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A friend says an old trail hand told him to sip honey as he hiked. He (my friend) now swears by it. Anyone heard or tried anything like this?
sofaking
05-08-2008, 15:19
honey is great, but i can usually wait until meal times
skinny minnie
05-08-2008, 15:33
I've heard of distance runners trying this with the packets. Me, I'll stick to my morning tea with honey.
cavscout
05-08-2008, 15:51
Is he just trying to keep his energy level up? A lot of sprint athletes will take "shots" of honey shortly before a race to gain a little extra energy. Powdered Jel-O mix is popular as well. The sugar burns off very fast though. I would expect power bars to give a much longer "burn time" than straight honey.
you can find honey 'sticks' little plastic tubes of honey
http://www.blossomland.com/honey.html
sasquatch2014
05-08-2008, 17:04
there is a honey Tree not too far from where the Trail crosses I-84 in NY. If you gather the honey yourself in the wild then there is a good chance you will be moving faster. You have to in order to out run the bees.:D
You know those fancy gels people pay a buck or two each for? Well, honey is just the same for the most part. And cheaper. And tastes better.
Mother's Finest
05-08-2008, 17:48
Matthewski says that if you let a giant jar of honey sit for a couple of years, it will turn into a snickers bar.
peace
mf
take-a-knee
05-08-2008, 18:02
Concentrated sugar is only useful when you are in a glycogen-depleted state, IE, you've just climbed 2500 ft carrying 40# and used up the glycogen in your quads, glutes, and calves. Otherwise (if you haven't exercised vigorously) it is more like sticking it directly in your back pocket, or in the front of your shirt, 'cause that is where it is going.
NICKTHEGREEK
05-08-2008, 18:38
A friend says an old trail hand told him to sip honey as he hiked. He (my friend) now swears by it. Anyone heard or tried anything like this?
My sainted grandmother would warm some Metaxa Brandy with a spoon full of honey as a cure for a cough. I still carry a somewhat larger quantity of both as a cure for everything.
Appalachian Tater
05-08-2008, 19:24
A friend says an old trail hand told him to sip honey as he hiked. He (my friend) now swears by it. Anyone heard or tried anything like this?Let me guess, your friend is a dentist trying to drum up business?
sofaking
05-08-2008, 19:33
camelback full of honey, what a mess...
Blueberry honey is elegant. But I don't do it neat.
Bootstrap
05-08-2008, 19:40
Add peanut butter and Masa Harina to make Uncle Joe's Moose Goo:
http://www.ultralightbackpacker.com/moosegoo.html#MooseGoo
If you like it, it's great, and you can put it on tortillas and such too.
Jonathan
Wise Old Owl
05-08-2008, 20:13
I thought the Gorp & Gu energy was loaded with Honey & simple sugars.
Let me guess, your friend is a dentist trying to drum up business?
What is funny is honey is one of the few things I can eat easily now while hiking due to having braces. It won't cause decay if eaten in moderation and one performs good dental care daily. I like the sticks they have at Trader Joes - being in straw form it doesn't even hit most of my teeth either. I follow with water and it rinses my mouth quite nicely.
sofaking
05-08-2008, 21:02
What is funny is honey is one of the few things I can eat easily now while hiking due to having braces. It won't cause decay if eaten in moderation and one performs good dental care daily. I like the sticks they have at Trader Joes - being in straw form it doesn't even hit most of my teeth either. I follow with water and it rinses my mouth quite nicely.
what's the serving size of those sticks? example, how many would it take to make a pb & honey sammich?
what's the serving size of those sticks? example, how many would it take to make a pb & honey sammich?
1 for normal, 2 for dripping :D I find one in a large mug of tea produces a good sweet tea.
sofaking
05-09-2008, 00:53
have you tried any of the flavored ones? any really good/foul ?
greentick
05-09-2008, 01:41
Try tupelo if you can find it. Nice.
