View Full Version : Need Advice..
2011_thruhiker
11-24-2008, 13:14
Alright. Getting ready to leave for my first cold weather hiking. I am also going to do my first ever bushwacking through the George Washington National Forest. So I have all my stuff ready to go, including my compass.
My question; I usually eat really light (2500 calories a day) while hiking, but a lot of forum members have told me that isn't enough through a previus post, but also my doctor last week reinterated the same thing. She said she would like to see a daily intake of around 6,000 calories a day during warm weather and in cold weather, especially around or below freezing, 9,000-10,000 daily calories intake. Ouch. I just might as well pack a Uhaul trailer full of food and hook it up to my pack and start pulling. What are tasty foods, easy to prepare, that are light but very high in calories? I do have a sweet tooth but hate those energy bars. I also love oatmeal, but apparently it's not enough for breakfast alone. Pasta and rice was good things too, but I need to add to those too. I am researching recipes to make a head of time, but do you have any little tricks to add more calories?
Suggestions????
You are extremely unlikely to maintain 6,000 calories per day—much less 9,000+—while hiking long distances. It's just not practical to store that kind of bulk in a pack, and the weight would put a hurtin' on you.
You can still eat well enough while hiking, and in camp by choosing nutritious foods that are lighterweight. Here's a good place to start your research: http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=nutrition
Many long-distance hikers make up for their on-trail deprivation when visiting towns. They feast on AYCE buffets, and eat lots of fats and calorie-laden stuff that you would be chastised for consuming before and after your hike. You will develop your own cravings that you migrate toward in towns. Mine is salad bars, pizza, ice cream, and almost any soft drinks with ice in the glass.
Blue Jay
11-24-2008, 13:42
Cheese, butter, olive oil, donuts (they crush down but still taste like donuts), frozen fruit and vegitables to provide fibre and also to help counter act the effects of the donuts, pasta to put the butter on. Of course the old standbys of oatmeal and peanut butter. This is why winter hiking rules, you can eat fat covered in fat with a side order of fat.:welcome
Cold weather trips mean you have some limitations but also many bennies! Example: energy bars suck in winter trips - they get hard enough to break teeth. But on the other hand you can carry real food with no spoilage! Yay!
Don't worry about reaching 6K calories - 3-4K is just fine. If it is a short trip, even less to worry about. The issue would lie in long trips where you are doing extreme physical outputs in very cold temps.
Take plenty of food - including hot drinks and simple soups. That way you stay hydrated (which to stay warm you need plenty of water!) If you stay hydrated you will have a better appetite as well. Making soup? Add a good drizzle of oil in for calories/fat.
Nibble all day - don't just gorge yourself 3 times a day. This will make it easier for your body to digest food in cold temps. And take a wide variety of food to encourage you to eat - tater chips, dried fruit, cookies, etc.
2011_thruhiker
11-24-2008, 15:04
Thank you!
I have juvenile diabetes and although I am not insulin dependant (I have been for periods to regain control of my sugar, but otherwise am on Metformin) when I am not on the trail, I have to be extremely careful what I eat. When I am out on the trail, I have to eat as much as I am burning for calories to maintain healthy sugar levels.
I prefer-probably because of my diabetes-to nibble all day, eat a big breakfast and dinner and a smaller lunch. The best thing about being on the trail I have absolutely no dietary restrictions and can eat the stuff with sugar in it. So, I am adding things like brown sugar to my oatmeal, eating more grains (like bread etc) and stuff like that. I will be adding olive oil too:-). Most often I am the hiker trucking down the path with an ice cream in one hand, and a awesome peanut butter and jelly sandwich in another.
I find when I am hiking my dietary intake and my excerise balance out enough to control my sugar effectively where I don't have to be so dependant on my meds. My doctor calls it the secret to controlling your diabetes..LOL.
