/24/2010
Time : Dinner at 3:00 (Saturday)
Theme :All American
FU
N EV
EN
T!
!
8
Wanted to Buy: Enclosed tandem axle trailer with side RV
style door.
Must be in excellent condition and clean/clear title. Las
Vegas Area. May consider 250 mile radius depending on price and condi-
tion. Cash buyer. Contact
call 702-203-0534 and ask for Rick
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Enter your Dutch Oven Recipe for a chance to win
a "MAIR" Dutch Oven Lid Lifter (Shown in photo). We had a winner for the April
& May issues. We have extended this for the June issue too! Enter early and your
chances of being selected are higher. Details are found on the
. Look for "CONTEST Win FREE Stuff" on the left menu.
are there. Without a release, photo and recipe the entry is invalid. No
purchase is necessary. Due in by the 15th of the month,