Trail Mix

“Trail mix,” cited in print from about 1976, is also called “gorp” (cited in print from 1962) and “birdseed” (cited from 1971). A high energy “mix” of peanut, raisins, seeds, granola, and other ingredients gives outdoor enthusiasts the stamina to hit the “trail.” August 31st is National Trail Mix Day.
 
Both Hadley Fruit Orchards and Harmony Foods (two California growers) claim to have invented “trail mix” in 1968, even though “gorp” had already been in existence. There are numerous citations of “trail mix” in California newspapers from 1976; Hadley’s “Original Trail Mix” trademark claims a “first use” of 1968, but a “first use in commerce” of 1977.
 
 
Wikipedia: Trail mix
Trail mix (also gorp) is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, developed as a snack food to be taken along on outdoor hikes. In New Zealand and Australia, it is known as scroggin. Also in Canada, it is known as Pink Buggie, which has his origins from a brand of Trail Mix made by the Kyle Hancock franchise, that only uses pink smarties.

Trail mix is considered an ideal snack food for hikes, because it is lightweight, easy to store, and nutritious, providing a quick boost from the carbohydrates in the dried fruit and/or granola, and sustained energy from the mono- and polyunsaturated fats in nuts.

Ingredients
Common ingredients may include:

. Nuts, such as peanuts, cashews or almonds
. Dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, apricots, apples, or candied orange peel
. Chocolate: chips, chunks, or M&M’s
. Breakfast cereal
. Seeds, such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds
. Granola
. Carob chips or banana chips
. Shredded coconut
. Pretzels
. Ginger (crystallised)
. A mix of only nuts (especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids) and raisins is known as “student food” (or Studentenfutter in German-speaking countries).
 
Gorp and scroggin
The name scroggin (as trail mix is called in Australia and New Zealand) may be an acronym, taken from the first letter of eight ingredients: sultanas, chocolate, raisins, orange peel, ginger, glucose (sugar), improvisation or imagination (i.e., the chef is supposed to add a favorite ingredient), and nuts.
 
The word gorp, an alternate name for trail mix, may stand for “good old raisins and peanuts”, “granola, oats, raisins, and peanuts”, or “gobs of raw protein”. These are probably backronyms or folk etymology. The Oxford English Dictionary cites only a 1913 reference to the verb gorp, meaning “to eat greedily”.
 
Hadley Fruit Orchards (Cabazon, CA)
Seeing a need for a nutritious snack food to sustain hikers in the neighboring San Jacinto Mountains, Paul Hadley originated the widely imitated “trail mix”. It contained a delightful blend of fruit, nuts and seeds high in fiber, protein and natural sugar. Because of the trail mix’s extreme popularity, at least a dozen additional snack items were developed.
 
Harmony Foods (CA)
Travel back with us to 1968, California, where two hungry surfers were about to make snack history. Tired from all the carving and hanging ten, they craved an easy and nutritious energy food. Combining two of their favorite natural ingredients, peanuts and raisins, they accidentally “invented” the first trail mix, and Emerald Harmony produce snacks were born.
   
National Trail Mix Day
When is National Trail Mix Day?
August 31 is always National Trail Mix Day.
 
What is this Holiday for?
This holiday is for enjoying the fun, delicious snack that has been popular with hikers for years. If you’ve never had this healthy snack, let today be the day you learn how to make at least one of the many flavor varieties that’s popular. It’s perfect for hikes and it’s perfect placed in your lunch. Let todays be the day you celebrate National Trail Mix Day and share it with everyone.
 
Origin of this Holiday?
Our research did not find the creator, or the origin of this day.
 
This holiday is referred to as a “National” day.  However, we did not find any congressional records or presidential proclamations for this day. Even though we didn’t, this is still a holiday that is publicized to celebrate. So have fun with it and celebrate it!
 
