Re: [pct-l] introductions

[David Ferguson <david@fergi.com>]

> I am also
> >  interested in the hot breakfast vs. cold breakfast argument, etc.

Jen and I ate gruel every morning - we had planned some days of hot oatmeal and
some of cold cereal, but after a few experiments we ended up mixing the two
cold.  What we found to work best for us was

• 1/2 cup grape nuts (GREAT energy, we always lagged on days without grape nuts,
plus it was worth it just for the look on the guys face at Costco when we bought
4 large boxes)

•  two packets instant oatmeal (I liked maple & brown sugar flavor but you could
add any flavor and achieve variety that way)

•  a few spoonfulls of powdered milk (we saw other people use baby formula
instead of powdered milk which adds a lot more protein and vitamin bang for the
buck)

•  cold water

This combo filled my 16oz cup (insulated lexan, BTW, which kept my hot dinners
hot at night) and gave us plenty of energy.  The grape nuts give it crunch so it
is not too gooey, the oatmeal is probably 2/3 sugar so it was pleasant to eat,
and the milk rounded out the flavor so you thought it was breakfast.

Also about food prep - we had three levels of appetite.  At first we didn't eat
too much since we still had plenty of urban fat to burn and our bodies were
probably still in denial thinking we'd stop any day (always had extra food at the
end of a pack interval).  Then, after about 3 weeks (varies for people - I've
heard 2 days to 6 weeks) our appetites kicked in and we ate what we packed.
Last, and key not to overlook, was in colder climates like the High Sierras and
WA, we burned more calories just staying warm (on top of hiking) and thus were
hungry all the time.  I didn't figure out the importance of temperature until OR
where it was warm and I realized we were eating less though hiking more.

Have fun!

David Ferguson PCT '97



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