Btw, if you haven't, check out my good friend Mike's site. He is Type 1 as well.
http://www.rainforesttreks.com/diabetes.asp
:)
Stop in towns every 3-5 days and get a good meal or several and some fiber, fruit and dairy into you. That's how most thru hikes go nowadays, I think. It's hard to carry enough food to entirely replenish the calories you burn on a "normal" thru-hiking pace. Town stops make up the deficit, sort of... but you'll still lose weight.
Blissful
11-24-2008, 20:43
Alright. Getting ready to leave for my first cold weather hiking. I am also going to do my first ever bushwacking through the George Washington National Forest. So I have all my stuff ready to go, including my compass.
Suggestions????
"Bushwhacking" through the national forest - not sure how many town stops you will have or if there is civilization nearby even (you do not mention where you will be, specifically). Might want to consider your itinerary and length of hike so there is civilization nearby, esp with this health issue and in case you need nutrition and/ or assistance. I hope your condition is also well managed as it can be severely affected by hiking and the cold. Hope you are hiking with someone.
the goat
11-24-2008, 20:44
You are extremely unlikely to maintain 6,000 calories per day—much less 9,000+—while hiking long distances. It's just not practical to store that kind of bulk in a pack, and the weight would put a hurtin' on you.
You can still eat well enough while hiking, and in camp by choosing nutritious foods that are lighterweight. Here's a good place to start your research: http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=nutrition
Many long-distance hikers make up for their on-trail deprivation when visiting towns. They feast on AYCE buffets, and eat lots of fats and calorie-laden stuff that you would be chastised for consuming before and after your hike. You will develop your own cravings that you migrate toward in towns. Mine is salad bars, pizza, ice cream, and almost any soft drinks with ice in the glass.
excellent advice.
The best research I have seen suggests that a healthy fit body can only assimilate 300 calories and 1.5 Liters of water an hour while continuously excercising for longer than 2 hours.
To keep blood sugar in check pace yourself especially on a climb. HYOH. I am hypothesizing(is that a word) with diabetes the method of waiting to get to town to catch up on eating will not work.
Most hikers sense a "wall" between 18 and 20 miles. If diabetes is a factor I would stay in the 15 mile or under range and hike with someone that knows your situation figuring on 4000+ calories to be safe.
I eat big and tend to do continous big miles(20+) and typically loose 4-5lbs a week.
Plan on snacks at night for energy for warmth. My favorite--cookies-- carbs and fat.
Home made granola. You can crank up the calorie count. And graze on the fly. (dry)
Peanuts. Dried apricots.
Fudge rounds. The breakfast of champions.
Tipi Walter
11-25-2008, 09:10
No matter how long I've been backpacking, I'm always looking for new foods to add to my load. On my last trip I took an avocado, three pears, a big bag of grapes and 6 raw eggs, along with a loaf of whole wheat bread and all the rest. Food is a personal thing but I recommend taking what you like to eat and divide it up into two separate bags: Cookables and Snackables. The snack foods are things you can eat w/o cooking and add the most weight(water weight mostly), while the cookables are the usual fare most backpackers think of: Mac and cheese, oatmeal, Lipton Pasta-Cides(death-by-pasta??), tuna packs, Tasty Bites meals, dehydrated backpacking packets(Mt House/Mary Janes Farm etc).
Variety is the name of the game, it gives you a mental leg up on the trip and gives you something to think about when you're caught in the rain or sitting in the tent during a 5 degree blizzard. Over the years I've taken everything from a whole watermelon to canned beans to a dozen eggs to a half gallon of ice cream(melted and drunk in camp--too sweet--ecch), quart jar bottles of fruit juice, half head of purple cabbage, bag of baby carrots, and a whole variety of fresh fruit. Why not? Momma Nature doesn't care how much your pack weighs, just as long as you're out.
And if you have some extra cash to spend, look online for some perfect backpacking foods: Nature's Path manna bread/Larabar nut bars/Bear Valley pemmican bars/Tasty Bites mail order pouches etc. It's endless, and there's some great stuff out there. Then again, your local grocery store has everhthing you need. Explore. And ziplocs.