Hikes in Rain
05-09-2008, 09:01
Tupelo is a marvelous honey, and makes a wonderful mead (wine fermented from honey). I'm fortunate enough to live 45 miles from the largest stands of tupelo trees in the world.
this is going to be a little long but interesting on this honey topic. i found this article looking at research for repairing muscle tissue while working out. well when you hike your kinda working out also. just your legs pretty much but this can still help. ive done this now for about 6 months, im not sure how much it helps but my sleep is so much better. i fall asleep within 15 minutes and sleep straight through the night and when i wake up i feel so refreshed.
Its called the hibernation diet but i havent seen any sign of weight loss, but i can tell it helps in muscle recovery and a good sleep. try it and you might not have those tired sore legs every morning.
Whats this about the liver? The human brain only source of fuel is glycogen, stored in the liver. Just to stay alive and conscious you need 6 to 6.5 grams of glucose every hour.
What does this have to do with anything? What fuel does the body use during rest (sleep) for recovery and rebuilding of damaged muscle tissues? 100% fat, primarily body fat.
So is my body burns primarily body fay for recovery during rest, why is it necessary to refuel the liver prior to sleep? Because the liver must provide at least 10 grams of glucose per hour to the brain and other vital organs. If you eat an evening meal, by the time bedtime comes you've already depleted your liver store.
What happens if the liver runs out of fuel? The Brain activates the adrenal glands to release stress hormones -- adrenalin and cortisol.
What do those hormones do (adrenalin and cortisol)? The mobilize alternative fuel stores (primarily free fatty acids and protein from muscle tissue). The protein is carried to the liver and converted to glucose to maintain fuel supply to the brain. Basically, if you go to sleep with a depleted liver, you brain sends out stress hormones to break down the protein in your muscles (aren't we trying to build muscle? not break it down).
What does honey have to do with anything? Why refuel my liver? With an energy-stocked liver and stable fuel supply to the brain, the brain will activate the pituitary gland.
Whats the pituitary gland, whats it role?
The pituitary gland is the gland that organizes the release of recovery hormones during slow wave sleep. Slow wave sleep is recovery sleep, when the brain waves are at their slowest, This is when the repair and maintenance of damaged tissues and construction of new cells happens.
What fuel is use to provide the energy for this recovery stuff? Fat is the fuel used to provide this energy. This is primarily body fat as opposed to muscle fat.
Now, why use honey to refuel the liver before bedtime? Honey contains a 1:1 glucose to fructose ratio.
So what does that mean? After the fructose passes through the gut wall via its own specialized transport mechanism, it is acted upon by fructokinase and is taken from the portal circulation into the liver. The glucose also passes into the portal vein through its own transport system. The fructose then liberates the glucose enzyme, glucokinase, which has been locked in the liver cell nucleus. This allows glucose uptake into the liver. The fructose then gets converted into glucose and stored as liver glycogen. With the assistance of fructose, it enters the liver and gets stored at glycogen also.
In short and simple, if you dont have fructose, glucose can not be store in the liver and is basically pointless. Fructose acts as a glucose regulator you could say.
So what I am saying and what research from our bodies shows, if you dont have a properly fueled liver before you go to bed at night, your brain will freak out when it see there is no fuel left in the liver, then sends out chronic stress hormones and stops the activation of the pituitary gland. Sleep is the time to recover, and build up stress.
On the other hand, if you fuel your liver with honey before bedtime, your brain sees that it has enough fuel in the liver, sends out recovery hormones via the pituitary gland and your body uses mostly body fat to rebuild your muscles. Lose fat, gain muscle.
sofaking
05-09-2008, 12:05
someone's taking bio this semester...
rdpolete
05-09-2008, 22:21
I hike with a small honey bear bottle for quick energy ,cooking and in tea. It is a great pick me up when you are needing to get over that next ridge and just don't think you can make it. I also like to protein up on beef jerky and use starburst jelly beans too for snacking during the day.
sasquatch2014
05-10-2008, 10:28
Tupelo is a marvelous honey, and makes a wonderful mead (wine fermented from honey). I'm fortunate enough to live 45 miles from the largest stands of tupelo trees in the world.
