[pct-l] Vegetarian thru hike

[Melanie Clarke]

Dear Jonathon,

I am a Vegan.

I still have to work to support myself so my hikes are only around 300
miles or less but when I retire, I plan to through hike on a Vegan diet.
 Let me emphasize "diet" as I still carry a down sleeping bag... oops, not
Vegan!  I do not have a problem getting enough macro-nutrients or calories
on a hike.  I have analyzed my day's food supply and I always seem to get
at least 60 gms of Protein when I "budget" myself with about 2,600
calories.  I like to lose a little weight when I hike so if you "budget"
yourself with 5,200 calories, it is entirely possible to consume 120 gms of
protein.  I don't eat sugar so ALL of my calories come from nutritious
food.  You don't need 120 gms of protein so at some point you can enjoy
empty calories if weight is not an issue.

I don't have a lot of time right now, so let me give some protein
suggestions:

When you hit a town for resupply, buy a small plastic container of peanut
butter.  All grocery stores seem to carry soy nuts, along with almonds and
peanuts.  If you can get your hands on the Edamame Soy nuts, they taste
better.  For dinners, Backpacker's Pantry and Mountain House have a few
Vegan selections.  Otherwise, in any grocery store you can buy cheap
"Knorr" or "Grandma Maude's" dinners in the "Macaroni and Cheese" section
of the grocery store.  There are other brands that have Vegan dehydrated
rice and bean dishes and you will get all the protein you need.  In the
"Knorr" (get the rice not the noodle packages, they reconstitute faster) I
like to add some dehydrated peas to get the protein with my meal.  You can
get cooked, dehydrated beans in Mammouth, and a bulk store in Ashland on
the other side of town from the Hostel.  I'll have to look at Yogi's book,
it's listed in there.  I make my trail mix with Soy nuts, raisins along
with peanuts.  You will get lots of protein just in trail mix alone.

Also, remember, almost everything you eat has protein. * *If you eat
nothing but 2,000 calories of *ORANGES*, you will still get about 39 grams
of protein.  If you eat nothing but 2,000 calories of *BREAD* you will end
up with 57 gms of protein and that is if you eat the worst generic bread on
the shelf.  If you buy the 7 grain or high protein bread you will end up
with much more!  When you are at home boxing up your resupplies measure
everything you eat in a day and analyze it for protein and you will be
amazed!

You will still need to pack a B12 vitamin.  I just take a multi-vitamin.  I
also like to take some sugarless chewable Ca+ chews on the hike.  I have a
thyroid condition (I'm old) and I need extra Ca+.

*I LOVE vegetables also*!  Vegetables (and fruits) help me manage my
weight.  You can get these dehydrated vegetables in just about any grocery
store in the produce section.  They are dried with a little bit of oil so I
only eat these when I'm on a hike.  You can also get dehydrated Kale at
Whole Foods or Sprouts.  A new Sprouts just opened up in my area and they
sell bulk dried vegetables, dried peas (I just love those dried peas, they
taste amazing with everything and by themselves) bulk Edamame soy nuts
dried, dried corn.  I am going CRAZY in my new Sprouts store!!!!

You may have to depend more on sending yourself re-supply but it is still
possible to eat Vegan along the trail, shopping in plane old grocery chain
stores.  Plan on all your resupply points up until Ashland.  Then, plan on
spending some time in Ashland to organize your resupply for the next half
of your trip.  Enjoy the Shakespeare plays in the evenings.

Maybe I'll devote more time to this subject this Winter.

Oh and I almost forgot, being a Vegan will not make you safer from wild
animals.  Deer and rabbits are Vegan and they are the food of choice for
many predators!  PCT hikers do not generally have a problem with wild
animals.  Being Vegan will not make you lose weight, unless you are
confused about what to eat.  Cows are Vegan and they seem to get enough
calories.  I still have to manage my weight and push myself away from the
table.  These are all just Vegan Urban Legends.

Being a Vegan *WILL* make you healthier and it is a more sustainable way to
feed billions of people in the world.  Our meat industry is not like the
"Charlotte's Web" farms.  Animals are crammed into small filthy cages and
pens and are no longer humane.  It is a deplorable industry
now, causing absolute cruelty to living organisms.  We need more
legislation to control this industry.  Americans do not need to cause so
much cruelty just to have cheaper meat to make us fatter than we already
are!  I went Vegan when my cholesterol went up to 235 and now it is around
160.  The amazing thing is, my "good" cholesterol is around "80".  A
typical ratio is 1 to 4 and mine is 1 to 2!

I really have to go now...  GOOD LUCK!!!!

Oh, hit the Indian Buffets when you zero in a town.  Any Mexican restaurant
will hold the sour cream, cheese and meat and go heavy on the Avocados,
olives and beans.  I can always fill up at a Mexican Restaurant, especially
when the waitress keeps bring new baskets of tortilla chips!  All
restaurants seem to have Vegan selections now.

Toga

On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 10:31 AM, Jonathon Howry <jon.howry at gmail.com>wrote:

> I enjoy fresh fruits and veggies in as much of my diet as possible. And I
> think without carrying meats I'll be less attracting to animals. Has anyone
> here done a thru hike or a long stretch on a vegetarian diet? How did you
> carry enough food on the longer stretches to sustain energy? Are there done
> things you found to outlast others or provide the most nutrition per lb?
> Just looking for ideas! Thanks
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