Food food food!
From what I've read, and believe me, I've read a bit, food will be number one on my mind between April and September this year. I've read reports that estimate that thru-hikers burn somewhere in the neighborhood of 6000 calories a day. This is far more than any person who is hiking 12 hours a day could even begin to eat. Even more of a problem is the fact that the more food you eat, the more food you must carry, the more food you carry, the more calories you burn, the more food you must consume...and so on...It will be an challenge trying to balance food weight versus caloric necessity on the trail.
I am shooting to consume between 3,500 and 4,500 calories per day. Hopefully, I'll be eating food with high-caloric density, I'm aiming for 130 calories/oz which puts me eating about 1.7 pounds of food a day. We'll see how these calculations actually work in the field!
My goal is to dehydrate about 100 dinners before I leave in April. I doubt that I will get that many done, but we'll see. Ideally, I will have 15-20 different dinner options which I will rotate so that I only have to eat the same dinner 5-8 times.
Lunches will mainly consist of wraps, sandwiches, and hearty snacks.
Snacks will be varied: candy bars, granola bars, GORP, dried fruit, jerky, chocolate, nuts, smoked salmon etc
I am shooting to consume between 3,500 and 4,500 calories per day. Hopefully, I'll be eating food with high-caloric density, I'm aiming for 130 calories/oz which puts me eating about 1.7 pounds of food a day. We'll see how these calculations actually work in the field!
My goal is to dehydrate about 100 dinners before I leave in April. I doubt that I will get that many done, but we'll see. Ideally, I will have 15-20 different dinner options which I will rotate so that I only have to eat the same dinner 5-8 times.
Lunches will mainly consist of wraps, sandwiches, and hearty snacks.
Snacks will be varied: candy bars, granola bars, GORP, dried fruit, jerky, chocolate, nuts, smoked salmon etc
Resupply
How do I carry food for five months do you ask? Well, right now, I am dehydrating meals which I will pack away into 25-27 boxes. My lovely mother (who will be updating this site while I'm on the trail), will then mail these boxes to pre-arranged towns along the trail. Many hikers buy their food as they go. However, foodie that I am, the idea of subsisting on what can be found in a Texaco is a bit...daunting? Scary? Unappealing?
Dehydration Nation
Right now I am in the midst of a dehydrating frenzy! Turns out, getting all the food together for a five month adventure is not a small task. The good news is that my mother is letting me borrow her old Excalibur dehydrator which she received as a gift before I was even born!
The more I look into the world of dehydrating, the more amazed I become. Growing up, Mom always dried apples, pears, plums, and occasionally grapes. They were delicious, but I had no idea that dehydrating possibilities are just about limitless. Granted oily or fatty foods like cheese or some meats spoil sooner than lean foods, such as fruits or vegetables, but even those will stay good for months in the refrigerator and years in the freezer.
The more I look into the world of dehydrating, the more amazed I become. Growing up, Mom always dried apples, pears, plums, and occasionally grapes. They were delicious, but I had no idea that dehydrating possibilities are just about limitless. Granted oily or fatty foods like cheese or some meats spoil sooner than lean foods, such as fruits or vegetables, but even those will stay good for months in the refrigerator and years in the freezer.