[pct-l] Preparing food

[jolson at olc.edu]

I thought I'd chime in here and offer another perspective on preparing
food for the trail.  I've hiked sections numerous times, and always
packaged food and either hung it from trees over the course of a couple
days or had my folks or sister send it to me at maildrops.  I really like
hanging food from trees as there is no "getting off the trail" and
hitching to town.  Just my preference I guess.


As to when to begin to package food, if you dehydrate and such, you should
ask the list about the time it takes to do this.  I know on my first long
section hike my girlfriend got into dehydrating stuff in the oven, and i
appreciated it, but it seemed like a lot of work to me (bachelor
consciousness, or lack thereof).


The last couple section hikes I've prepared for involved going to Costco,
Trader Joes and Safeway a couple days before the trip.  I'd spend six to
eight hours weighing and bagging up food, putting it into boxes for
mailing, addressing and dating the boxes.  This worked for a trip two
months long.  The greatest waste of time was having to go back to a store
for something.  Good list making is key.


The first time I did this it seems my girlfriend and I were buying and
bagging food for weeks.  I remember mixing up 75 pounds of M&Ms, peanuts,
raisins, etc in a garbage bag inside a big, strong box.  I used a broom
handle while Janey held onto the box.  This was accompanied by wine and
lots of laughing and sweat - it was actually hard work!!!


Weighing each of the 150 baggies to get the perfect 8 oz took a lot of
time.  Then there was weighing and bagging 8 oz of rice, 6 oz of
dehydrated soup, 4 oz of kraft parmesian, and other treats like dehydrated
veges or butter packets.  We used at least two, sometimes three baggies
for dinners.  I think we used over 500 baggies for food for that 75 day
trip.  Now I just weight the first couple and guesstimate.


I don't think you can help over preparing and worrying the first couple
times you put together a long hike.  From the time Jane and I made the
choice to hike to the first step on the trail was 90 days.  We were
anxious the whole time.  We spent the last week at my folks, doing final
preparations, and my mother commented that she was really impressed on how
we didn't argue and snap at each other as the stresses mounted.


Many people have commented that the food they prepared for the trip got
old, and for some, noxious and unappetizing to the point they filled up a
lot of hiker boxes, or traded.  Like anything else, this changes over the
years - I now know that I don't want ANY!!!!! granola in my M&Ms and
peanuts.  I know I like Bear Valley bars, but need variation, cliff/power
bars - half and half.  I really like mashed potatoes and baco bits
parmesian and can eat a HUGE amount of the stuff - over a quart at a
sitting, but know it's probably the least healthy/nutrious cooked dinner
you can eat.  I like mueslix and don't like granola or grape nuts.  I
really don't like granola I guess.


My first attempt at the Muir Trail in 1971 involved carrying 17 Mountain
House Chili Mac dinners and 20 pounds of granola.  That was my total
supply of food.  I can't believe my folks let me out of the house!  I was
in love and missed her terribly and bailed after a week or so.


On long hikes alone I don't cook, and eat all the time, munching from bags
all day long.  My favorite dinner, lying in the tent after a long day's
hike, is eight ounces of goldfish.  For some reason I'm in heaven when I
can just lie there and chew for 20 minutes or so.  I plan to munch them
but end up saving them for the last meal of the day.


Hiking in my head...


Jeffrey Olson
Martin, SD