Eating healthy.

[kzab77]

Hey, just wondering if anyone had any tips on how to eat a bit healthier than the general thru hikers diet while on the trail. I realize it to be harder to do but am hoping to try my best at staying away from a lot of processed foods.

[atraildreamer]

Just stick to the main food groups: beer, bacon, beer, peanut butter, beer, Snickers bars, beer, Ramen Noodles, beer, pizza, beer. :D:banana

(Did I mention . . .BEER! :-?)

[cricket71]

you didn't mention pepperoni and cheese:D but seriously, dehydrating veggies is a big help on getting vitamins in, a lot of health food stores and Asian markets also carry dried veggies but watch the ingredients in em. As far as meats go the tuna, salmon and chicken in the foil packs is a good way to get your protein besides pepperoni(yummy). you really need to check out health food stores as far as the dried stuff goes they have really started getting better selections, oh and don't forget things like cous cous, lentils and rices it all depends on what extent you want to go as far as cooking goes......and oh yeah pizza.:D

[Chair-man]

Mix these all together and then add to equal parts boiling water and let sit for 10 min.
instant potatos
instant rice
stove top stuffing
dehydrated vegetables (http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Deluxe-Vegetables-Blend-Ounce/dp/B001VNKZQY/ref=pd_sbs_gro_3)

[Wise Old Owl]

oh thats nasty....

[Odd Man Out]

Basmati Rice, Lentils, Curry, Salt, Olive Oil, Water
Boil until the alcohol stove goes out.
Put in cozy until you want to eat.

Plus, beer (good craft brewed ales) are very good for you.

[Pedaling Fool]

I dehydrated all my veggies and beef/chicken jerky and some fruits and had mailed out to me. Nothing like making a pot of rice or ramen noodles or whatever and adding a ton of veggies and jerky to it. Fruits were good with oatmeal.

[Rocket Jones]

Check out Harmony House (http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/).

[max patch]

Mix these all together and then add to equal parts boiling water and let sit for 10 min.
instant potatos
instant rice
stove top stuffing
dehydrated vegetables (http://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Deluxe-Vegetables-Blend-Ounce/dp/B001VNKZQY/ref=pd_sbs_gro_3)

The OP wanted healthy options. Thats basically simple carbs that the body is gonna convert to glucose in half an hour.

Oatmeal with non fat dry milk is a good start to the day.

[Blissful]

Nuts, fruits, good proteins, dehydrated veggies, cut back on useless sugars

[kzab77]

Well im pretty sure beer isn't going to be a problem, especially the good craft kind :) But yes i asn't planning onm sending food out, i did look into buying a dehydrator and prepping some meals to send out but seems like a lot of work to do. so looks like i may have to do a little more cooking on the trail to be a little healthier i guess? And if all else fails ill stick to those main food groups lol

[kzab77]

Thanks guys!

[fiddlehead]

Since the AT has road crossing almost every day or so, you can eat what you want if you take the time to go to town.
Of course, some of the towns might not have the best selection.
I've hiked with people who carried: onions, carrots, garlic, steak, good German bread, even whole potatoes (my Sherpa friend from Nepal did this as he couldn't believe the size of the potatoes).
So, carry what you want.
if you are worried about weight, dry it. (all but the steak, then use dried hamburger instead)

Up to you!

[kzab77]

wow eh, could cook a nice meal with all that lol. see i do enjoy cooking so i may have to re think my stove and size of pot if i plan on making some nice meals. but it seems to be worth it to make some healthier tastier foods i guess.

[FarmerChef]

Avoid prepackaged meals - full of sodium and sugar. Instead, "cook" on the trail even if it is FSB or simple rehydration. Get dried proteins (ground beef, chicken or TVP) or carry pouch proteins (tuna/chicken). Mix these with a dried starch. Did you know it's easy to make minute rice? Even better if you use whole grain brown rice. Add dried veggies. You can make pasta and sauce, rice and sauces, virtually anything you eat at home in a slightly different format. Consider using some boxed meals (say, Mac and cheese) and augmenting with healthy items like dried peas and dried sausage. If you don't want to pay a fortune, buy a dehydrator and then get veggies on sale. Same goes for proteins. Homemade is almost always more healthy than store-bought.

