How about some discussion about meals on the trail. Stuff like nutrition vs. weight vs. cost and availability while hikin’ the AT.
Bob
Nutrition and Meals
system
#2
I just finished a NOBO thru hike without a stove and without any cooking at all. I was surprised to meet at least a dozen other stoveless hikers out there, and many more who would go stoveless if they could just give up their morning coffee…
I didn’t do any food drops, just bought at stores along the way, most often at small convenience stores to avoid towns and hitching. So the selection wasn’t always the best, but it was easy and quick. I never had to plan around PO hours or worry about fuel.
What worked best for me for fat was cheese when it wasn’t too hot (wonderful stuff in Vermont) and PB when it was. I bought tree nuts when I could (almonds, cashews, walnuts). Tortillas were usually available and have a good fat content, too, keeping them from going stale too fast. Cold cereal and powdered milk, fig newtons, crackers, raisins, cold ramen, and then I would fill up the bag with as much fresh fruit and veg as I could carry. I had a goal to eat one piece of something fresh every day, but only did that about half the time.
My typical food load would weigh about 2 pounds per average 20-mile day. Typical cost at a C-store would be about $25 for enough food to go 60 to 70 miles, a little less at a grocery.
I spent a good portion of my budget on town food. I got a good cooked meal whenever I could, and didn’t scrimp on quality. I spent a lot on salads at expensive places like in Shenandoah Park.
My partner, Pickle, and I made the hike without a single day off for health or injury. We both lost a few pounds, but we started very lean. We ended up very pleased with our diet and resupply strategy. Sorry so long.
Garlic
system
#3
Planning meals ahead wouldn’t have worked for me because I would have had a lot of food I couldn’t stand to eat left over.
I’m not as young as most so I think I didn’t bounce back from nutritional deficiencies as easily. I lost my sense of taste. I had to take vitamins to make it come back (I should have been taking them all along but forgot to). I also grew tired and went from 2.5 miles an hour down to 2 miles an hour. (But my daily mileage increased.)
I think I got enough calories but not enough nutrients because I would come into town not feeling very hungry and not really craving much.
I ate pretty typical stuff for hikers out there. After a while I didn’t care at all what it weighed and carried more and more fresh fruit. It got so that I would wander the aisles of a store just grossed out by everything except for the produce and cheese department.
I also never cared what the food cost. Food is like shoes. It’s necessary. Restaurants are not as necessary so if you have to skimp, skimp on meals out.
Piper
system
#4
Mostly p’butter or cheese and bagels, fig newts, power bars. Try to have one piece of fruit everyday. Not so easy. Pig out in town.
MeaToo
system
#5
My approach from the get-go was to eat real food and supplemental vitamins. In addition, I had a working knowledge and understanding of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, minerals and vitamins; and my daily requirements for each.
Some examples of my food staples:
Breakfast:
Coffee;
Oatmeal with honey and raisins;
Bread;
Vitamins.
Lunch:
Peanut butter, honey and raisin sandwiches;
Cheese sandwiches;
Apples, oranges, bananas and other assorted fresh fruit and vegetables
Chicken and rice soup with bread or crackers;
Trail milkshakes–comprised of dried milk, water and sugar shaken vigorously in a one-quart Nalgene bottle.
Supper:
Spaghetti with olive oil;
Ramen Noodles;
A can of Tuna Fish;
Cheese sandwiches;
Peanut butter, raisin and honey sandwiches;
The occasional luxury of a dehydrated meal.
Conan
Conan
system
#6
Does anybody ever see Mountain House Dinners or other prepackaged freeze dried meals out on the trail? I used them on my aborted thru a few years ago because they weigh next to nothing and pack the calories and nutritional value I thought I needed. Not cheap though. I’m getting ready to do a couple of weeks from SNP to Harpers Ferry in October and starting to think about food. I’d appreciate any input.
Zachsdad
system
#7
I use Mountain House ( dinners only) quite a bit as their so light, also Ramen Noodles.
The SNP has no resupply points, so from Linden VA, (mail drop) to Wayensboro, VA (Mail Drop) about 120 miles you need to pack all your food. I’m planning on about 10 nights and hopping I can keep it to 1.5 lbs per day by using nothing but dry food and trial bars.
I’ll be doing a section hike, Harpers Ferry thru the SNP in September, so maybe I’ll see you.
