Rethink your food…

Firstly, I have spent a good amount of time with my loaded food bag by now, and learned how much food I can carry. I haven’t quite figured out how much I can eat yet or how much I need, and I am not counting calories or keeping track of protein/carbs/etc. until I start feeling some type of way. Perfecting the resupply has proved to be a challenge.

Secondly, I am resupplying as I go and having minimum boxes shipped ahead of time, if any. Thankfully, I have no dietary restrictions so I will be taking what I can get at the stops we find.

After a final grocery list and trip to the store, for my first few days on the A.T. I had these items. I’ve had a couple resupplies now, and changed some things.

Breakfast: Oatmeal turned poptarts

The idea of a warm breakfast of coffee and oatmeal was one I thought I would try, and it turns out that I really don’t like cooking any more than I have to. So I ditched the oatmeal after the first resupply for pop tarts, and have found that they are much more manageable, fast, and yummy. As for the coffee, I had the instant packets for a bit and actually didn’t use them often. They’re better from a cafe, I will have to save that for town.

Lunch: PB and honey tortilla/ tuna packet

This has turned out to be a good lunch that is filling and also tastes good without compromising energy. The peanut butter tortilla can be formed into a wrap, taco, or quesadilla style item, or whatever your creativity desires. The tuna packets with sunflower oil are edible by themselves and I have to be careful not to overdo it because I love them. Alternatives include adding a nature valley bar to the wrap, or every now and then swapping a hot dinner for lunch altogether. I’ve found that taking two short lunch breaks (or one snack break, one lunch break) is better than one and keeps my mood up throughout the day.

Snacks: A Variety of Snacks

Beef jerky, slim jims, fruit snacks, chips, granola bars…not healthy choices but they get me moving. I like to have Mio on hand for flavored water too. (Black cherry is bomb).

Dinner: Knorr

My main dinners are hot. They are usually either Pasta Sides or Rice Sides, and sometimes ramen or couscous which are abundant at hiker boxes. A variety of flavors add interest at the end of a day! Cheese flavors have been a must. Adding tuna to the Mac and cheese is a good option, which I now do far too often. It took some getting used to figuring out the water ratios. At the end of the meal I might have some chocolate or peppermint tea.

I’ve learned how to pack way too much and how to eat it all. I’m still working on finding the balance of what I need and what I want, and as options and tastes change so does my food bag. As far as nutrition goes, these have been working well enough for me and haven’t left me feeling terrible. Getting to town also provides the option of fresher food and healthier options and I’ve been taking advantage of that while I can (but also leaving room for French fries!).

I have a YouTube video pre-hike that is my first food bag, if you’re interested in seeing how that happened and what’s in there. Https://youtu.be/kNXjqE-R12A

P.S. Hanging a bear bag has been much more of a chore than expected but a lot of fun to do with my hiking buddy. It has taken a lot of practice to get the hang of….no pun intended.