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Main Entry: trail mix
Function: noun
Date: 1977
: a mixture of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits eaten as a snack especially by hikers
   
(Oxford English Dictionary)
trail mix n. orig. and chiefly N. Amer. = GORP n.
1977 Washington Post (Nexis) 1 Sept. G26 We tried several kinds, good and not so good, before locating what for us was the perfect *Trail Mix.
1981 M. CUNNINGHAM & J. LABER Fannie Farmer Cookbk. (1988) 72 Created to provide energy for hikers, trail mix or ‘gorp’ has become an all-purpose snack.
1992 I. PATTISON More Rab C. Nesbitt Scripts 10 No worries, my man. I know how yi feel. Get any more dehydrated and yi could use yir balls for trail mix.
2001 Palm Beach (Florida) Post (Electronic ed.) 1 Mar., A Tupperware bowl filled with cheese-flavored trail mix—with cooked mealworms added for flavor—also made the rounds.
     
Google Books 
Hiking the Appalachian Trail
By James R. Hare
Published by Rodale Press
1975
Pg. 1406:
Found a bounteous supply of wood nearby so I decided to cook Appalachian Trail Mix (two parts whole rice, one part barley, one part lentils). I cooked it a full hour, adding one-half can of Spam.
 
12 February 1976, Indiana (PA) Evening Gazette, “The Skiers’ Snack” by Aileen Claire (NEA Food Editor), pg. 16, col. 7:
Margie Mahoney, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska is a member of the Ladies’ Cross-Country Team and makes her own snack food.
   
When in competition she prefers large breakfasts and after a race she drinks hot liquids, eats raisins and oranges. At home she makes granola for breakfast. Her Skiers’ Trail Mix for hiking or ski touring is made from equal amounts of raisins, dry roasted peanuts, chocolate chips or M&M’s. “I mix these in a plastic bag and throw it in my back pack. It’s a great energy snack.” Here is Margie Mahoney’s granola recipe. (Recipe follows—ed.)
 
4 August 1976, Redlands (CA) Daily Facts, “With a Grain of Salt” by Bill Moore, pg. A10, col. 2:
There were some oranges, apples, trail mix and M and M’s.
 
31 August 1976, Fresno (CA) Bee, pg. A16, col 6 ad:
Snack Mix
OUR OWN TRAIL MIX
Nuts—Seeds—Raisins
1.25 lb,
(Sierra Nut House—ed.)
 
21 October 1976, Valley News (Van Nuys, CA), section 1, part 2, pg. 3, col. 1 ad:
Choice of FRESH succulent fruit, honey, granola, raisins, coconut, or special blend trail mix.
(Mom’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt Parlour—ed.)
     
10 November 1976, Long Beach (CA) Independent, pg. A11, col. 1 ad:
SNACK MIX
Delicious “Trail Mix”—Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, Peanuts, Cashews, Walnuts and Pumpkin Seeds.
1.09
(Naturway Natural Foods—ed.)
 
19 December 1976, Fremont (CA) Argus, pg. 10, col. 3 ad:
CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
TRAIL MIX
A tasteful mixture of Coconut, Almond, Raisins & Apples. $1.45
(The Old General Store—ed.)
   
1 September 1977, Washington (DC) Post, “Munchies, With No Mixup” by Nancy Snyder, pg. G26:
I first encountered the fruit and nut concoction called Trail Mix, Cosmic Crunch, or what have you, in Switzerland, where it was called Studentenfutter (student fodder) and came in cellophane cones.
   
cheflovesbeer
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Trail Mix
It used to be Gorp. Good old raisins and peanuts. Some where along the lines chocolate was added and Trail Mix was born. In 1968, the name Trail Mix was used by Harmony Foods and Hadley Fruit Orchards. Both are California companies. 
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark ORIGINAL TRAIL MIX
Goods and Services IC 029. US 046. G & S: Snack food mix consisting primarily of raisins, processed sunflower seeds, processed pumpkin seeds, processed peanuts, processed cashews, processed almonds, soybean oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or canola oil and/or almond oil and salt. FIRST USE: 19680000. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19770000
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 76345939
Filing Date December 7, 2001
Current Filing Basis 1A
Original Filing Basis 1A
Published for Opposition September 24, 2002
Registration Number 2662697
Registration Date December 17, 2002
Owner (REGISTRANT) Hadley Date Gardens, Inc. CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 83555 Airport Blvd. Thermal CALIFORNIA 92274
(LAST LISTED OWNER) HADLEY, INC. CORPORATION CALIFORNIA 83-555 AIRPORT BLVD. THERMAL CALIFORNIA 92274
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED
Attorney of Record John H. Alspaugh
Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE “TRAIL MIX” APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL-2(F)
Affidavit Text SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE