re: how many is too many mail drops
I wood say.. Have a mail drop if you are going to spend the night in a town, or if you are passing through the town and there is no good market. Any more than that makes little sense. You COULD get by with zero mail drops.
Places that really make sense for a mail drop
NOC
Fontana Dam
Perrisburg (this is a good place to switch winter bag for summer bag)
Glencliff
maybe Monson.
It makes no sense to have a mail drop in a place like, for example, Hanover, NH where the trail goes right past the Hanover Coop. Also I think it is Davisville, VA where the trail goes to with in about 0.3 miles of what seemed to me the biggest supermarket in the univers..Krogers.
David
Warning..about to defend MS...
Re-read MS's last couple of posts: He mentioned the 1st author was female only b/c he couldn't remember her name. 2nd female author referenced only to defend himself. Just say'n.
That's long settled, Rickb...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
rickb
Is it a thru hike if you don't start at one end and walk straight thru to the other?
Or is it a disconected 2000 mile hike?
Comes close though.
I walked every mile of the AT in one calendar year, doing my d*mndest to pass every white blaze. That's a generally considered a thruhike, by >99% of people. It's also what the ATC, and I, FWIW, consider a thruhike.
=============================================
Anyway, my earlier point keeps getting missed...
I developed as a hiker during my hike, despite the age, weight, and fitness situation I started with, to the point that not only did I finish the AT, I got fit to the point that I (just doing the math by my routinely doing 13-mile-days in MAINE, with higher days in VT/MA/CT) became capable of thruing in an average or less length of time, were I to do it again. There are reasons for that, and I believe that my greater-than-average (among thruhikers) attention to nutrition was one of them.
No doubt most Americans get too much protein...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
take-a-knee
Jack LaLanne has been a near vegan (a little fish I think, and milk and eggs) longer than most people will live (he's 93) and he's maintained an impressive muscle mass.
Not getting enough (that's fully usable) is not ideal, either. That's why I advocate protein complementation with plant products as much as possible, which is considerably easier with just a little meat or milk eaten at the same meal.
Agreed again in part, TAK...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
take-a-knee
The rice and beans, bread and milk thing is a much healthier way to go as you say. I don't see any harm in 2-4oz of lean meat per meal either, or a three-egg omlet with two yolks discarded.
Definitely. Do make it brown rice and skim (potentially including powdered) milk as much as possible. (Sadly, the desirable unsat oils in the hulls of brown rice are subject to oxidation and resulting undesirable rancidity much more so than polished, or white, rice, so brown does not keep nearly as long as white.)
Too, I find a mixture solely of egg whites and skim milk makes a perfectly acceptable batter for French toast (whole-grain bread only, of course). Recipes calling for whole eggs such as baked goods can generally be altered with no effect on the finished product by adding just the white, along with a bit of a (non-soybean) cooking oil.
Re protein intake in general, though...
When I consider how much protein is in an average-sized steak some typical guy's wolfing down on Friday night at Outback (along with a baked potato drowning in butter and full-fat sour cream, a sugary soft drink or booze, and no non-lettuce vegetables), or even in 3 hamburgers (likely with greasy salted potato fries, a sugary soft drink or sugary fatty milkshake, and no vegetables beyond lettuce/pickle/tomato at best), it's hard to conclude that insufficient protein is that guy's main nutritional issue.
Potatos are effectively refined starches, even if you dig up a raw whole in a farmer's field one and start chowing. This is due to them being essentially fiber-free, the fiber in whole grains such as wheat, rye, and oats slowing down the conversion of starch to sugar. This latter desirably limits the body overreacting with a flood of insulin, which enough times over long enough predisposes the body to diabetes. That is my rationale for limiting all potato products, as effectively NONE of them are whole-grain.
Thruhikers, sure, I think many of them skimp on protein while actually on the Trail, hoping to make it up during town stops. (Not much protein in beer, smoked tobacco, or reefers, though...) ;)
I still believe that thruhikers' most common and most serious nutritional deficiencies on average are:
1) Calcium
2) The vitamins contained in dark green leafy vegetables (C and K especially)
3) Biologic-origin B-complex vitamins (wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and to a lesser extent, many whole grains being excellent sources of these)
4) Grossly excessive levels of refined starches (e.g., any white flour, including macaroni/pasta noodles, white bread, instant white rice) and simple sugars
5) Insufficient dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble.
6) For those not taking (good-quality) mineral supplements, microminerals in absorbable form
7) Episodic alcohol abuse (booze depletes bodily vitamins, just as many soy products, undercooked beans and peas, and large amounts of added simple sugars do)
==============================================
An aside on yeast supplements: while yeast contains high concentrations of multiple nutrients, especially B-complex vitamins, it is unwise to consume high levels of it over long periods. This is due to the very high levels of nucleic acids in yeast, multiples of that contained in meat. This can cause chronic symptoms of gout-like illness, just as Medieval kings existing almost solely on a diet of meat and possibly alcohol or sweets were widely subject to.
