Meal Plan for thru-hike

[Doug Johnson]

Question: Do you eat a hearty breakfast/lunch/dinner, or do you maul balance bars all day to get your protein/carbs? What is everyone's technique for eating out on the trail?

I'm trying to setup my food plan for my JTM thru-hike this coming August.

[Brian Lewis]

Breakfast: Protein shake + trail bar + a little of any of gorp, dried fruit, jerky

Lunch: the usual suspects, some sort of bread item with peanut butter, trail bar, jerky, gorp, dried fruit

Dinner: Sarbar's freezer bag cooking approach, i.e., never have to clean a pot, heat food in a freezer bag in a cozy. Sometimes store bought prepared stuff, sometimes homemade dried meals, sometimes ad hoc put-together stuff, things like ramen with canned chicked (can left at home).

I like going cold for breakfast; it's a faster start to the day and simple. I'm not happy without a hot dinner; it's not primarily the heat of the food, it's the additional variety this provides, probably to include a better nutrition mix too.

[Steven Evans]

"I like going cold for breakfast; it's a faster start to the day and simple"

This is my prefernce aswell. My breakfast is usualy just some cereal. I package the cereal and powedered milk in ziplocks before hand, that way you just add water. Super fast and easy to clean up – pack up and out I go. A "no cook breakfast" (or any meal for that matter) saves fuel consumption aswell.

Hot freeze dried dinner for sure though…along with a hot drink.

[Martin Wilde]

I agree with the others – I only cook my dinner. I did this on my JMT thru-hike last year and it worked perfectly. As I wanted to leave camp early (~7a) adding the extra time to cook typically takes about 15 more minutes. Sometimes it is hard to roll out of bed at 5:30a and thus just adding cold water to a freezer bag of my favorite granola, powdered milk, blueberries and protein powder is very easy. I saved the treat of real eggs, bacon, pancakes for the resturants along the way.

I snacked on bars, crackers (peanut butter/nacho cheese) and gorp for between meal snacks and for lunch had various choices of hummus, moose goo, jerky, cold top ramen, chickpea/bulgur wheat salads so so forth. If you like RyeKrisp crackers – they hold up very well and are a good source of minerals/vitamins. All just required adding water and hour or two before eating.

Dinner was always hot meal of around 1000 calories – sometimes hard to choke that much food down for me (5'10" 150lbs) – but I was re-fueled for in the morning to tackle the next pass. I also had an ounce or two of dark chocolate before bed (antioxidants + fat).

You will want to get as much protein into your diet as you can – most suggest around 100gms per day. You need to rebuild your muscles as you go.

Try to add some dehydrated/freeze dried veggies into your dinners. They are easy to add and give you necessary vitamins that you cannot (IMHO) get with vitamin substitutes.

Having a recovery drink with meals is a good idea also.

Good luck! It is a trip you will always remember.

-martin

[Mike W]

…

[Greyson Howard]

I'll add one more vote for cold breakfast.

Either on the trail or at home, I rarely have an apitite right after waking up, so sometimes I'll wait for breakfast until a few miles down the trail.

Another tip would be to not only pack sweet foods like bars, gels, and gorp.
On a two week hike this summer, I found things like cheese-its and other salty foods more appealing than sweets.

[Doug Johnson]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

– I've never tried powdered milk, does it taste like regular 1 or 2% milk that you can buy in U.S. supermarkets?

– I bought the freezerbag cooking book, but I don't have a dehydrator yet, and I'm not sure if I'll find the time/patience to make that many meals! I was thinking Enertia and Mountainhouse meals as dinners. Any thoughts?

– How on earth do you inhale 100g of protein in a day? I guess you could do it with protein bars, any favorites among the group?

[Nia Schmald]

Powdered milk definitely does not taste quite like real milk (or even skim milk). But out on the trail it's good enough to give some flavor to the water. I'd never drink it at home for sure.

Granola is great for breakfast. Add some powdered milk, some freeze dried fruit, and some extra goodies. My favorites are dark chocolate m&ms and candied ginger. This works for a cold breakfast, but if hanging around in camp some morning feels good hot water on granola is quite tasty too.

My favorite packaged food is Alpine Aire. Enertia is good but pricey. You can save some money by buying the 4 serving packs and repacking in freezer bags.

As far as protein goes, the bars work. I make my own. Quite easy and much cheaper. I basically use this recipe but just mix the melted chocolate into the bar with the sugar rather than trying to coat the bar. I also add fiber (look for something natural with apple fiber as its primary ingredient) to the bar. This helped so much but not the best discussion to have while talking food. Protein is most important at night to rebuild muscle so I add extra dehydrated chicken to my premade meals and can usually catch a few fish.

This was my diet on the JMT, granola for breakfast, bars for lunch/snacks and dehydrated meals with added chicken and veggies and fresh fish for dinner. Every few days I would bake a chocolate brownie (from a store bought mix) for dessert.

Fishing on the JMT is stellar. I estimate eating about 40 for the 3 weeks I took on the hike this past summer. It's a great way to get some "real" food on the trail if your in to that sort of thing.

[Anitra Kass]

Cold Breakfast: usually a cereal like honey bunches of oats (in any one of many varieties) with pine nuts and crazins mixed in and some powdered milk or nido. Just add water to the zippy and you have a great breakfast. Sometimes I cook breakfast if it's really cold (and I know it ahead of time) but the last time I did that I was getting up really early, used my tarptent as a ground cloth while I slept out and when starting my stove in the morning I accidentally lit my tarptent on fire so COLD breakfasts for me now!

Lunch: I've done it both ways, bread product with meat (summer sausage or italian salami) or bars/snacks for lunch. It depends on my mood. I love Thomas' everything bagels. I don't eat them at home because they are high in fat and calories but at 12g of protein per serving…they are nice. Also, I love tortillas with Nutella smeared on them but it's kind of a wimpy lunch.

Dinner: Lately I've been addicted to Ramen. I don't know why. I make ramen casserole. Ramen, mashed potatoes to thicken it, chicken (preferably in a pouch) and if I have them, Just Veggies. I love these things. I eat them as an appetizer too, just like popcorn. Sooo good.

I've been known to eat Lipton and cous cous. Rarely freeze dried due to expense. Mac and cheese is a favorite of many hikers but I just don't like mac and cheese.

Snacks: I don't have a planned snack regimine but I eat when I am hungry. I think I am less hungry than other hikers but I am smaller then most of the other hikers I know. Snacks usually consist of: candy bars like Snickers, sometimes protein/health bars but not often unless they are on sale, dried fruit…I love mango and pineapples and I crave fruit on the trail, nuts of almost any variety, and usually gummy worms/bears.

Night Cap: At night after dinner I usually have a hot beverage (hot chocolate or Oregon Spice Co.'s spiced Chai Tea latte…yes I can sleep after drinking it) and some sort of dark chocolate. I just feel like it's an awesome way to end the day.

This is not the only way to eat, nor is it the best but it's been good for me. I usually resupply along the way and I can usually find enough of that stuff to get me through. Occasionally, I can't find good cereal and/or powdered milk so I resort to individually packed muffin but I found out that I love Banana Nut Muffin Loaf and it packs better than regular muffins. Bon Appetite and Happy Trails,
Anitra/NITRO

[Sam Haraldson]

Breakfast: Granola, water with E-mergen-c and a Snickers

Snack one: Two homemade energy bars

Lunch: One can Pringles (crushed in ziploc)

Snack two: powdered milk/carnation instant breakfast, Hammer Perpetuem combination

Snack three: Homemade energy bar

Dinner: 1,000 cal. dehydrated meal (homemade and dried)

Desert: Snickers

Approximately 4,000 cal/day

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

1) Go to http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com and stock up on their very tasty and high quality dried vegetables and beans. All work great in 1 pot and FBC style meals. Or got to http://www.justtomatoes.com for their freezedried vegetables and fruits.

2)I don't cook breakfast anymore besides a cup of something hot. I eat something cold as I break camp or start my walk early.

3) I don't do a real lunch anymore on long days. Instead every night I pack a snack bag and carry that with me. It has single servings of many items to nibble on, from dried fruit to potato chips, etc. This year it will change though with having braces on. Not sure yet what will be in it, I will deal with it when I get there. Anyways, this means I eat tiny meals all day.

4) A big dinner with a lot of fluids. I eat an FBC meal suited to my low sodium/nothing artificial diet I live on at home.

5) A big bag of chocolate. Well, not any more with these STUPID braces :-(

6) I do pack soup mixes as well that I make up at home. They are a good lunch if I am dehydrated and feeling queasy.

[Richard Gless]

Milkman Powdered Milk with 1% fat makes pretty good milk on the trail. It's much better than powdered skim milk. When I did the JMT I came out at South Lake looking forward to milk and donuts and found the store bought milk didn't taste as good as the Milkman milk had.

[John S.]

Why would braces stop a person from eating chocolate?

[Kathleen B]

Douglas – you don't really need a dehydrator to prepare food for the trail. I'm one of Sarah's many fans, using her freezerbag style of preparing dinners, but I don't own a dehydrator and don't feel the need for one.

I buy the dehydrated veggies and beans from harmonyhousefoods.com, I use Idahoan instant potatoes, and I dehydrate the pasta, rice, hamburger, and chicken on a cookie sheet in the oven. It really is simple and quick. Sarah describes the process in her book, and also several previous threads here on BPL discuss dehydrating rice and chicken. It's worth giving it a try.

About actual meals on the trail – I've switched to cold breakfasts for the reasons stated above, usually granola with dehydrated fruit, powdered milk, and cold water. Lunch is the usual collection of nibblies. Try making moose goo with Nutella instead of peanut butter! Someone here suggested that, and it's now my favorite (Moose goo – peanut butter, powdered milk, honey, and corn flour – the proportions are up to you). Dinner is a freezerbag concoction with something hot and sweet to drink. Sometimes I'll make a steamed biscuit. Sarah has described a way to do it, or take a look at an older article here at BPL called Groovy-Biotic Cooking for some good ideas.

[Doug Johnson]

Wow! The vets are weighing in on this one, thanks for all of your input! That's why I love this place, tons of experience and knowledge…

– I will definitely try out some Milkman or Nido and Granola. I'm a pretty picky eater, but I think I could make that work.

– Sarah, thanks for those links, I'll check them out ASAP!

– I've seen the Moose Goo recipe before, but never tried it. I'm going overnight for Dead Presidents Day, so I'll try to whip some up and try them out.

– Sam, I see you like snickers and pringles, my kind of grub!! =)

– I will revisit the "dehydrate in your oven" idea, I forgot about that! Thanks.

– Nitro, bummer about your Tarptent! I also enjoy couscous and ramen…I'll have to try that casserole idea, thanks!

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

"Why would braces stop a person from eating chocolate?"

John….I am missing teeth in the back and the braces only make it worse for eating. In two years I will be getting implants but till then…careful eating! My bite is being corrected so I cannot bite down like normal :-(

I have a feeling this year as my teeth are shifting so fast that my meals will be soup, soup and soup! And pudding ;-)

[todd]

What a useful thread! Thanks for all the input, everyone. I never thought about it until now, but in cool / colder weather I've always eaten a hot breakfast…just because! I'll still do that sometimes, but i'll modify that approach somewhat from here on.

[Chad Miller]

Here was my typical menu for my though hike of the Superior Hiking Trail. This menu typically contained 3,500-4,200 calories, 720g carbohydrate, 130g protein, 50g fat. Keep in mind I’m6’2”, 230 pounds so my caloric requirements may be different than yours. All of my food only uses simple boil in bag type of preparation.

Breakfast:
3/4 cup granola type cereal with 1/4 cup powdered milk
Apple cider drink mix (2)
This breakfast can be prepared either hot or cold.

Morning Snack:
2 energy bars

Lunch:
Bagel with peanut butter and nutella.
Energy bar

Afternoon Snack
2 Energy Bars

Dinner (typical)
1 cup cous cous with dried chicken, vegetables, and soup mix
1-2 tortillas
1/2 cup peanut butter M&M's

If I where to change anyting I would replace the begels with two tortillas to save weight and bulk.

[Mike W]

…

[Margaret Snyder]

Sarah – You will be so happy when your teeth are all fixed! I had 7 years of braces then an implant to top it off. Now I have a great smile and can once again eat whatever I want! Just watch out for the gummy stuff; I've sworn off sour peaches cuz they ripped the crown off my implant twice.

[Hiker 816]

I've had really good luck with these shakes for breakfast:

http://www.nutrabio.com/Products/thermoplex.htm

I had them customized to have just under 800 calories per shake, with extra protein, and I had them packed in ziplock bags instead of bottles. They make for a very easy and fast morning meal, and are easily eaten (drunk?) while walking.

[Anonymous]

Hi Christopher,
Can you get this in powder form and mix it as needed? Couldn't from their website because all they mentioned is bottles, which implies liquid.
Tom

[Hiker 816]

"Can you get this in powder form and mix it as needed? Couldn't from their website because all they mentioned is bottles, which implies liquid."

They come as a bottle filled half way with powder, the intent being that you can just put water in the bottle up to the line, shake, and drink. But you can ask them to put the same single serving amount of powder in a ziplock bag and then pour the powder into your own bottle. You could probably also have them put a whole bunch of it (more than a single serving size) into a big ziplock, and just use as much as you feel like, though I haven't asked them if I can do that. It'd be harder to know how many calories you're getting that way, and you'd lose more of it if the bag broke, but it would cut down on the number of plastic bags you're carrying.

Word of warning: When ordering, you have to be explicit about the fact that you're backpacking, and you want lots of calories & carbs in the shakes (you can specify exactly how much/many). They usually do them for bodybuilders who want lots of protein and low carbs, or for people trying to lose weight, so they need to know that's not your intent. Oh, I found the fruit flavors to be gross. Cappaccino & chocolate are good, though.

It's also possible to put shakes together on your own if you buy all the raw ingredients. I chose not to do that because the cost savings didn't seem to outweigh the hassle of figuring out how much of everything to use to both get the nutrients I wanted, and have it taste ok.

[Kirk Beiser]

I developed a very large appetite when thru-hiking last year and was eating about 4000cal/day (about 2.5lbs at 100 cal/oz). And wasn't totally satisfied even then, but only lost 5-10lbs on the hike.

For ease, BAR = any of the following: Granola bar, energy bar, protein bar, breakfast bar, oatmeal-to-go, pop-tart, pretty much anything and everything. Cookies (chips ahoy chocolate were my favorites), Fig Newtons, and other calorically dense, nutritionally lacking food items were also eaten at similar times as bars.

Typical meal structures
Breakfast – it was cold usually and I wanted to get moving so I would have 1-2 (300-400cal) bar as I packed up camp. I also mixed up an energy drink for my first liter of fluids of the day.

mid-morning – more bars

before lunch big snack – if i had crackers I would eat them with peanut butter (Jif-To-Go is perfect) or summer sausage type meat. I would also have nuts, dried fruit, jerky or any other snacks that were available

mid day dinner – I usually stopped and had a big meal in the heat of the day. My typical meal was pasta/rice, dried vegetables, olive oil, 3oz tuna/salmon packet, and basil/lawry's.

Snacks later – more bars

Last liter of fluids most days was a protein shake.

Notes on eating on a thru-hike. In some ways it will end up vastly different than a single week trip. It doesn't have to, but for most part it was for me.
A) Fancy energy bars are nutrionally better than granola bars and pop-tarts obviously, but they are also about 4-6x more expensive in the small town grocery stores. And when you're talking about 5+/day that will add up over 5 months.

B) It is preferred that thru-hikers at least support the community a little by not having everything shipped in a resupply box. If I'm hiking again I would have a bounce box with hard to resupply items like specific energy/protein drink mixes, dried vegetables, vitamins, and other stuff. By the time you factor in shipping and the hard work put in by your resupply person you aren't saving much money.

C) There is alot of junk food in my typical day. That's not preferred, but an important factor is the number of calories consumed. The junk food is there partly for cost and partly for easy to find in the small groceries or convenience stores that you'll be going thru.

D) Don't neglect protein/fats, especially protein. Carbs are easy to find, but protein was typically neglected (especially by me early on). Good protein sources are 3 oz salmon/tuna packets, jerky, nuts, peanut butter (1 oz Jif-To-Go is much better than an entire jar), prepackaged non-perishable meats (salami, summer sausage types), protein shakes. I'm also going to try some ground quinoa (there's a thread about this) and maybe some lentils or beans when possible.

E) I tried to hit 4000 cal/day. I found that more important than only eating healthy, nutritious foods. I tried to eat as much 'good food' as possible, but I would rather eat junk food before going hungry or losing excessive weight.

Just a bunch of rambling by me and not all of is probably good advice, but it's how my thru-hike diet ended up. And I think I ate better than most.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Christopher. That gives me pretty much all I need to communicate with them.

[Author]

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