[pct-l] what does 2 pounds mean

[Stephen Adams]

Sounds more like you might have been pregnant.  

But seriously, if you have a fast metabolism and are not carrying much extra fat like myself, you'll be surprised how much you can pack away.  Diane's not kidding, whatever it takes sometimes.  Your body will probably let you know.  But be advised, it may come from the flanks and you may not be entirely aware what's going on other than being negative and or cranky, loosing focus and getting run down.  Perhaps some folks can expand on how they were effected by lack of nutrition.  I learned to carry some extra cookies, a little chocolate or something like that in case I get shaky or need a burst.  I vary this stuff and carry an assortment depending on how many days.  And if I am not eating it up I make it desert to get it out of my pack.  In hotter weather I tend to carry things more like M&M's with peanuts, toffy nuts, stuff that wont melt in a bag, butI been known to turn the bag inside out and have at it.  Waste not want not.   
Patti will tell you to vary the diet considerably as one gets sick of the same ol' same ol'.  Though I know a couple people who survive just fine on extremely simple and boring diets, it aint me.  And vegetarians seem to be going off the wagon on a regular basis (at least some based on all the forum stuff I read these days).  My friend Jess, the trailcrew and later Yosemite ranger, would veer off the vegetarian path in the summer season working trails in the backcountry.  
So let's think about it.  If you haven't done distance hiking, it's pretty much dawn 'til dark.  In late Spring and on into the summer months, that's pretty much 5:30 in the morning to 8:30 to 9:PM .  By noon you may have already hiked 6 to 7 hours.  On into the evening and a little after supper and it's as much as, maybe more or a little less, 15 hours almost continuous walking, with a pack, maybe hauling water too, and wether it seems like it or not, it is a constant draw on energy stores and in certain places a heavy draw as when climbing the high passes or crossing sun cupped snow fields or walking in soft sand.  Thus it's always been my philosophy to eat good.  Sure I am concerned some with weight and compactness, but in the end i'll be putting that bag of cinnamon raisin bagels and package of cookies or whatever up in the storm lid of my pack and the heck with wether it fits in a Ursack, food bag, or canister.  The two most important things hiking for me have always been first and foremost, my feet, and keeping my energy levels up (which includes hydrated).  
Diane also makes another good point.  don't over-plan yourself to death.  Just look at where you intend to resupply and plan on picking up a lot of the snacky stuff along the way.  You don't really know yet what you'll be craving, if all your re-supplies have similar food in them chances are you'll maybe be giving a lot of it away, tossing, or simply throwing stuff out in favor of a change.      
So I'd think hang onto some money and spend it along the way and research where stuff is available near the trail and re-supply points.                   
On Dec 19, 2009, at 3:09 PM, Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com wrote:

> I am not much of a planner, and doing all that math to figure out how  
> much food to eat would sprain my brain (although I appreciate the  
> thought that goes into it.)
> 
> What I did was start out with the food I needed at first. As I got  
> hungrier, I added more. Soon I knew that a little less than 2 king- 
> sized candy items each day was enough candy, a layer of pepperidge  
> farm cookies each day was about right, a one-pot meal with a bag of  
> gummy bears made for a nice dinner, a bowl of grapenuts and a few  
> heaping spoonfuls of powdered milk was about right, one packet of  
> instant pudding for the entire segment was a secret weapon against  
> those days when nothing quelled the hunger, etc.
> 
> Was it enough calories? How many calories was it? How much did it  
> weigh? I am pretty certain it wasn't anywhere near 7000 calories.  
> Maybe it was closer to 5000. I really don't know. I didn't weigh it,  
> and I only measured to know how many servings to bring. I walked into  
> town hungry, certainly, but after two town meals I was satisfied and  
> ready to hit the trail and start the madness over again.
> 
> If you're trying to plan your meals out far in advance, just pack the  
> meals you anticipate and add in extras as you go and your hunger  
> changes. Extra candy, cookies, crackers, peanut butter, etc. That  
> stuff you can buy almost anywhere. No need to ship it.
> 
> On Dec 19, 2009, at 2:45 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> 
>> what does 2 pounds mean
> 
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