This past August, Wild Wilderness Women embarked on its inaugural Babes Off the Beaten Path trip—a yearly opportunity for women to come together, build community, and explore what it really means to be a “babe,” while having an exceptional outdoors experience. We took brand new and experienced backpacking ladies out into Glacier National Park for four days and three nights of wilderness bliss (and a little relentless, cold rain, but, hey, that’s adventuring for ya!).

While planning the trip, we decided that we wanted to partner with companies we felt were in line with our values—champions of women, the environment, and community. It matters where you put your dollars, right?

Well, we found all of that in Michele’s Granola, and were lucky enough to get to sample their Toasted Muesli while out on the trail.

micheles-granola-toasted-muesliMichele’s Granola is a woman-owned business based out of Baltimore, Maryland. Michele founded the company and turned it into a booming business after she started making granola as a hobby and selling it on the weekends at her local farmer’s market. While it’s available online and in over 400 stores across the country now, it’s all still made by hand in small batches with simple, clean, and wholesome ingredients.

In addition, Michele started the business with a commitment to create positive social change and take care of the planet. The company donates 1% of all granola and muesli sales to organizations that are leading the way towards a healthier, more equitable food system. Its bakery is also wind-powered, and the business buys carbon offsets to cover emissions from its delivery trucks.

So, as a company, we’re giving it 5 stars. Scratch that, 5,000,000 stars!

But, what about the Toasted Muesli?

Here are some of our findings from nomming on it on the trail:

  1.  It pairs really well with a mountainous backdrop. I mean, just look at this photo of certified-Babe, Mika Weinstein, snacking on some while sitting atop the Continental Divide.mika-on-the-continental-divide
  2.  It also pairs really well with fits of massive hunger while taking a break on a trail that REFUSES TO STOP CLIMBING. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything (ok, I am, I was just so hungry all the time!)…basically, it’s good as a breakfast with some dehydrated milk added, or, you know, as a trail snack.
  3.  It’s just the right level of sweet. The bakery uses just a dash of local maple syrup to sweeten the muesli and it makes for a really nice, but not overwhelming treat on the trail.
  4.  It travels well. While Michele’s Granola sells a ton of insanely tasty sounding granolas (cherry chocolate, anyone??), we were advised that the granola comes in delicious, crispy chunks that might not hold up as well when being smashed in and out of backpacks over the course of four days. The Toasted Muesli, on the other hand, is loaded with pecans, apricots, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, oats, almonds, coconut, and flax seeds—so, plenty of the tasty stuff—AND holds up really well. A backpacking win!
  5.  With all of those tasty things in it, it’s nice and hearty for the trail. Unlike the instant oatmeal packets I’m used to having for breakfast, this doesn’t leave me hungry again in ten minutes.
  6.  Several of the gals in our group had different dietary needs, so it was great that the Toasted Muesli was free of wheat, dairy, and soy.hearty-ingredients

So, basically, we’re also giving the Toasted Muesli 5 stars!

I’m excited to add it to my backpacking meal planning for future trips not just because it’s so darn tasty, but also because it’s a purchase I can feel good about making. Win, win.