[pct-l] Vegan Thru Hike?

[Scott Williams]

Food cravings and just what you feel your body needs definitely changes
over a long trail.  Two very committed vegetarians I hiked several thousand
miles with on the PCT, change their eating as they hiked on.  One began to
loose too much weight, and her first hamburger was ambrosia at that point.
 I am a meat eater but have been vegetarian for long periods and respect
the diet, but the further I hike, the more important the quality protein
becomes for me.  I never noticed this on hikes of several hundred miles,
but after a thousand and two, it became profound.

Now, that being said, I also hiked with Smiles, a Swiss mountaineer who
remained vegetarian on the entire PCT and was the only person I know of to
finish without loosing any weight.  She was as strong as an ox and just as
strong when she finished the trail.  She relied heavily on nuts and cheese
for protein.

I began the CDT this year with Elinor, a PCT and AT veteran, and a vegan
who hiked much of the CDT, but ended up walking many road miles in order to
make it to her grad school by early August.   She made it to Canada hiking
something over 2,000 miles and never compromised her vegan diet.  She
stayed with us over the holidays and told me she finished the trail in very
good physical shape.  She looked great at Christmas.  So it can be done,
and has been by some really fine hikers, but being aware of your own body
and its needs is paramount.  If you start to really feel like you eating a
hamburger, go for it, because you may actually need it.

Good luck,

Shroomer