I am considering doing my through hike of the AT without a stove. Just wondering if anyone has tried this and what they ate. thanks
Nick Morin
Stoveless - Appalachian Trail
system
#2
My wife and I went stoveless from Atkins VA to Katahdin and never got tired of the food. But it is heavier because you you need calories. the fattier the better.
Breakfast -Cold cereal and a honeybun or a substitute bun
am break - bar of some sort cheap slimfast or Sunbelt, or tasty cake
Lunch =PB + honey, Snickers, Jerky
Afternoon break Gorp or another candy bar
Supper Chips, Bread with potted meat (this varied from chicken, to ham to beef and only once did we try spam), sardines, cookies and pudding. The weight you saved by dropping the stove and cooking gear is offset by this heavier food. In virginia and further north you can reach a resupply point every 3-4 days and meals are often available along the trail. The Smokies and the 100 mile wilderness are about the only place we carred more than 5 days of food
We now carry an alcohol pespsi can stove and have used it 2-3 time per week to vary our meals and to keep the weight down a bit for our Colorado Trail Hike.
We know one guy who has hiked the AT twice and is on the trail again who eats nothing but PB crackers and honey buns.
I heard of another “Gorp” who ate nothing but gorp. I wouldn’t recommend either.
I think most of the other 3000 at hikers that started used a stove. I know that most of those finishing the hike at Katahdin had a stove. We only missed it when it was cooler since we used it to make hot chocolate. We now carry a pepsi can alcohol stove and use it 2-3 times a week for pasta or beans for more variety.
Good luck on your hike
Firestarter 2000
Firestarter 2000