Good Luck:pimp
Rocky65
system
#8
I’ll be going the other way, from the Sawmill Run parking overlood (10 miles into the park from Rockfish Gap heading north towards Front Royal). Starting Oct 3 or 4. There are a few short term resupply points as well as restaurants but I need to determine if they will be open that late in the season. Especially Big Meadows which is about my halfway point. I hope I’m right about that since I will be out about 14 days and can’t imagine carrying that much food.
Zachsdad
system
#9
Check out the #10 cans of diced chicken or beef. Pricey, like $40 or $50 a can. I used to like the chicken. Makes nice addition to Lipton’s, Raman, etc. I also used to like the breakfast for a treat once and awhile. Ham or bacon and eggs. You can repack all into vacum packed bags or rolled up tight into ziplocks with rubberbands.
Bob
system
#10
Big Meadow doesn’t close down until the end of November. I think everything else stays open in the fall also.
MeaToo
system
#11
http://steve3717.brinkster.net/traildawg/Food.asp
I focused on good nutrition verses counting calories. IMHO, the body needs less calories when basic nutrition is available and taken in – sorta like “Garbage in, Garbage out.” One can hike on ten snickers per day and get the “calories”, but one must stop and ask what the snicker contains which will rebuild and repair the body. Answer: Not much if any. Good Luck!
TrailDawg
system
#12
I focused on good nutrition verses counting calories. IMHO, the body needs less calories when basic nutrition is available and taken in – sorta like “Garbage in, Garbage out.” One can hike on ten snickers per day and get the “calories”, but one must stop and ask what the snicker contains which will rebuild and repair the body. Answer: Not much if any. Good Luck!
TrailDawg.net - I posted my program here.
TrailDawg
system
#13
I focused on good nutrition verses counting calories. IMHO, the body needs less calories when basic nutrition is available and taken in – sorta like “Garbage in, Garbage out.” One can hike on ten snickers per day and get the “calories”, but one must stop and ask what the snicker contains which will rebuild and repair the body. Answer: Not much if any. Good Luck!
TrailDawg.net - I posted my program here:
http://steve3717.brinkster.net/traildawg/Food.asp
TrailDawg
system
#14
I focused on good nutrition verses counting calories. IMHO, the body needs less calories when basic nutrition is available and taken in – sorta like “Garbage in, Garbage out.” One can hike on ten snickers per day and get the “calories”, but one must stop and ask what the snicker contains which will rebuild and repair the body. Answer: Not much if any. Good Luck!
TrailDawg
system
#16
I found a book… Lipsmackin Backpackin… should have some good recipes in there, ordered it at Borders…Figured I’ll try and have a higher amount of protein to help with soreness and recovery, also it goes through you easy.Walmart has large Food Saver on sale for $124…fyi… One snicker bar won’t hurt…wink, wink!
Crawl
system
#18
I never had much luck with chicken. Not only does it have to be cooked, like anything else you dehydrate, it has to be cut up into consistantly sized pieces. With chicken, those pieces have to be very small. Also, it seemed like every batch took a dfferent amount of time. I’m sure it depended on the amount of moisture left after cooking. After about four attempts I decided that dehydrated chicken was an eccellent treat for my cat and my dogs. They liked it. I’ve had some real good dehydrated chicken, so I know it can be done. I think it takes some patience. As far as potato, never tried, stuff is so cheap in the grocery store, why bother.
Bob
system
#19
It’s much easier to dehydrate the leanest ground chicken, turkey, beef or any other meat. The meat must be browned and the juice and fat drained off. Pat the meat with cloth or paper towels to further dry out the meat, then let the dehydrator or oven do the rest. I store the dried meat in individual meal-sized packets in the freezer until I’m ready to hike.
The Walking Stomach
system
#20
I’m preparing a section hike for early September to mid-October, and like during my previous sections, I plan to eat three hot meals a day. My favourite thing to do is to add different ingredients to ramen noodles, such as dried shrimp, seaweed, sesame seeds, chicken jerky, hot pepper flakes, dried carrots, various kinds of dried asian mushrooms like ****ake, maitake, ABM, etc.
A lot of that stuff is hard to find in small-town grocery stores so it’s the perfect thing to include in maildrops.
Zachsdad, I did the exact same ittinerary you’re planning last year. If you can confirm that the camp stores will be open at the time you will be there, you don’t even need to bring any food with you. There are many stores and restaurants in SNP to keep you well fed and happy. I started out with 11 days’ worth of food in my backpack and still had half of it when I finished.
Carefree