[pct-l] The Ultimate High Energy...UL...trail food

[Reinhold Metzger]

Matt Parker wrote:
What are foods that are high in calories, don't weigh much, or take up 
much space?
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Reinhold writes:
Matt,
For light weight, high calorie food think "MACADAMIA NUTS".
At 200 calories per ounce nothing beats Macadamia Nuts.
You have to go to straight oil or fat to beat that.
Mixed nuts have only about 170 calories and are dry tasting and therefore
require lots of water.
Macadamia nuts on the other hand, because of their high oil contents, 
have a
moist taste and therefore do not require you to drink a lot of water.
I know, some folks will argue...FAT IS BAD FOR YOU!!!...I say, that may 
be so
for the average person, but "FAT" is a long distance hikers "BEST FRIEND".
Besides, Macadamia Nuts are high in Monounsaturated Fat, the most benign of
fats and does not effect your cholesterol.
In other words it is the good fat.
At 250 calories per ounce vs 110 calories per ounce for carbs & protein 
it does
not take a rocket scientist to see that you get more bounce for the 
ounce from fat.
Besides, you will burn all that fat, and more, anyway.
That is why UL Speed Hikers "SUPPLEMENT" their menu with "OIL"...to boost
calories and keep the food weight down.
On my JMT speed hikes I include lots of Macadamia Nuts to keep my menu down
to around 2 lb to deliver the required "Horse Power", around 4,800 
calories.
However, I burn about 8,000-10,000 calories and therefore still loose 
about two
pound of body fat per day.
However, I also crank, about 40 miles per day with an average of 8,000  
to 10,000
feet of elevation gain per day.
On a typical PCT hike a hiker will probably burn around 3,000 to 4,000 
calories/day,
depending on hikers weight and and hike.

JMT Reinhold
Your Macadamia Nut loving trail companion