Anything besides plain water drank on the trails?

[Different Socks]

I will say that I do drink just plain water, especially if I am thirsty and it's right from an ice cold spring. Yet after I have quaffed my thirst, for the remaining time until the next spring or fill up or during a meal, for me it's gotta be flavored. It's just more satisfying.
There have been many times that I'll drink something now and memories from the trail can flood my mind of the moments I drank that same flavor. Hell, just the aroma of the flavor can do that.

[Different Socks]

I don't see the need to pick on other folks across threads.

When I hike I drink mostly plain water, but I do enjoy powdered drink mix from time to time in the summer, and spiced apple cider in the fall and winter. I usually take some Nido powdered milk and carnation instant breakfast, but that is more as part of my morning meal than something to flavor water. Then again I'm not a thru hiker, so don't mind the extra weight as much.

For the OP, I have seen people pull just about every conceivable drink out of their pack from coconut water (never saw that 10 years ago) to big bottles of pedialyte (yuck), so if you take something other than water, I guarantee you will not be alone.

Spiced apple cider!! Awesome idea. I forgot about that one.

[HikerMom58]

I don't see the need to pick on other folks across threads.

When I hike I drink mostly plain water, but I do enjoy powdered drink mix from time to time in the summer, and spiced apple cider in the fall and winter. I usually take some Nido powdered milk and carnation instant breakfast, but that is more as part of my morning meal than something to flavor water. Then again I'm not a thru hiker, so don't mind the extra weight as much.

For the OP, I have seen people pull just about every conceivable drink out of their pack from coconut water (never saw that 10 years ago) to big bottles of pedialyte (yuck), so if you take something other than water, I guarantee you will not be alone.

bfayer... no worries. PF and I are cool! I took his remarks just fine! Thanks bfayer! As long as he smiles, I'm good!

I have to tell you about my all time favorite "stuff" to put in my water. It's G2 low calorie grape flavor goodness. I love plain water too but when I need a lil something different. That hits the spot for me!

[Sarcasm the elf]

Tang is wonderful stuff and I think it tastes a lot better than gatorade. I usually make a liter of it at less than the recommended strength about half way through the day.

It's got what astronauts crave!

[Weather-man]

I generally just drink water, if it's cold but also carry a Vitamin C drink pack per day...at least when starting out and if I can find them at resupply points. I also start out from a resupply with a 1 liter and 20oz Gatoraid or some other flavored drink with carbs.

[Night Train]

G2 grape...day time, Knob Creek single barrel...night time.

[aficion]

The only two things
I will put in my water
Coffee and whiskey

OP mentioned both
Cause they are common as hell
So what can I say?

Water is the best
And it is best by itself
Unfiltered of course

I refer legal
inquiries that may arise
to my friend HM

[nu2hike]

Water throughout the day! Crystal lite lemon aid with meals! Coffee most mornings!

[Another Kevin]

Coffee in the morning. Emergen-C if I think I need electrolytes (for example, when I'm chugging the fourth litre of the day because I've been sweating). Afternoon tea if I'm feeling lazy on a chilly spring or fall day, or tea if I'm cooking up something Chinese or Indian. Mostly water otherwise. I take my whisky or beer in town; somehow, I just don't want them when I'm on the trail.

[bfayer]

bfayer... no worries. PF and I are cool! I took his remarks just fine! Thanks bfayer! As long as he smiles, I'm good!

I have to tell you about my all time favorite "stuff" to put in my water. It's G2 low calorie grape flavor goodness. I love plain water too but when I need a lil something different. That hits the spot for me!

Hiker Mom, I wasn't trying to imply PFs remarks were out of line (I guess I should have said "ribbing" and not "picking"), I was referring more to the across threads thing. Not everyone reading this thread will have read the other thread, it kind of leaves other readers without a context to understand the reference.

PF, Sorry if I wasn't clear with my comments in my other post.

[Papa D]

lots of powdered drink mixes are pretty good as others have said. This is one thing that I try to get from hiker boxes because no-one really wants to carry a whole canister of country time lemonade and if they did, they would get sick of it - - I do suggest Country time lemonade though - pretty ok and gets your sugar fix for an extra few miles - leave balance of what you don't want in a hiker box. I mostly just do water but lemonade, crystal light, gatorade, are all game . . . . one funny story: last year I bought some individual Kool-ade packets in Hanover, NH headed north toward Glencliff - - what I didn't notice is that these were the type you have to add sugar too. You can imagine how gross it was adding one of these packs to my bottle of (somewhat hard to find) water around Moose Mountain - ugh - gross. I actually just threw them away vs leaving in the Hiker's Welcome Hiker Box (where I found a huge zip-lock of Sobo gatorade) - wouldn't want to subject another to that. Cheers yall

[HikerMom58]

G2 grape...day time, Knob Creek single barrel...night time.

Yes, another G2 grape lover.. woo hoo!

The only two things
I will put in my water
Coffee and whiskey

OP mentioned both
Cause they are common as hell
So what can I say?

Water is the best
And it is best by itself
Unfiltered of course

I refer legal
inquiries that may arise
to my friend HM

Aficion that is so funny!

I'm never going to live this down.
It would be so boring without _ _.
I'll let you fill in the blank.

[Starchild]

Most everything mentioned here - including some various alcoholic drinks which I didn't see yet, but I did see whiskey and I lump them together, of the two that were not:
- Pine (or spruce or other) needle tea (great hot drink that can be gathered on site)
- Pedialyte powder mix, stored in my first aid kit, which is a super electrolyte drink for dehydration situations but I did use it on occasion on my thru, partly because I felt I needed something, but partly because I wanted the flavor.

[Hikerhead]

Pickle juice.

[coach lou]

Pickle juice.

eeeewwwuuuuuuuuuuuu

[HikerMom58]

Hiker Mom, I wasn't trying to imply PFs remarks were out of line (I guess I should have said "ribbing" and not "picking"), I was referring more to the across threads thing. Not everyone reading this thread will have read the other thread, it kind of leaves other readers without a context to understand the reference.

PF, Sorry if I wasn't clear with my comments in my other post.

Got ya bfayer ... I'd be thrilled if no one ever read the other thread..keep um in the dark! Just kiddin!

[aficion]

Pickle juice.

Great for cramps. I give it to gramps. Not on the trail though.

[Spirit Walker]

When I used a white gas stove, I used to make tea at lunch and at the end of the day, as well as soup and hot chocolate. With my alcohol stove it seems like more trouble than it's worth. I do still drink coffee in the a.m. My husband isn't much of a water drinker, even when thirsty. We found that sugar free Koolaid or Crystal light made the water taste a lot better so we would both drink more. When using iodine, the vitamin C eliminates the iodine taste.

[fiddlehead]

Coffee in the morning, a cup of tea at night, water in between.
Keeps life simple.

The pickle juice for cramps sounds like a good idea because I do get cramps sometimes.
But, how to carry it? I can't imagine it's worth the weight unless it can be dehydrated.

[Hikerhead]

The pickle juice for cramps sounds like a good idea because I do get cramps sometimes.
But, how to carry it? I can't imagine it's worth the weight unless it can be dehydrated.

I double bag pickles in zip locks and they give me a new supply of juice every morning to get me going. And pickles are great on a hot day when a little bit of salt is needed. And now I know why I've never had cramps.