Worst Meal You've Ever Cooked On the Trail

[Train Wreck]

When you finish drooling over the thread discussing the best meal you've ever fixed on a hiking trip, let's give the other side equal time. What is the WORST meal you've ever had on the trail? Why?
Mine, be "Liptons Chicken Alfredo and Broccoli on Rice with Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix- all cooked together as a one pot meal. I had got rid of the bulky packaging at home and labeled the outsides of the cheese packet and the instant pudding packet. My husband was in too much of a hurry and just dumped all the contents of both packets in over the boiled rice & chicken. The rice instantly turned a startling shade of green. We had nothing else because it was the last night of our hike, so we tried to eat the putrid mess anyway. No way! Just too disgusting. I can still taste it after all these years!

[Seatbelt]

I was sitting at Stover Creek shelter and, wanting to get a real early start, I quickly fired up the stove at first lite and heated some water for my rice/mix breakfast--only it wasn't just water....I had mixed some lemonade powder in my water the nite before and forgot. That was some awful tasting rice. I soon after went to clear water bottles!

[FarmerChef]

LOL that sounds awful.

My worst meal. hmmmm.... I haven't had anything quite as dramatic as train wreck but I have had my critics. The worst was a rice a roni I made from scratch. I didn't realize that adding pepper at the beginning of the cook cycle would have any different effect than when I cook at home. Well, I was wrong. Boy was that dinner spicy. It was all we had to eat for dinner and it took a good 20 minutes to cook it so the little ones begrudgingly forced it down. I like spicy so I didn't mind

[Rasty]

Richmoor scrambled eggs.

[MDSection12]

Back when I was using Mountain House meals I always forgot that the breakfast omelette ones use less water than the rest... I think I did it three times, and each time ending up eating egg soup. That was awful.

[max patch]

Well, this meal didn't get eaten...

One morning I started to boil water for my oatmeal and coffee. When the fireball happened I realized I was boiling white gas instead of water.

[Lyle]

Not mine personally, but saw it cooked. Disgusting, not eaten.

Mountain House Beef Stew made with fruit punch instead of plain water.

On a long stretch, at a dry camp, without resupply for 9 days. We relented and gave the guy a new dinner and some water to start over.

Lesson learned, NEVER mix all your water into flavored drinks.

[coolness]

I brought along a can of Treet on one of my early hikes. I tried to slice and fry it for breakfast......It had no fat whatsoever and the texture was like soft pencil erasers. Gross. Never going to buy that again......

[coach lou]

Before I got my cooking merit badge, it was Pop Tarts, space food sticks, and Dinty Moore Beef stew on the trail for me, but after I got out of the USMC, I tried to get my best friend to pack with me. On our second trip out, a winter trip from Salisbury, to Jug end, my friend didn't want to share meals....he was going to do it himself. He took some snacks, but took 7 small steaks for meals. On the third day they were Green, he thru them out..........good thing I overpack

[Drybones]

Scambled eggs and bacon bits...didn't think the dog was going to eat them, yuk!

[Starchild]

Tossup between a can of spam* I found in a lean too and pancakes that were burnt on the outside and raw in the inside.

*Perhaps I just had a spoiled piece of spam as some people claim spam taste good, but since that time I have never really wanted to ever try that again.

[Feral Bill]

I was co-leading a school group on a four day hike. The second dinner was mac and cheese, the kind that needs added margarine. No margarine in the food supply. Result: disgusting fluorescent orange glop. Fortunately(?) we were distracted by a kid who never, ever shut up.

[atmilkman]

Well, this meal didn't get eaten...

One morning I started to boil water for my oatmeal and coffee. When the fireball happened I realized I was boiling white gas instead of water.

Damn. I'll bet that was a rude awakening.

[wcgornto]

Things I ate on teh trail that I wouldn't eat anywhere else: Vienna Sausage

Given to me at a shelter by a man at a shelter out for an overnight with his son. I scarfed them down like gold. Would never, ever consider eating them without a thru hiker appetite.

[CarlZ993]

Well, this meal didn't get eaten...

One morning I started to boil water for my oatmeal and coffee. When the fireball happened I realized I was boiling white gas instead of water.

Wow! A 'Homer Simpson' fireball. Bet that was something to see.

[coolness]

Fried Spam is awesome

[Many Moons]

Things I ate on teh trail that I wouldn't eat anywhere else: Vienna Sausage

Given to me at a shelter by a man at a shelter out for an overnight with his son. I scarfed them down like gold. Would never, ever consider eating them without a thru hiker appetite.

Not bad on a salteen cracker and some texas pete hot sauce, but i'm a redneck! Hike On!!!


Miller

[atmilkman]

Lipton cup-o-soup with cous cous and foiled packet chicken. All together it tasted like crap. The soup is the only thing I'll eat now. You can have that cous cous and that fake yard bird.

[joshuasdad]

I typically don't cook, even on overnights. But the saddest meal I have had is the Thanksgiving meal of chicken salad on crackers at Tricorner Shelter this Thanksgiving. I was likely the loneliest person in TN for that meal -- Tricorner Knob is the furthest point from a road in the entire state.

[middle to middle]

I shared a shelter one night with a man who set a lot of mouse traps. They were snapping shut all night. He got up and re set them. In the morning he made mouse stew and ate it. I know gross story but I had to tell it again. It shows how practical and frugal a person can be. It is not uncommon for desperate hungry people to eat our little four legged friends. I worked in NYC and the "Mole People" who lived in the subway tunnels ate the rats.
Survivors all.