2011_thruhiker
11-25-2008, 09:45
Nope, I am going solo. But I do have extra things in place, like a call home every night-whether I have to hike to a town to do so or my cell has service (best case) and leave my iternary with my husband. Every night when I do call home, I give the location of my campsite and etc. So if he should need to send out the Rangers to find me, he has a pretty good idea where they should begin to look. If he doesn't hear from me by 9pm, he'll be on the phone with the rangers by 9:15pm (I usually check in between 5-6pm or an hour before it gets dark). It is a pain in the butt sometimes especially when I have to hike into town, just to make that call, but considering my health issue, I'd rather keep it safe and give my hubby peace of mind.
I also found eating a big meal for dinner helps and then snacking a half an hour before I go to bed also helps alot.
Every night when I do call home, I give the location of my campsite and etc. So if he should need to send out the Rangers to find me, he has a pretty good idea where they should begin to look. If he doesn't hear from me by 9pm, he'll be on the phone with the rangers by 9:15pm
You can't count on such reliable cell phone service. Lots of shelters and campsites are in hollows with no service.
Lone Wolf
11-25-2008, 10:00
Nope, I am going solo. But I do have extra things in place, like a call home every night-whether I have to hike to a town to do so or my cell has service (best case) and leave my iternary with my husband. Every night when I do call home, I give the location of my campsite and etc. So if he should need to send out the Rangers to find me, he has a pretty good idea where they should begin to look. If he doesn't hear from me by 9pm, he'll be on the phone with the rangers by 9:15pm (I usually check in between 5-6pm or an hour before it gets dark). It is a pain in the butt sometimes especially when I have to hike into town, just to make that call, but considering my health issue, I'd rather keep it safe and give my hubby peace of mind.
this ain't gonna work :)
2011_thruhiker
11-25-2008, 10:13
Hmmmmmmmmmmm, okay what do you suggest Lone Wolf? Please, please, please don't say have a "partner" I love hiking solo.....:-)
Lone Wolf
11-25-2008, 10:18
tell hubby to lighten up and that you can't call every day
Suggest calling home "when possible." Just understand that a phone call at a given time, every day, isn't going to happen. So if you can't get a signal on Monday night, chances are there will be some place along the trail on Tuesday morning when you can.
2011_thruhiker
11-25-2008, 10:26
Okay, I'll suggest that to him....
My buddy Mike, who I mentioned above...he goes off on nutsy adventures every year. His wife is an amazing woman - somehow she smiles and doesn't stop him. (Bravo to her) And he does the trips solo almost every time (for the most part no else can keep up with him!).
Here is what I do for my husband: I map out my trip, I show him where I will be every day - where I expect to camp. I check in daily on cell phone if I can - if not he is fine with that. I also never change plans unless he knows - that way if I was late he knows exactly where I should be.
You might also consider a Spot? If it works in your area he could follow you!
Summer sausage--much more caloric than beef jerky.
Ditto on not leaving your husband with the expectation of hearing from you often. Give him a detailed hiking plan and a time by which "if you don't hear from my by XXX, call 911." Until that date and time, he should assume no news is good news.
I'm not being flippant--my husband and I have operated this way for decades.
Blue Jay
11-25-2008, 13:56
This spring and summer I tried to call home each day. Rarely was I able to call even every other day. Please don't add phone stress to your hike as you will almost certainly regret it. I hiked with someone who was constantly trying, it was sad.
2011_thruhiker
11-25-2008, 14:48
What is a spot? He is talking about us both getting ham radio licenses for communication purposes, although we both understand this isn't foulproof either.
Thanks,
Ann
What is a spot? He is talking about us both getting ham radio licenses for communication purposes, although we both understand this isn't foulproof either.
Thanks,
Ann
"Spot" is a GPS tracker with which "folks back home" can monitor your position. No voice or messages.. just position. Matter of fact you can get them at Costco these days.