Trek Dirty to Me: 69 days until I hit the trail and I have food on the brain.

Maybe it is because I just listened to an excellent episode of the TheTrek.co’s early Backpacker Radio podcast (Episode 4 if you are curious) where Zach “Badger” Davis and “The Real Hiking Viking” (and co-host Juliana "Chaunce" Chauncey) discuss the importance of nutrition on the trail and how it directly impacts performance.

First a few generally accepted realities about thru-hiking super trails like the Appalachian, Pacific Crest or Continental Divide:

1. You will burn between 3,500-5,000 calories a day.

2. You will reach a point within the first two months where your body has gone through its reserves and you are in a constant state of hunger - “Hiker Hunger.”

3. You will begin shoveling every carbohydrate-loaded item that comes your way into your stomach with zero regard to sodium, saturated fat, chemicals, etc. Ramen, Cinnabons, a five pound bag of Haribo gummy bears. Everything is fair game.

If you know me, you likely know my relationship with food. I’m a big fan. I make it, I eat it, I talk about it, I built a website to give me an excuse to make it, eat it, and talk about it.

A quick little jaunt through my personal Instagram should give you a good refresher, but if not, here are some visual reminders from there…

So you get the point. Food is a big deal to me. A huge part of my Trek Dirty to Me project, particularly in the Appalachian corridor, is to meet the men and women who feed the thousands of thru-hikers (and the estimated 3 million other hikers) every year on the trail. And I will be talking A LOT about this in the weeks between now and then a I continue researching, lining up interviews and putting together my food wish list in each of the 40 recognized trail communities and beyond during my hike.

So what about those 100 nights that I will be camping on the trail and the 2,200+ miles that I will be putting one foot in front of the other and not sitting down to a half-gallon of ice cream, a giant burger, or a beloved all-you-can-eat China buffet? Will I also fall victim to the siren’s song of Top Ramen, Twinkies, and Milk Duds? What will I eat?

Well, months before I listened to Badger and The Real Hiking Viking discuss how they created a nutrition-focused meal plan for their 100-day attack of the Pacific Crest Trail, the always-amazing Dr. Mom (my mother who happens to be a physician, nutritionist, scientist, all-around-health guru) and I pondered this very question. Fully knowing that I planned on eating every possible meal in towns along the way as part of the project, I wanted a full nutritional counterbalance that gave me, per day:

1. At least 3,500 calories

2. Full servings of protein, carbs and fiber in a specific ratio specified by Dr. Mom

3. Full recommended daily allowances of all vitamins and minerals

4. Full helping of vegetables

In addition to these criteria, I needed this food to be:

1. Light (ounces matter and I’m not going to be grilling steaks over a whisper-lite stove)

2. Easy (I love to cook, but I have enough going on with the project and trying to get to the top of Mt. Katahdin, so I can keep the cooking to other people’s kitchens along the way)

3. Interesting (need to be able to switch it up as needed)

4. Non-perishable (if delivered for resupply)

5. Keep my carbon footprint as small as possible (one of my goals for my life on-trail during this and future treks)

So what did I decide?

I decided to drink my calories when I wasn’t chewing in diners along the way. Dr. Mom and I decided a mix of Huel Version 3.0 and Athletic Greens (in addition to two multi-vitamins 1 & 2 ) would do the trick to hit these minimum goals and additional criteria. Check them out. I don’t get any kickbacks and am paying full price.

Aside from working out a combination that gives me all the nutritional points, both are vegan (reducing my footprint), non-perishable (in packaging), easy (shake it up and go), light (its powder), and interesting (Huel flavor boosters will give variety to the vanilla flavor, while I can play with miso soup packets, curry powder, or any number of things to spice up the unflavored Huel variety).

Trail “experts” (there are soooooooo many trail “experts”), will most likely tell me this is unsustainable and that I will get bored quickly and give up. I have seen them tell others this over and over again on the interweb.

Well, this isn’t my first rodeo. Not too long ago while training daily in Kung Fu while living in China, I ate the same thing for at least two meals a day (a protein/Athletic Greens shake, hard boiled eggs, beef jerky) for almost six months. I’ve stuck to other recurring daily menus over the years prior to China. I also plan on experimenting with cricket protein products, other sustainable “chewable” items, and various easily digestible fats in powder and nut butter form. Plus, I’m going to be eating A TON in towns.

I will set up resupply points along the way to receive this cocktail, and Huel, Athletic Greens and the multivitamin will be my safety net to make sure my body performs at its peak level for the six months on the Appalachian Trail and future treks.

-AJ

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