[Half Note]

Yeah I'm hoping to come across places to buy fresh veggies to cook, I'll throw some olive oil on them to give myself some calories.

[Chair-man]

The OP wanted healthy options. Thats basically simple carbs that the body is gonna convert to glucose in half an hour.

Exactly, carbs is what your body needs after a long days hike.

I saw a show on Tour De France bike riders once and they showed what they were eating after a days ride of 120 miles. Buckets of spaghetti. They said their diet consist of 85 percent carbs. If it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

[Mountain Mike]

Check out http://www.trailcooking.com/trail-cooking-101. She has some great recipes. Also the books NOLS Cookery & Cooking the One Burner Way by Buck Tilton. If you don't feel like dehydrating yourself:http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/ , http://www.barryfarm.com (http://www.barryfarm.com/), http://store.honeyvillegrain.com (http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/), & http://www.justtomatoes.com/jtstore/pc/home.asp offer various amounts of fd & dehydrated foods. Do a youtube search of meals in a jar/can offers lots of healthy recipies.

[Ktaadn]

Exactly, carbs is what your body needs after a long days hike.

I saw a show on Tour De France bike riders once and they showed what they were eating after a days ride of 120 miles. Buckets of spaghetti. They said their diet consist of 85 percent carbs. If it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

You know their all on PED's, right?

[Cookerhiker]

The best general tip is to send your food via maildrops. When prospective thrus ask about maildrops, usually 3/4 of the responses are "you don't need them - there's enough along the way." Well for eating healthy, no there isn't enough along the way - at least not that's convenient. Of course you can stock up on fresh fruits & veggies but they only last so long. And there may be a few grocery stores with some healthy items, especially in New England, but you can't count on them even at "long-term resupply" stores.

One example for me: I like oatmeal in the morning but I can't stand the Quaker envelopes - too sweet and non-substantive. I make up my own mix at home with plain quick oats, flaxmeal, cracked wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, alternating spices, and a little brown sugar. Many responses have mentioned dehydrating your own veggies - very good idea and of course, that entails maildrops.

Granted, it's a hassle for a thruhike or any real long hike. My longest hike was 482 miles on the Colorado Trail for which I used maildrops successfully. I've known AT thrus who have maildropped food for their entire hike so it can be done, especially if you have a support person at home.

[MDSection12]

Buy a dehydrator.

[garlic08]

I buy whole grains in the form of rolled oats, and add dried fruit and walnuts for a simple muesli that I eat every day, any time of day. I always have an extra bag of cashews, one of raisins, a stack of tortillas, a block of cheese, and I carry one fresh piece of fruit or veg every day, if just a carrot, apple, or stalk of celery. The occasional Little Debbie brownie, pop tart, muffin or bag of crackers makes its way into my pack, but that's an exception. All my groceries I bought easily at stores along the way, contrary to the post above. I also ate very well at town stops, stressing leafy greens and colorful veggies in addition to the fat and carbs.

You'll find your own way of doing it if you're concerned about it. It is possible. I finished a 3.5 month AT hike at about the same weight I started, and went right back to my job as a firefighter with barely a hiccup, back to full strength in a matter of weeks, with no extra weight gain at all. Trail nutrition is very important, I think.

[EllieMP]

Thanks Garlic. I have been looking for healthier meal ideas instead of the Ramen Noodles that many people carry. The pro meal bars seem to be very satisfying and along with dried fruit and nuts is quite sustaining. I've been trying out different meal ideas for lunch to see how long it takes before I am hungry again. I'm sure it will be sooner on the trail with all the energy that will be used up more quickly. I didn't think fresh fruit would make it very well. And the cheese? What type is best?

