[pct-l] Question - Cookless on the Trail

[chelin at teleport.com (Sharon & Chuck Chelin)]

Good afternoon, Switchback,

In my view the desirability of cookless hiking depends upon some combination
of my personal tolerance of cold food, and upon my resupply methods.  I
tolerate cold, eat-out-of-the-sack, food most of the time, except I don't
like to be cold and eat cold food at the same time.  If I packed a cold
breakfast, I won't crawl out of a warm sleeping bag to munch and shiver in
camp.  I will either eat while I'm in the warm bag, or I will hike for an
hour or so to get the body heat up before eating.  For snacks, lunch, or
dinner, I won't sit around long enough to cool off.  I can eat those meals
without stopping any longer than is necessary to frisk the food sack.  As
Patch just mentioned, my last of about 6 meals per day is an evening snack
eaten in the sleeping bag.

On my gear list, the difference in weight between cooking and cookless is
11.9 oz. of base weight, plus approximately 16 oz. of fuel at the start of a
5-day segment, diminishing to near zero at the end.  In my view, that's
significant:  My sleeping bag doesn't weigh 28 oz. and my tarp, complete,
weighs about the same as that base weight..

It's as yet unproven whether I will enjoy 120 days of cold trail food, so I
plan on starting that way, with the option of having the cook gear mailed to
me if I find it necessary.  If resupply is from home by mail I can have
anything/everything I want as cold food.  When resupplying from the local
trail economy there may be a very remote instance where the only foods
available are items requiring cooking, such as rice, pasta, etc, but this is
a convenience-food society, and probably anyplace I stop will have some kind
of snack stuff.  I'm fortunate to be as omnivorous as a raccoon, and could
probably live on TicTacs and Rolaids for a few days, but some people may be
more tradition-bound or particular in what they eat and will have to plan
accordingly.  In spite of the bad rap that most convenience food gets, it
usually has all of the four basic food groups:  Grease, salt, sugar, and
additives.

As for coffee, in the morning before I crawl out of the sack I dump
Swiss-Miss and instant espresso powder into a water bottle and shake
vigorously.  I usually like this "mountain mocha" hot, but several years ago
in West Australia I was introduced to a similar cold drink that was packaged
in pint-size milk cartons.  Yummy.  That was well before Starbuck's got on
the band wagon with those cute little bottles that cost about 4 times as
much.

Steel-Eye

Eat to hike, don't hike to eat.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Hiker97@aol.com>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Cc: <laura629@hotmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 5:26 AM
Subject: [pct-l] Question - Cookless on the Trail


> I am wondering how valuable it is to cook when out hiking.  It seems  to
me
> the nutritional value gained is hardly any greater than going without
heating
> up water, etc.  There are so many items to take hiking these days  that
> provide just as much energy and go power without all the hassle of a
stove.
>
> I know a hot meal or drink is a treat at the end of the day,  especially
if
> it is cold.  But I am thinking more of three season  backpacking and not
winter
> hiking.
>
> May be I am just a lazy backpacker, but I am thinking of dumping the
trouble
> of cooking meals.  I only do it for dinner anyway.  What's the  big deal?
To
> me it is a pain.  Plus, if I eat dinner and then do more  hiking, which is
a
> good technique, going cookless seems more time  efficient.  Then all I do
is
> have a dessert in my camp at the end of the  day.
>
> Any opinions on this?  How many PCT hikers are cookless today?
>
> Your hiking buddy, Switchback
> Eat & Run Backpacker & Will Be Glad to Finish Your Hot Meal Left  Overs