[pct-l] food on the PCT

[Steel-Eye]

Good morning, B.A.

In the "Preparation" pages of my '07 TrailJournal
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye  I discussed food options and
preparation, including cooking.  At that time I intended to begin the hike
by not cooking at all, eating only cold foods directly from my pack without
preparation, then decide if I could do so for an extended hike.  As it
turned out, I adapted quite nicely to the no-cook philosophy and continued
in that way for my entire trip.  Still pleased today, I intend to continue
with no-cook methods for my '08 hike.

Much of what I eat is pretty wholesome, things like: homemade granola; GORP
made with lots of nuts and dried fruits; and homemade beef jerky; with the
addition of some durable cheese purchased in trail towns.  I eat lots of
peanut butter, in spite of the fact that last summer I ate little else but
peanut butter on whole-grain tortillas, three-meals-a-day, for the eight
days and 160 miles between Kearsarge Pass and Tuolumne Meadows.

Some of what I eat could be classified as "snack-food", either sent from
home in resupply boxes or purchased locally in some trail town.  A typical
criticism of  "snack-food" is that it usually has too much fat and salt,
however distance hikers need a higher intake of fat for Calorie-dense
energy, and the salt is useful to maintain electrolyte levels when
perspiring long and hard.  I like snack-crackers and chips, and usually eat
them with reconstituted cheese sauce, reconstituted refried beans, peanut
butter, or individual packets of mayonnaise.  I pack hard, durable cookies
such as Ginger Snaps and Animal Crackers, and for treats I like Peanut M&Ms,
Sesame Snaps, and dark chocolate.

Most of the items in the resupply box have been repackaged into small,
single-serving Ziploc bags.  A serving of peanut butter is measured into a
snack-size Ziploc, and at lunch I bite off the corner of the bag and squeeze
it out like toothpaste. The cheese powder and bean powder also get measured
into snack-size Ziplocs.  At mealtime I add water to the Ziploc and kneed it
around till it reconstitutes, then bite off a corner and squeeze.  As a
result there is no mess to clean up, not even a spreading knife.  Usually
once every 4-6 days I visit a trail town and enjoy whatever fresh "real"
food I come across.

Steel-Eye

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <walkinba at aol.com>
To: <jake2003at at sbcglobal.net>; <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] food on the PCT


>I am also interested in specifics....Exactly what do you eat, Scott??
>Steel-Eye?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jim ake <jake2003at at sbcglobal.net>
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Sent: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 9:44 am
> Subject: [pct-l] food on the PCT
>
>
>
> Hello All,
>
> I'm a newbie here who has been lurking around for a couple of weeks.
> First
> I want to say thanks for all the great info I have already picked up. Lots
> of good stuff here!  I have also had a great time reading some of the
> posts
> from the trail pirate and stinky and others and am looking forward to
> meeting everyone when I start my hike next year. Sounds like a fun bunch!
>
> I recently received Yogi's planning book and noticed a quote by Scott that
> he mails all his trail food to himself because he is very picky about what
> he eats while hiking.  Since he seems to be very successful at hiking (!),
> I
> thought I would ask if anyone knows what he eats.  Does he have some
> secret
> superfood?
>
> Janet in Arkansas (who is now retired and loving it!!!)
>
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