Hiking for Food

Well, I don't think that I could carry a sign while hiking that reads, "Will Hike For Food," and possibly keep up with my caloric output. It just doesn't seem possible b/c a full day of hiking for me will burn somewhere in the ballpark of 5,000-6,000 calories (and people don't take spare change/food on hikes).

Right now, I'm planning out my diet for the approaching week! I'll be hiking in Yosemite National Park for 4 days, spanning 29 miles from White Wolf to Tuolumne Meadows. Thanks to a friend, Brad, the trip was all planned out and reserved except for my eats. Of course, I waited until the weekend before to figure out the specifics.

When I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, I ate a big breakfast, snacked all day, and ate a big dinner. The routine worked well, and I never went hungry. Don't ask me how much planning I did before that trip!

So here's what I've been thinking for my 4-day trip:

• Breakfast: 2 servings of Oatmeal, Dried Fruit, 1 serving of Dried Milk & Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix
  


• Snacking/Lunch: Granola Bars, Cliff bars, Trail Mix, Crackers, Dried Fruit
  


• Dinner: 2 servings of Noodles (Ramen, Rice Noodles, or Instant Pasta Mixes), Cheddar Cheese, Dried Fruit, Hot Cocoa Mix

For the dried fruit, I use dried bananas, apricot, mango, and dates. Dried milk isn't very good by itself, but when you mix it with those Carnation packets, you really can't tell the difference and you get a super healthy start to your day! Surprisingly, blocks of cheddar cheese stay for a couple of weeks at outdoor temperatures and they're packed with fat and protein (hooray!), which is tough for a vegetarian like me to find!

Me eating a half gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream halfway along the Appalachian Trail (you can do that sort of stuff when your metabolism skyrockets on a prolonged hike):