[Feral Bill]

To eat healthy you'll need a proper stove and time to cook. Otherwise you could go with cold food.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Svea_123R.jpg/240px-Svea_123R.jpg

[Ktaadn]

To eat healthy you'll need a proper stove and time to cook. Otherwise you could go with cold food.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Svea_123R.jpg/240px-Svea_123R.jpg

So, which is it? Do I "need" a stove and can I just eat cold food? :confused:

[kzab77]

Good post garlic08 thanks. I would like to buy a dehydrator but cant see myself putting in all the time and effort for the mail drops so that idea seems best, for me that is. Right now i have the hexagon vargo wood stove and a small pot/cup so im going to rethink those and upgrade to something which will work better for the way i would like to eat.

[carophil]

i eat lots of nuts. you can also make your own energy bars from dates, crushed nuts, other dried fruits.. spinach powder is really handy to add to things like that when you don't have access to fresh veggies. i also forage a little for things like dandelion greens and wild mushrooms.

[Chair-man]

Here's what the pros have to say ----> Backpacking Nutrition (http://www.backpacker.com/may_2008_feature_food_nutrition_eat_better/skills/12399)

[kzab77]

Just starting reading that and it looks dead on, thanks mate!

[Odd Man Out]

To eat healthy you'll need a proper stove and time to cook. Otherwise you could go with cold food.


I make my curried rice and lentils on an alcohol stove with a dish towel cozy in about 20 minutes. Nothing other than boiling water needed for home made oatmeal in the morning. Nothing fancy really.

[Feral Bill]

So, which is it? Do I "need" a stove and can I just eat cold food? :confused: Either way, depending on your tastes and needs. Having a longer cook time is good for lentils and such. Honestly, I don't eat healthy when hiking, but with some effort you certainly could.

[Feral Bill]

I make my curried rice and lentils on an alcohol stove with a dish towel cozy in about 20 minutes. Nothing other than boiling water needed for home made oatmeal in the morning. Nothing fancy really. I prefer to boil water fast, simmer, and so forth.

[Bronk]

Just buy real food without worrying about how much it weighs. You can tie a loaf of bread to the outside of your pack and eat about half of it before it gets too smooshed.

[garlic08]

....And the cheese? What type is best?

Hard cheese is better in hot weather. The Cabot cheese in VT is the good stuff. When it's really hot (consistently above 90F) I don't carry cheese and make do with peanut butter instead.

[Odd Man Out]

I prefer to boil water fast, simmer, and so forth.

I agree. Normally that is how I would could rice and lentils. But I found when hiking, I have very low standards and will eat just about anything. Basmati rice cooks a bit faster than regular white rice and lentils cook much faster than most other dried legumes. When hungry enough, I don't care if they are a little "al dente".

[Cookerhiker]

I agree. Normally that is how I would could rice and lentils. But I found when hiking, I have very low standards and will eat just about anything. Basmati rice cooks a bit faster than regular white rice and lentils cook much faster than most other dried legumes. When hungry enough, I don't care if they are a little "al dente".

Success Rice (http://www.successrice.com/) comes in a pouch, boils even faster, and is available in brown as well as white. The instructions say 10 minutes but I find it takes only about 5 if you put it in the water at the outset; it cooks partially as the water is coming to boil.

[scrabbler]

Multivitamins will also help.

[Another Kevin]

I make my curried rice and lentils on an alcohol stove with a dish towel cozy in about 20 minutes. Nothing other than boiling water needed for home made oatmeal in the morning. Nothing fancy really.

I do the dal bhaat with dehydrated rice and lentils in a freezer bag in a Reflectix cozy. While that's sitting there reconstituting, I will often use the pot to whip up a vegetable, fish, or chicken curry from dehydrated ingredients (and pouched chicken or fish). Dal bhaat tarkari is what keeps the Sherpas going, I figure it should work for me.

