What
to eat while on the trail?
Once
again if you have read, What was in my
backpack?, I think traveling light is the key to a great enjoyable hike.
This can be achieved by carrying food for only 2 or 3 days instead of a week.
When you are hiking with a pack you food weight can weight 1.5 to 2.5 pounds
per day. Each day can make a big difference in the total weight of your pack.
While hiking the Appalachian Trail there are many towns along the way where you
can pick up a mail drop or stop at a local store for a resupply. The longest
distance that must be endured is the 100-mile wilderness in Maine. This have
even changed these days, you can actually get food 60 miles in. By supplying
more frequently you can carry more food and be better prepared for each day of
hiking.
The food that I ate usually was
very simple because I wanted to be able to prepare the meal within 15 minutes.
This was because first of all I was hungry and ready to eat after hiking and
second I did not use as much fuel. I cooked on a Propane/Butane canister stove,
which worked excellent. I was able to easily light the stove, heat the food to
a boil and simmer for a few minutes and it was ready.
The following are some of my standard
meals:
Chicken
Stove Top Stuffing
Chicken
Ramen Noodles
Chicken
Lipton Noodles
Pour
Lipton Noodles in a pot and bring to a boil simmer a 2 or 3 minutes. Add the
ramen noodles and seasoning. Finally add the stuffing let sit for 2 or 3
minutes and you have a large very good meal.
Mac
and Cheese
Ham
in a can
Add
just enough water in the pot along with the cheese sauce that comes with it
along with the noodles and boil until the noodles absorb up all the water. Then
add ham and heat until desired. The trick is not wasting any water just adding
enough.
Muesli (1/2 pound)
The
recipe can be found on the link below. This is what I ate every morning and was
very good and quick. All you need to do is add water and I would just eat it
right out of the bag.