[pct-l] RE: Trail Food

[ROYROBIN@aol.com (ROYROBIN@aol.com)]

In a message dated 11/2/01 9:26:05 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
Sterling_Barlow@bigfoot.com writes:

<< There 
 seems little evidence that we should be impressed with what the human body 
 can accomplish on a high-carb, high-fat diet; we might better be amazed at 
 what was accomplished in spite of such a diet. >>

The media has picked up on the Snickers thing, as they will, and neglected to 
mention that they constituted at most 1/4 of Brian's daily caloric intake.  
He ate as well as most of us can on the trail -- lots of pasta, grains, nuts, 
olive oil, dried fruits and veggies, turkey jerky (he prefers that to beef 
jerky), daily vitamin and mineral supplements -- and corrected his protein 
shortfall at town stops.  

I'm sure there's a lot that Brian and I don't know about what the body needs 
and how it works under these conditions.  There may be a lot of science still 
to be done, but there are also some simple engineering principles involved.  
One of these is:  

If you're going to burn 6,000 calories per day, you had better eat 6,000 
calories per day.  Otherwise, you will run out of gas.  That applies to cars, 
horses and hikers.  Engineering 101.  I suspect there are many on this list 
who consider backpacking an opportunity to indulge in junk food without 
guilt!