America’s indigenous peoples prepared and used what they called pemmican (a Cree word originally meaning fat or grease) to sustain them as a high-energy food on long journeys. Instinctively, we knew their formula was missing an essential nutrient for long journeys such as the ones that lay ahead for us – sugar!

Somehow, and long before the televised orangutans, we knew that grease AND sugar were the keys to surviving long safaris through the hedges, byways, and sand spur-lurking paths of North Shore. And, we knew The best way of ensuring both grease and sugar were available when we were exhausted from our travels and would sink slowly down beside the trail and reach into our bulging haversack’s for sustenance and salvation.

Just before complete exhaustion had set in, we would begin pawing through the damp canvas innards of what had been intended for use as a gas mask bag by Army soldiers during World War II.

Finally, we could breathe a deep sigh of anticipatory relief when our grimy hands clutched onto the waxed paper wrappings of a somewhat squished peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Perfect! Grease (Peter Pan peanut butter) and Sugar (Welch’s grape jam) wrapped in a perfect “delivery vehicle,” thick slices of Merita white bread. Thank Goodness, I might make it through the trek.

Anticipating the horrors of expiring on the trail that morning, and thus being a burden to one’s safari mates (who would surely have left me to the ants and gators), we always made sure that prior to setting out on a demanding gathering mission, we hunted up – and packaged appropriately – the grease and sugar needed to survive the mission.

Be Prepared, later the Boy Scouts would claim to have taught me that. No, actually, I learned that during my hunting and gathering days in long ago, North Shore.

© Tracy D. Connors 2015 All Rights Reserved