And yeah, I make oatmeal and coffee in the morning. Sometimes I'll even steam a muffin with a Fauxbaker.

[JAK]

Parsley!
I know it sounds crazy, but herbs like parsley are mild enough that you can add a fair amount to any soup, and is already dehydrated, and if full of vitamins and minerals including the big 4 A, C, iron, calcium. Also chives and other herbs, but you can add enough parsley to get your vitamins and minerals. Green herbs are not just for taste and appearance. Something to keep in mind at home also.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/spices-and-herbs/199/2

[Odd Man Out]

Success Rice (http://www.successrice.com/) comes in a pouch, boils even faster, and is available in brown as well as white.

If it is a boil in a pouch product, it must be pre-cooked and not dehydrated (i.e. relatively heavy). But probably a good option if you don't need to carry many days of food.

[BillyGr]

If it is a boil in a pouch product, it must be pre-cooked and not dehydrated (i.e. relatively heavy). But probably a good option if you don't need to carry many days of food.

I believe the Success that is being referred to is not pre-cooked, it's just a quick cooking (similar to a Minute Rice).
The "pouch" is a mesh bag that allows you to put it in the water in the pouch to cook, which gives you a measured amount of rice (since each pouch has the same amount) and makes for easier cooking (no having the rice fall all over since it's in a bag).
Simply easier to carry and prepare. Check the regular rice section in stores (where you'd find plain or Minute Rice).

[Cookerhiker]

I believe the Success that is being referred to is not pre-cooked, it's just a quick cooking (similar to a Minute Rice).
The "pouch" is a mesh bag that allows you to put it in the water in the pouch to cook, which gives you a measured amount of rice (since each pouch has the same amount) and makes for easier cooking (no having the rice fall all over since it's in a bag).
Simply easier to carry and prepare. Check the regular rice section in stores (where you'd find plain or Minute Rice).

Yes, good explanation. The pouch/bag seems pretty durable; I've never had one break or tear in the pack and I've been using Success Rice for years.

[garlic08]

I believe the Success that is being referred to is not pre-cooked, it's just a quick cooking (similar to a Minute Rice).

Minute Rice is precooked and dehydrated, as a matter of fact. It has less nutritional value per unit pack weight than uncooked rice.

[Odd Man Out]

I believe the Success that is being referred to is not pre-cooked, it's just a quick cooking (similar to a Minute Rice).
The "pouch" is a mesh bag that allows you to put it in the water in the pouch to cook, which gives you a measured amount of rice (since each pouch has the same amount) and makes for easier cooking (no having the rice fall all over since it's in a bag).
Simply easier to carry and prepare. Check the regular rice section in stores (where you'd find plain or Minute Rice).

Thanks - sounds interesting. I will check it out.

[susiecruise]

I dehydrated all my veggies and beef/chicken jerky and some fruits and had mailed out to me. Nothing like making a pot of rice or ramen noodles or whatever and adding a ton of veggies and jerky to it. Fruits were good with oatmeal.

You can buy dehydrated veggies and many other foods and spices in bulk at great prices from The Atlantic Spice Company in Truro MA. They have a great online catalog

[Cookerhiker]

I have found that Amish stores are good sources of inexpensive dehydrated vegetables. Typically, they'll have bags just with dried onions and other bags with mixed vegetables - carrots, peppers, spinach. They also carry whole wheat pasta and cheaper, bulk prices on oats including quick oats. And then there's dried fruits and/or trail mix fruit-nut mixes.

[gsingjane]

Keep your eyes open for a dehydrator at thrift stores; just like bread machines they're something people often buy, thinking they'll use it, and then don't. I got mine for $7 at Goodwill, so you don't have to pay big bucks for an info-mercial type one.

[kzab77]

Keep your eyes open for a dehydrator at thrift stores; just like bread machines they're something people often buy, thinking they'll use it, and then don't. I got mine for $7 at Goodwill, so you don't have to pay big bucks for an info-mercial type one.

