Food, Planning for a trip.

Boy, if only gourmet meals like this above could be served on the trail. Just snap your fingers and wham, salad and sandwich on a platter appears, cold, fresh and yummy ready for the tummy. Unfortunately, unless you stick with hotels, restaurants and car-camping, such meals are just a dream in the middle of the wilderness. So what really do I take when I backpack? It really depends on the type of trip I suppose. Solo, I usually go without cooking, taking foods I can eat cold with little preparation. If I am going with a group, I do a bit of both and in winter, I always take food that can be cooked and hot drinks, for at least dinners, if not breakfast as well.

Here is a sample of how I plan for a 4 day (3 night) backpack trip.

1st day: breakfast at home, pack a lunch for on the road (sandwich, apple, water, bell pepper), dinner (in camp): 1 hot tea, 2 tortillas, 1 foil pack tuna, 2 mustard packets, 1 mayo packet, dried fruit.

2nd day: Breakfast Hot tea (2 tea bags + nalgean), 2 pb granola bars, 1 string cheese. Lunch: 1 tortilla, jerky or peperoni, mustard and mayo packets, dried fruit, 1 string cheese. Dinner: 1 hot tea, 1 foil chicken pack, 1 ramon noodle chicken flavor, 2 string cheese. Snacks: nuts, 1 snickers bar.

3rd day (most miles on this day): Breakfast: Drink mix/Gatorade in 1 nalgean, 2 pb granola bars, 2 string cheese, 1 red bull. Lunch: Tortilla, 2 string cheese, jerky or peperoni, snickers bar, dried fruit. Dinner: Freeze dried Teriyaki chicken and rice dinner, Hot tea (2 bags). Snacks: nuts, 1 snickers bar.

4th day: Breakfast: water or tea, 2 pb bars, 2 string cheese. Lunch: Tortilla, 1 string cheese, jerky or peperoni, mustard, dried fruit. Dinner: Pick up something yummy on the drive home. Snacks: nuts, snickers bar.

I know, its not exciting, but it's easy to pack, to cook (just boil water), and full of protein and calories which give you energy!