I also like the song as well. For a full experience I should try listing to the song while eating the honey.
budforester
05-10-2008, 20:42
I was curious enough to Google "hibernation diet"; here's a link. (http://www.hibernationdiet.com/)
Tipi Walter
05-10-2008, 22:17
For the last 30 years of backpacking I've had one unsolvable problem: How to take out honey w/o it leaking. I've tried everything, little nalgene containers with screw tops, glass mason jars, tupperware, rubbermaid, you name it. In the winter it's not a problem, but when the hot summer temps come, the beloved honey seeps out, ever so slowly seeping . . .
The little nalgene bottles come closest to sealing in the sweet stuff, though, so I'm not complaining, just wondering . . .
budforester
05-10-2008, 22:58
For the last 30 years of backpacking I've had one unsolvable problem: How to take out honey w/o it leaking. I've tried everything, little nalgene containers with screw tops, glass mason jars, tupperware, rubbermaid, you name it. In the winter it's not a problem, but when the hot summer temps come, the beloved honey seeps out, ever so slowly seeping . . .
The little nalgene bottles come closest to sealing in the sweet stuff, though, so I'm not complaining, just wondering . . .
I put the bottle in a zip- bag; the sticky only gets on my fingers that way.
take-a-knee
05-10-2008, 23:26
I've always heard that local non-pasteurized honey was good for allergies. I don't know if that is really true but it is oft repeated.
My mom and her hubby have honey-bees and provide me with sweet, delicious, local honey.
It's my favorite treat.:D
Ramble~On
05-11-2008, 05:40
http://www.honeystinger.com/products.php
I took a bunch of these on my Foothills Trail hike..I liked them a lot and figure I can make my own.
These packets are great though - pricey but hey...isn't that what the REI dividend is for ?
The Ginsting is a great idea and I found myself wishing I had more of them.
For the last 30 years of backpacking I've had one unsolvable problem: How to take out honey w/o it leaking. I've tried everything, little nalgene containers with screw tops, glass mason jars, tupperware, rubbermaid, you name it. In the winter it's not a problem, but when the hot summer temps come, the beloved honey seeps out, ever so slowly seeping . . .
The little nalgene bottles come closest to sealing in the sweet stuff, though, so I'm not complaining, just wondering . . .
I got a baby bear that I refill. Doesn't leak but I do carry it in a bag to be safe! :)
rdpolete
05-11-2008, 16:02
I got a baby bear that I refill. Doesn't leak but I do carry it in a bag to be safe! :)
Me too! I also make sure that it is nestled in my food bag so that it stays upright.
bigcranky
05-11-2008, 18:17
Peanut butter, honey, and cocoa powder mixed up nicely, and tastes mighty good on a tortilla for lunch or a snack. It's easy to carry in a peanut butter jar, and it's not drippy at all.
PB, honey, and milk powder is just as good, and makes a good break from the chocolate flavor, should you need it.
ChaiKitty
05-18-2008, 15:47
sipping sugar all day sounds like a great way to end up with a mouth full of cavities.
Tipi Walter
05-18-2008, 16:21
Peanut butter, honey, and cocoa powder mixed up nicely, and tastes mighty good on a tortilla for lunch or a snack. It's easy to carry in a peanut butter jar, and it's not drippy at all.
PB, honey, and milk powder is just as good, and makes a good break from the chocolate flavor, should you need it.
I agree as on my last couple of trips I mixed up a peanut butter/honey/carob powder and coconut loaf and double ziploced it and so I had no leaky honey issues.
River Runner
05-19-2008, 17:06
http://www.honeystinger.com/products.php
I took a bunch of these on my Foothills Trail hike..I liked them a lot and figure I can make my own.
These packets are great though - pricey but hey...isn't that what the REI dividend is for ?
The Ginsting is a great idea and I found myself wishing I had more of them.
The Honey Stinger bars are great!
mkmangold
06-01-2008, 01:44
Alauver: how much honey at bedtime? Or is that information found only in the book?
REESE"S PEANUT BUTTER AND HONEY ON A TORTILLA!!!!!! my favorite lunch time snack!