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Omega Man
02-21-2011, 05:08
I've read that one of the biggest mistakes thru-hikers make when they first start out is packing too much chow. So, can you old pros please share how much and exactly what kind of food you packed to start your North Bound Thru from let's say, Springer to Mountain Crossings?

Hooch
02-21-2011, 09:11
There is no ture right anwer to this question, per se. It depends on you and what you like to eat, how much you eat, etc. For me, I'm heading to Springer in a few weeks and would plan on the following for chow:

Breakfast
2 packets oatmeal
2 Pop Tarts
Hot Chocolate
Water

Lunch
Sandwich on MRE bread with either peanut butter, bananas and strawberry jelly or Spam single, cheese, Miracle Whip and relish
Lance Nekot Crakers
Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie
Water with Gatorade or Crystal Light

Dinner
FBC Meals like Thai Peanut Noodles, Spicy Tuna Linguine, Bacon and Cheese Pasta (Add extra olive oil for a calorie punch)
Chicken noodle soup and crackers
Almond Snickers
Hot Chocolate

Trail Snacks
Calorie dense snacks like nuts, trail mix/gorp, Snickers Bars, Little Debbies, honey buns, etc.

Just figure out how often you need to eat and plan from there. Good luck and happy hiking!

garlic08
02-21-2011, 09:38
I carried a bag of homemade muesli, a block of cheese, a stack of tortillas, a bag of crackers, a bag of raisins, some instant mashed potatoes, and a box of Fig Newtons.

The formula that works for me is to carry one pound of food for every 10 miles hiked. My average hiking day is 20 miles, so that's two pounds per day. If I have easier days, I don't need to eat as much. On longer days, I can eat more. When I started at Springer, I sort of planned to resupply at Hiawassee so I carried about seven pounds of food. But I bought a few more groceries at Neels Gap and that was enough to get me to Franklin without getting off trail. On the AT, you can play it by ear like that.

You're absolutely right, most hikers carry way too much food. I love running into section hikers who have just realized that and are giving (often expensive) food away.

Llama Legs
02-21-2011, 21:08
I'm 150 lbs and I carry (on the average) 600 grams of food per day. Pretty much hungry on the trail and then I eat like a lion in town.

Utah
02-21-2011, 21:44
I would have to disagree about too much food. I never met any of those people on the trail. Everybody was eating as much as they could. And when they showed up in town they really put the foodbag on. Dont underestimate how hungry you will be. If you not eating you will be dreaming about eating.

Omega Man
02-23-2011, 16:41
Is it the general consensus to pack enough chow for four days? Should that be enough to get the average newby hiker to the fist place to resupply? I just need a bit of help with the first leg of my thru, I'm sure I'll figure out what works for me, once I'm underway, but I want to know what experienced folks start out with... I appreciate all your assistance and opinions.

I'm doing the approach trail the first day, then starting out on Springer on the second day. I'm assuming the next place I can get supplies would be at Mountain Crossings.

BigHodag
02-23-2011, 21:41
As the approach trail takes most of a day, you might consider 5 days of chow.

There's very good re-supply info here on Whiteblaze:

http://whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=resupplypart1

I've read on at least one TrailJournal there's been some re-supply problems at Mtn Crossings at Walasi-Yi. Evening dinner may not be available. Call ahead and verify.

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=337155

Some one local may have an update.