[pct-l] vegetarians/vegans

[Vincent Rupp]

I'm planning a vegetarian thru-hike this year. I'm not always 100% strict,
but it's so much easier than dealing with how to bring meat along.
The only issue seems to be adequate protein, but it's not too hard to get.
Here are my favorites:
Soy Jerky: 14g per package (1.65 oz). This is really tasty stuff, and lower
in saturated fat, sodium, and cost than beef jerky (which I also love). I
read a thru-hiker's blog online about it (sorry, don't remember who) and
ended up ordering about 12 lbs from Lumen Soy
Foods.<http://www.soybean.com> It's
great as a snack or cut up and thrown in with pretty much any dinner.

Powerbar Protein: 23g per bar. These aren't great, but they're okay, and
they're very satisfying to eat. They are pricey relative to a normal Clif
Bar or a Snickers, but grocery stores have 3/$5 sales pretty often.

Clif Bar: 10g per bar (I'm looking at Oatmeal Raisin Walnut - the best
flavor). 99cents at Trader Joe's and one of the best things I ever eat when
hiking-hungry.

Dairy, grains, legumes, and nuts all have some protein. The Complete
Backpacking Handbook says if you get any two of those in order (Dairy +
Grain = Mac & Cheese, Grain + Legume = Rice & Beans, Legume + Nuts =
Peanut/Cashew Mix), you get a complete protein. Soy is a complete protein by
itself.

I'm not sure how much I actually need a day, but my resupply boxes will each
get me over 60g. Resupplies in town may take a bit more work, but I'm not
planning to resupply at many gas stations (just the one).

With a couple tasty supplements, it doesn't seem too hard. I've also found
soy protein powder combines really well with powdered milk for cocoa or
oatmeal (that might have been a tip from someone on this list, but yum!
either way). Ground or powdered beans sound like a great idea too.


On Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 5:33 PM, Janet Grossman <janetgr at cableone.net>wrote:

> Just out of curiosity, how many of you thru hikers, future and former, are
> vegan/vegetarian? How did that go on the thru hike? Any advice for a couple
> of long-time vegetarians that are thru hiking this year? Any restaurants
> along the trail, tips for food, etc? Vegetarians unite!
>
> Andy
>
> Andy, I've been a vegetarian for about 38 years, vegan for about 14. I did
> the AT back in '78-'79 (as 2 large chunks) and didn't have any problem as a
> vegetarian. Now it is so much easier to be even a vegan in public settings!
> When I set out to thru-hike the PCT in '07, I dehydrated lots of food that
> we eat at home (lentil-spinach-brown rice soup, mashed sweet potatoes (add
> peanut butter on the trail), cooked dried beans, etc.), ground it to powder
> in the blender, and bagged it so I just had to add water (boiling if
> possible) and let it sit a few minutes on the trail. I only managed 265
> miles that year, so am still eating food I prepared for that year. I did
> encounter a guy on the trail in '07 who was a vegetarian and said he needed
> more protein, was going to town to buy powdered refried beans. I've also hit
> Chinese markets for fun stuff like dried tofu, mushrooms, etc. To date I've
> only done about 565 miles of the PCT, but I just don't see vegetarianism as
> a problem for a th
>  ru-hiker, so long as your diet at home and on the trail is a healthy one.
> By that I mean lots of vegetables and whole foods, not the white-flour pasta
> and white rice that so many people eat. Good luck and have fun!
> Janet
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