Thanks, that sounds a lot better then the prices i saw online for good new ones lol. i def will keep an eye out

[slbirdnerd]

Lots of good stuff here: http://www.nuts.com/ and here http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/Dehydrated-Vegetables_c_1.html. I'm just a section hiker starting out but was amazed at how good my food looked after I packed it all up. BIG HINT: Barilla PastaPlus angel hair cooks great in a freezer bag (sit in coozy about 10 mins) and is loaded with good stuff. Add your favorite herbs, some parmesan, a handful of dry veggies---YUM!

[susiecruise]

I make my curried rice and lentils on an alcohol stove with a dish towel cozy in about 20 minutes. Nothing other than boiling water needed for home made oatmeal in the morning. Nothing fancy really.
Vegetables are the real challenge so dried, buy or dry your own, or fresh, the small zucchinis pack pretty well (maybe a week) as do peppers and carrots

[perdidochas]

If it is a boil in a pouch product, it must be pre-cooked and not dehydrated (i.e. relatively heavy). But probably a good option if you don't need to carry many days of food.

Success rice is just a type of instant rice. Takes a little longer to cook than minute rice, but is much better to eat. It's fairly dehydrated.

[Dogwood]

I sometimes EASILY and doing it as an ULer sprout my own seeds as I hike in a small hemp mesh bag. Nice to have FRESH NUTRITIOUS sprouts to eat when hiking.

http://outdoorherbivore.com/trail-sprouting/

http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/hemp_sprouting_bag.htm

http://www.sprouthouse.com/Hemp_Bag_...t_p/bagkit.htm (http://www.sprouthouse.com/Hemp_Bag_Sprouting_Kit_p/bagkit.htm)

[Dogwood]

I have found that Amish stores are good sources of inexpensive dehydrated vegetables. Typically, they'll have bags just with dried onions and other bags with mixed vegetables - carrots, peppers, spinach. They also carry whole wheat pasta and cheaper, bulk prices on oats including quick oats. And then there's dried fruits and/or trail mix fruit-nut mixes.

I like the ideas Cookerhiker but beyond a couple of stores near Lancaster PA I've never seen an Amish store selling these items anywhere else in the U.S.

[susiecruise]

I like the ideas Cookerhiker but beyond a couple of stores near Lancaster PA I've never seen an Amish store selling these items anywhere else in the U.S.

Check out www.atlanticspice.com/ They have a lot of dried veggies, nuts and dried fruits

[Dogwood]

Check out www.atlanticspice.com/ (http://www.atlanticspice.com/) They have a lot of dried veggies, nuts and dried fruits

No thanks. I'm loyal to my Amish friends. Amish dried veggies are the BEST. :D

Thx SC.

[Cookerhiker]

I have found that Amish stores are good sources of inexpensive dehydrated vegetables. Typically, they'll have bags just with dried onions and other bags with mixed vegetables - carrots, peppers, spinach. They also carry whole wheat pasta and cheaper, bulk prices on oats including quick oats. And then there's dried fruits and/or trail mix fruit-nut mixes.


I like the ideas Cookerhiker but beyond a couple of stores near Lancaster PA I've never seen an Amish store selling these items anywhere else in the U.S.

I'm sure there are parts of the US with no Amish stores within 1,000 miles but they are beyond Lancaster, PA. I recall one near Shippensburg (site of this year's ALDHA Gathering) and I used to frequent one in central PA not far from Penn State and very close to the MidState Trail. When I lived in suburban MD outside DC, I frequented one in Burtonsville, MD near the Montgomery/Howard County line. When I lived in Western MD, there were several Amish stores in the area. There's two on the Interstate 79 corridor in West Virginia. And I have one 30 miles from my current home in Berea, KY. I always stop on the way back from trips to Big South Fork or Cumberland Falls. I'm pretty sure there would be some in Amish Country in East-Central Ohio.

I don't know of any central repository housing any directory of where all the Amish stores are but I've never looked.