======================================
Some more thoughts on vitamins: there are fundamentally two types nutritionally. There are oil-soluble vitamins, which the body can store for considerable times, but which potentially can be taken in excess to the point that actual illness results. These are A and D. Water-soluble vitamins (B-complex and C) have to be replenished more often, but are far less likely, even when consumed at astronomic levels, to cause serious harm, the excess above bodily needs simply being excreted. The saying is that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world... ;)
There is some evidence that synthetic C (especially the lower-quality stuff from places like China) can at high levels inflict some urinary-tract irritation. This is apparently not the case for biologic-origin C, so chow down on all the oranges and leafy greens you want. Note that C is VERY easily damaged by heat, arguably more so than just about any other vitamin, so dried fruits and vegetables (not so for freeze-dried) and orange and other fruit juices made up from concentrates may have major losses compared to fresh sources.
E is technically an oil-soluble vitamin, but seems to be an exception to the guideline that OSs taken in gross excess have a fair probability of causing harm (A is the worst for this). Of course, E is most commonly extracted from wheat germ, so is biologic-origin, rather than largely synthesized as are most other vitamins, so this may be part of the reason there's no significant vitamin-excess-risk for hitting the E caplets or wheat germs heavily.
Agreed again in part, TAK...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
take-a-knee
The rice and beans, bread and milk thing is a much healthier way to go as you say. I don't see any harm in 2-4oz of lean meat per meal either, or a three-egg omlet with two yolks discarded.
Definitely. Do make it brown rice and skim (potentially including powdered) milk as much as possible. (Sadly, the desirable unsat oils in the hulls of brown rice are subject to oxidation and resulting undesirable rancidity much more so than polished, or white, rice, so brown does not keep nearly as long as white.)
Too, I find a mixture solely of egg whites and skim milk makes a perfectly acceptable batter for French toast (whole-grain bread only, of course). Recipes calling for whole eggs such as baked goods can generally be altered with no effect on the finished product by adding just the white, along with a bit of a (non-soybean) cooking oil.
Re protein intake in general, though...
When I consider how much protein is in an average-sized steak some typical guy's wolfing down on Friday night at Outback (along with a baked potato drowning in butter and full-fat sour cream, a sugary soft drink or booze, and no non-lettuce vegetables), or even in 3 hamburgers (likely with greasy salted potato fries, a sugary soft drink or sugary fatty milkshake, and no vegetables beyond lettuce/pickle/tomato at best), it's hard to conclude that insufficient protein is that guy's main nutritional issue.
Potatos are effectively refined starches, even if you dig up a raw whole in a farmer's field one and start chowing. This is due to them being essentially fiber-free, the fiber in whole grains such as wheat, rye, and oats slowing down the conversion of starch to sugar. This latter desirably limits the body overreacting with a flood of insulin, which enough times over long enough predisposes the body to diabetes. That is my rationale for limiting all potato products, as effectively NONE of them are whole-grain.
Thruhikers, sure, I think many of them skimp on protein while actually on the Trail, hoping to make it up during town stops. (Not much protein in beer, smoked tobacco, or reefers, though...) ;)
I still believe that thruhikers' most common and most serious nutritional deficiencies on average are:
1) Calcium
2) The vitamins contained in dark green leafy vegetables (C and K especially)
3) Biologic-origin B-complex vitamins (wheat germ, brewer's yeast, and to a lesser extent, many whole grains being excellent sources of these)
4) Grossly excessive levels of refined starches (e.g., any white flour, including macaroni/pasta noodles, white bread, instant white rice) and simple sugars
5) Insufficient dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble.
6) For those not taking (good-quality) mineral supplements, microminerals in absorbable form
7) Episodic alcohol abuse (booze depletes bodily vitamins, just as many soy products, undercooked beans and peas, and large amounts of added simple sugars do)
==============================================
An aside on yeast supplements: while yeast contains high concentrations of multiple nutrients, especially B-complex vitamins, it is unwise to consume high levels of it over long periods. This is due to the very high levels of nucleic acids in yeast, multiples of that contained in meat. This can cause chronic symptoms of gout-like illness, just as Medieval kings existing almost solely on a diet of meat and possibly alcohol or sweets were widely subject to.
======================================
Some more thoughts on vitamins: there are fundamentally two types nutritionally. There are oil-soluble vitamins, which the body can store for considerable times, but which potentially can be taken in excess to the point that actual illness results. These are A and D. Water-soluble vitamins (B-complex and C) have to be replenished more often, but are far less likely, even when consumed at astronomic levels, to cause serious harm, the excess above bodily needs simply being excreted. The saying is that Americans have the most expensive urine in the world... ;)
There is some evidence that synthetic C (especially the lower-quality stuff from places like China) can at high levels inflict some urinary-tract irritation. This is apparently not the case for biologic-origin C, so chow down on all the oranges and leafy greens you want. Note that C is VERY easily damaged by heat, arguably more so than just about any other vitamin, so dried fruits and vegetables (not so for freeze-dried) and orange and other fruit juices made up from concentrates may have major losses compared to fresh sources.
E is technically an oil-soluble vitamin, but seems to be an exception to the guideline that OSs taken in gross excess have a fair probability of causing harm (A is the worst for this). Of course, E is most commonly extracted from wheat germ, so supplements of it are usually biologic-origin, rather than largely synthesized as are most other vitamins in supplements, so this may be part of the reason there's no significant vitamin-excess-risk for hitting the E caplets or wheat germs heavily.