Dave Bybee's Orange-Spice Campfire Cupcakes

By Hklbrries

Note: Eggs can be cracked into a wide-mouth bottle at the trailhead.


Grilled: Invading the Privacy of the Volunteers Who Make the Club Tick

Name: Dave Bybee

Location: Portland, Oregon

Contribution: Sierra Club Outings leader and hot springs expert

SC: We hear you don't use the word "hike."

DB: John Muir thought "hiking" had militaristic overtones. He once said, "Sauntering in any wilderness is delightful." So I prefer the word "saunter." I rarely break camp before nine in the morning and try to make camp by four in the afternoon. I stop a lot along the way.

SC: So you're the keeper of the Club's legendary hot springs list.

DB: Within the Angeles Chapter, they have the 100 Peaks Section, and people climb peaks because they're on the list. Back in the early '80s, Elden Hughes and Owen Malloy and others decided there ought to be a hot springs list to spoof the arduous peakbaggers. I set a goal for myself to be the first person to finish the list, and I've been leading hot springs trips for 27 years.

SC: That's a lot of soaking.

DB: There are 70 soakable springs on the list and more than 1,400 in the United States, according to NOAA [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]. I've personally soaked in maybe 200.

SC: Is nudity required?

DB: I'm confident these are the longest continuously running "clothing optional" outings in Sierra Club history. On the trips I lead, I make it clear that if you want to wear a bathing suit, that's fine. If you don't, that's OK too. It becomes a selective filter to meet some remarkable people. It's an opportunity to go beyond barriers.

SC: Tell us about the bathrobe.

DB: Years ago I decided that if I'm going to lead hot springs trips and award patches to people at the end, and also because of my mystical views about hot springs, that I ought to have some sort of a celebratory robe. And so I found that robe with the hood, and my sweet niece, Olivia, decorated it for me with the patch and fifty dollars' worth of genuine brocade. There's also yards of velvet and then the faux-fur collar. It's not real fur, because part of the image I try to project includes kindness.

SC: You seem to think that environmentalists should be having more fun.

DB: Some people say that unless you're fighting a battle, you're not pulling your weight in the Club. I'm not interested in leading people to a dump or a coal plant. I want to inspire them to get back to their instincts, to have a good time in a wild place, so when they go back home, they'll respond in a protective way.

Interview by Della Watson

Do you know a Sierra Club volunteer who deserves recognition? Send nominations to [e-mail].

Ingredients

• 6-10 large navel oranges
• 1 box of spice-cake mix
• Eggs and oil, if required for cake-mix recipe*
• Utensils to pack: spoon, tongs, knife, container for mixing

Preparation

Step 1

While the campfire is burning, cut off and set aside the navel end of each orange. Hollow out the oranges, as you would a carving pumpkin, reserving the juice and pulp.

In a separate container, prepare the spice-cake batter per the box's instructions, substituting the oranges' juice for any liquids. Stir in the chopped-up pulp.

Fill each orange 1/3 full with cake batter and replace the orange "lid."

Snuggle the oranges close to the hot coals but away from the open flame and rotate them every 3 to 5 minutes with the tongs. The rind will singe black.

The cupcakes are ready when the expanding cake lifts the oranges' lids (about 10 minutes).

* Eggs can be cracked into a wide-mouth bottle at the trailhead.