[kzab77]

Don't believe I have ever seen an amish store here in Canada lol

[Odd Man Out]

I've seen Amish in Canada. I go to Kincardine every summer and pass near the Amish community in Lucknow. The biggest community is in Milverton, a bit to the SE. Don't know if they have stores selling dried veggies.

[Wise Old Owl]

I have found that Amish stores are good sources of inexpensive dehydrated vegetables. Typically, they'll have bags just with dried onions and other bags with mixed vegetables - carrots, peppers, spinach. They also carry whole wheat pasta and cheaper, bulk prices on oats including quick oats. And then there's dried fruits and/or trail mix fruit-nut mixes.

Hey I am glad you bought that up... I don't see how it translates to better food on the trail... I live next door to the amish and I am occationally invited in,, I love to cook... help us connect the dots

[Cookerhiker]

Hey I am glad you bought that up... I don't see how it translates to better food on the trail... I live next door to the amish and I am occationally invited in,, I love to cook... help us connect the dots

If you've ever gone into Amish-run stores, you'll see what I referred to in Post # 46. For my part, I've bought trail foods such as dried vegetables, trail mixes, dried fruits including some not found in regular grocery stores such as cantaloupes & kiwis, whole-wheat elbow macaroni, nuts, quick oats, powdered milk, powdered cheese. The real authentic Amish stores - the ones that are closed on Sundays - usually have great prices on these and other foods. So I also buy whole oats, steel-cut oats, flour, spices (very cheap), yeast (I'm a bread baker), honey, jellies often made locally, baked goods. One of my favorite vittles sold by many are oat bran pretzels.

That doesn't mean that everything in an Amish store is "healthy;" there's a lot of sugary and fat-laden things too. :)

[Farr Away]

I know that there are Amish stores in upstate New York - I grew up there.

[pelenaka]

I don't know of any central repository housing any directory of where all the Amish stores are but I've never looked.

I use to have a link to a page that listed stores state by state. Found this link "Amish State Guide (http://amishamerica.com/amish-state-guide/)" which lists Amish communities in each state & Canada. Find a large community should find a store.

About once a year bbf & I take a ride out of Queen City to Warsaw, New York to visit a Mennonite store. It's more of a road trip then to acquire unique hard to find items. I have the internet for that.
I should clarify that for me unique items are ones that I can't barter, grow, or make. For us when we say we bake from scratch we mean we grind our grain so take what I write with a grain of sea salt. I'm Ghetto Amish.
That said I've already earmarked extra rows in the garden as my hiking grub to be dehydrated then packaged up into diabetic friendly meals using instant brown rice. Still have to give a go @ dehydrating cooked Dreamfields Pasta so I can make up my own mad & cheese.

[susiecruise]

I discovered a way to cut down on the electricity needed to dehydrate my veggies. I cut them up, put them on the racks and put them in my car with the windows rolled-up on a hot day. The veggies get a really good head start on drying and then I don't need to run them in the dehydrator as long.

[rocketsocks]

Trader Joe's dehydrated Wasabi mustard Peas added to any dish liven it up a bit....great on their own too!

[HeartFire]

Make/ cook all your meals. Dehydrate them and do mail drops. I eat all organic, vegan healthy meals on the trail. I make fruit smmothies and green smoothies for breakfast to which I add almonds or cashews. Oat meal or quinoa flakes. Don't dehydrate " veggies". Dehydrate your whole meal. No the components.

[rocketsocks]

Make/ cook all your meals. Dehydrate them and do mail drops. I eat all organic, vegan healthy meals on the trail. I make fruit smmothies and green smoothies for breakfast to which I add almonds or cashews. Oat meal or quinoa flakes. Don't dehydrate " veggies". Dehydrate your whole meal. No the components.How do you make smoothies on the trail?

