9/1/15: Calories

Mmmm, peanut butter

The main priorities for me when it comes to food are perishability, calories/oz (weight), and ease of prep/cleanup. By and large, there are 2 main options I'm considering: boiling water for dehydrated meals or eating all cold meals. There are certainly benefits to both options, but my (limited) experience is steering me towards the former.

By going stoveless and eating only cold meals, I could save almost 1 lb by eliminating my stove (3.5 oz), cookpot w/ lid (3.0 oz), pot cozy (0.6 oz), and fuel (8.0 oz, in canister). Also saved is the time and headache of setup and teardown of the stove every night (and perhaps some mornings). The obvious downside is cold meals. I've done some research into no-cook hiking and, to be honest, it sounds terrible. Breakfast and lunch options would be mostly the same as if I had a stove, since I don't plan on heating water for most of those meals. Dinner, however, is where the stove system makes up for its added weight. Many no-cook dinners would consist mostly of the trail foods I'd been eating all day: granola bars, trail mix, peanut butter, dried fruit, candy, etc. While there are some dried foods that can be rehydrated with cold water (quinoa, cous cous, chia seeds, insta-potatoes), they tend to require a lot of other ingredients to make them palatable, some of which don't have a shelf life of 30+ days. Since I'll be sending resupply packages ahead of time (as opposed to buying in towns along the way), everything in them must last at least 30 days.

I believe that for trips up to a week long, going stoveless is a viable option. For my situation (25+ days of hiking with resupplies sent ahead of time), bringing a stove will serve me much better. Not only are the dinner possibilities much more delicious and calorie-filled, the stove will give me the flexibility to have hot breakfasts when I need them.

In keeping with the theme of carrying as little weight as possible, finding foods with a high caloric density is essential. An average of over 100 calories/oz is ideal. Foods that tend to be high in fats are very good in this sense: peanut butter, olive oil, nuts, and candy. Foods that are mostly protein or carbs are generally heavier: tuna, jerky, bread, and cheese. Of course, calories aren't the only thing to be concerned with. While it is necessary to eat over 3,000 calories/day, providing your body with a decent mix of fat, protein, and carbs is also important. Again, there exists a balance. This one between carrying the lightest 3,000 calories/day and the healthiest 3,000 calories/day.

Keeping a constant variety of foods will also be crucial. After my 2013 hike of Mt. Whitney, I learned that all the calories in the world mean nothing if you don't want to eat them. Although the elevation played a large part in ruining our appetites, we all learned the hard way that if it doesn't taste that good to begin with, it will certainly not taste good after eating 10 of them (I'm talking about Clif bars). This is part of the challenge in sending resupplies in advance: I'll need to decide on and send my 25 days of food up front.

I was surprised with the breadth of foods that can be packed in without spoiling. Aside from the obvious items (nuts, jerky, granola bars, etc.), cheese blocks, dry salami, mayo packets, summer sausages, and dehydrated ground beef offer the ability to vary meals in an exciting way.

Breakfast
Breakfasts will either be hot or cold, depending on how I'm feeling that particular morning. A 110g canister of fuel will contain enough fuel for heating water every morning and night for a week, so I have some flexibility. One of the things I'll need to work out during training trips is if/how often I feel like cooking for breakfast. While hot oatmeal and tea every morning sounds nice now, taking the time to boil water before hiking may not be something I want to do every day. I suspect that I will end up mixing both strategies.

For hot breakfasts, oatmeal will be the go-to. For ease of packing and cleanup, I will likely pre-package 2 packets of insta-oatmeal into individual sandwich bags. Dried fruits (cranberries, blueberries, etc.) are easily added on the trail and provide some variety. Since I suspect I'll only be having hot breakfasts once every few days, I'm not too worried about getting sick of the oatmeal.

For cold breakfasts, it's all about danishes and granola bars. I am also looking forward to testing out granola mixed with powdered milk. I'm hoping it turns out like the Trader Joe's cereal...

Lunch/Snacks
So far, my backpacking snacks have normally consisted of pretty typical trail food: peanut butter (it's the best), trail mix, bars, almonds, candy, and jerky. Lunches are slightly more interesting, but still not cooked. Current items I like include dry salami, tuna sandwiches (foil tuna pouch, mayo packet, bread) and tortilla rolls (ingredients ranging from peanut butter and nutella to salami and cheese).

Some things I'm looking forward to trying between now and next summer are ProBars (supposedly good tasting and very filling), PB&J on flatbread, dehydrated fruits, and more tortilla wraps (want to experiment with PB, jerky, hot sauce, fritos, etc.). I also read about someone who brought Emergen-C for electrolyte and vitamin intake...something to think about. I could also use Gatorade powders in my water at lunch and/or dinner, which provide a welcome break from the monotony of 5 L/day of water.

Dinner
Dehydrated meals cooked in freezer bags are the name of the game here. Not only do they give me a hot meal full of good calories, they are (relatively) lightweight and (extremely) easy to clean up. Some things I've liked in the past are Mountain House entrees (made in Albany, OR!), Knorr sides (pasta, rice, and asian), insta-potatoes, and mac and cheese.

While Mountain House entrees are the easiest and (generally) have the best flavor and texture, they are very expensive (between $5-8 per meal). Knorr Pasta sides have good flavor but a funny texture (they are designed to be boiled in a pot for 5-10 minutes, not just rehydrated by sitting in hot water). I've read great things about the Knorr Rice and Asian sides (yet to try). Idahoan insta-potatoes are supposed to be a favorite of thru-hikers. I've seen some "interesting" recipes that involve combining a pack of insta-potatoes and a pack Ramen noodles (nicknamed the Ramen Bomb for the dense orb of calories it assumes). Classic mac and cheese rehydrates pretty well after 15 minutes of sitting in a pot cozy. The noodles take on a different texture than when boiled for 10 minutes, but the radioactive cheese mix is the star. The other selling point is that 1 box provides 780 calories for under $1 and 7.6 oz. A squirt of olive oil bumps the calories over 1,000 and results in a caloric density of 117 cal/oz.

All of these get repackaged into freezer bags with any included flavor/spice packets already mixed in. On the trail, I simply set the freezer bag in my pot cozy, pour in hot water, close the bag, then wait 10-15 minutes for the food to rehydrate. The pot cozy (made from reflectix bubble insulation) keeps the concoction hot while it cooks. After eating, I simply close the freezer bag and put it in my trash bag. A quick lick of the spoon and dishes are done! Since I'm only using my cookpot for boiling water, it never needs to be cleaned.

There are a number of dinner options I'm looking forward to trying. Some are simple additions like adding summer sausages to mac and cheese, tuna to Knorr pasta sides, and having miso soup packets as an appetizer to Knorr asian sides. New ideas include meals I've never tried backpacking-style. Tacos can be had with a dehydrated taco filling mix, tortillas, and cheese. Bean and cheese burritos are similar except with a black bean mix, to which ready-rice can also be added. Sloppy joe mix on flat bread sounds appealing, as does a simple meal of pasta, freeze dried ground beef, and olive oil.