[pct-l] food!

[aztazer at netscape.net (aztazer@netscape.net)]

?I was wondering if ya'll had any favorite recipes, food suggestions etc.? 

Jamie:

This is one of my favorite subjects because I LOVE to eat on the trail.  I know there are a ton of different opinions on this subject and no two hikers do it exactly the same way, but one thing that's true of all thru-hikers is that they spend a LOT of time thinking about food and eating while on the trail! Lol  

It seems like there are three options for how to handle getting food, each with its own pros and cons:

1. Buy as you go
This strategy means you buy the food in the small towns you get to along the way.  You can also mail food from a town stop ahead if needed.  Pros: Simple to execute and there are no mailing costs.  Cons: There may be limited choices and its hard to do on a specialized diet (vegan, etc.).  This strategy is recommended in Yogi's book by former PCT hikers (Suge, Teatree, etc.).

2. Mail re-supply boxes
This means you buy the food ahead of time and have someone mail it to the town towns according to your schedule.  Pros: You can dry and/or pre-package your meals and include whatever you like best.  You can also buy food in bulk cheaper that when purchased in trail towns.  Cons: Mailing is expensive, its a lot of work to administer (pick a reliable person to do the mailing!), small post offices often have very limited hours, and you often get tired of the foods you prepared.  It's also difficult to know how much food you'll need and to package the right quantities (you'll eat more than you anticipate).  

3. Hybrid buy/mail approach
This is when you have some key food items (e.g., dried spaghetti sauce, etc.) mailed to you but you plan to purchase most of your food along the way.  Pros: You get the core ingredients for your meals but retain the flexibility to buy whatever you're craving at the moment.  Cons: same as the mail re-supply boxes strategy.

There are a lot of variables that need to be considered to choose the approach that works best for you.  For example, the mailing costs are impacted by how far the boxes are shipped.  If you live in California and hike the AT, you may find its cheaper to use the buy as you go strategy.  There's a good discussion on the PCTA website that you should read:

http://www.pcta.org//planning/before_trip/strategy.asp

What worked for me (on the PCT) was:

1. Keep it simple.  You'll want meals that are easy and quick to prepare.  The faster the better.  After a 25-mile day, you'll have to force yourself to eat because you'll be SO tired.  

2. Minimize cooking.  I used an Pepsi can stove and didn't want to carry a lot of fuel.  I cooked only at dinner and choose foods that cooked quickly or could "simmer" using a pot cozy.  

3. Calories are everything.  Bring a big pot cause you'll need it.  Add margarine or olive oil to everything.  Read the package nutrition labels focusing on the calories per serving.

4. Shy away from freeze-dried or commercially dried meals.  You can find everything you need in a grocery store at a much lower cost.

I liked granola for breakfast. I snacked all day long (candy bars, Pringles, cheese, jerky, nuts, etc.).  I ate a lot of tuna (with mayo and relish) or peanut butter for lunch.  For dinner I liked mashed potatoes, Lipton dinners, Rice-a-roni, etc.  I liked pudding for desert.  

One of my favorite recipes was clam chowder.  Add a package of Knorr?s leek soup mix and a can of baby clams in oil (Prince Edwards) to 2 cups of water.  Heat until water is very hot but not boiling.  Remove from stove.  Stir in enough mashed potatoes to thicken.  Eat.  Tastes great, lots of calories, quick & easy to make.  

Lucky


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