I am entering my senior year at the University of Vermont studying Nutrition and Food Science. Last summer I thru-hiked the Long Trail and on that trip decided to focus my senior thesis on backpacking nutrition. My advisor, Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino, and I have come up with a survey to try and gain an understanding of the diet of the greater thru-hiking community.
This survey is for any person that has ever spent more than one month on the trail, there is no limit on how long ago it was. If you have done multiple trips, please think about the most recent.
The survey should take between 5 and 30 minutes depending on your on-trail diet. The final part asks you to record everything you ate in a typical day on the trail. Try to be as accurate as possible with the food list and rough estimates. By completing the survey you also make yourself eligible for one of four $50 gift cards.
The link for the ACTUAL survey (where responses will be recorded and analyzed) is: https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php?sid=61964&lang=en
Thank you so much for your help. I hope this research will produce findings in the end that will help this community. The trail has given so much to me, and I am hoping this is a way to give back.
If you have any questions please email me at tstanley@uvm.edu. Also if you know of anyone eligible for the survey please help spread the word. We would like to have all of the diets in by the end of November.
Thank you to all who have already participated. We are desperately in need of more participants. If you know anyone or have any recommendations on how to contact others (forums, groups, etc), I would greatly appreciate it!
Todd