[susiecruise]

Make/ cook all your meals. Dehydrate them and do mail drops. I eat all organic, vegan healthy meals on the trail. I make fruit smmothies and green smoothies for breakfast to which I add almonds or cashews. Oat meal or quinoa flakes. Don't dehydrate " veggies". Dehydrate your whole meal. No the components.

Speaking as a section hiker, I love the ritual of cooking on the trail.

[susiecruise]

As a gardener, I get overwhelmed with produce that I have to process quickly and efficiently. I can, dry and freeze and I am always looking for ways to cut down on energy use when I do this. Anyone have experience with a solar dehydrator? Any recommendations?

[Tipi Walter]

Make/ cook all your meals. Dehydrate them and do mail drops. I eat all organic, vegan healthy meals on the trail. I make fruit smmothies and green smoothies for breakfast to which I add almonds or cashews. Oat meal or quinoa flakes. Don't dehydrate " veggies". Dehydrate your whole meal. No the components.

Agree. My TSM 5 tray dehydrator is humming along as we speak. Right now I have 5 trays of a smoothie drying to be rolled up and eaten like . . . . fruit leather. The smoothie is pineapple/coconut juice(organic store bought) with a handful of raw almonds and raw cashews with spinach and some grapes and 2 ripe bananas.

Later today I'm making another smoothie with pineapple/coconut juice and a couple cups of goat yogurt with almonds/cashews and bananas and this time several tablespoons of organic peanut butter all blended up thoroughly and dried. This will be my Mega Boost Zap Protein Shake except it'll be fruit leather.

None of this crap is eaten at home and it's only used on backpacking trips. Otherwise why not just drink the smoothies fresh?

[Peepsinc]

Yeah I'm hoping to come across places to buy fresh veggies to cook, I'll throw some olive oil on them to give myself some calories.
Good luck with that......Hiked it last year & I don,t remember daily road crossings or supermarkets along the trail? About once a week you will reach a town to buy veggies. Remember each time you go to town it's gonna cost U another $100. Your gonna want a shower, wash cloths & eat. It's also gonna cost you 2 days ....

[Peepsinc]

The trail doesn't go thru upstate NY. Bear mountain bridge is only about 30 miles north of the city....

[rocketsocks]

The trail doesn't go thru upstate NY. Bear mountain bridge is only about 30 miles north of the city....
city folk would say that's upstate.

[rocketsocks]

How do you make smoothies on the trail?


The smoothie is pineapple/coconut juice(organic store bought) with a handful of raw almonds and raw cashews with spinach and some grapes and 2 ripe bananas.

Later today I'm making another smoothie with pineapple/coconut juice and a couple cups of goat yogurt with almonds/cashews and bananas and this time several tablespoons of organic peanut butter all blended up thoroughly and dried. This will be my Mega Boost Zap Protein Shake except it'll be fruit leather.

None of this crap is eaten at home and it's only used on backpacking trips. Otherwise why not just drink the smoothies fresh?
That'll work :)

[Gypsy"04"]

There's nothing better than pulling in to the shelter and everyone is cooking their Ramen, pull out a freezer bag with hamburger helper, or tuna helper, and packets of solar dehydrated veggies from my garden, (onions, tomato, broccoli, shaved carrots, etc.). The aroma alone is worth it. Dehydrated hamburg or tuna packs, doesn't matter, just throw it all together, add 2 cups of boiling water, stuff it in a cozy, and 10 minutes later you have a meal like at home. Not only good, but very light weight. I can carry about 5 days worth of food and still be less than 5 pounds. Try it, you'll like it.

[Gypsy"04"]

Solar dehydrators, properly built, are excellent. I have been using the same one for 5 years and still eating food that was done 5 years ago. Properly vacuum packed food will almost last forever. just look up solar dehydrators online and you can get some very good info.

[wornoutboots]

I discovered a way to cut down on the electricity needed to dehydrate my veggies. I cut them up, put them on the racks and put them in my car with the windows rolled-up on a hot day. The veggies get a really good head start on drying and then I don't need to run them in the dehydrator as long.

I Love this idea :)