Food for Hiking the Appalachian Trail – Part 1, Purchase

My hike on the Appalachian Trail is getting “real,” and as it gets more real, I’m telling more people about it. Telling people makes it more solid, then I tell it to more people because it’s more solid. But I haven’t heard of the feedback loop. I’m here for the food.

There’s a first part up there in the title. Before I delve into what I eat, I want to share how I came up with “the numbers.”

Buy food for my AT Thru-Hike

Also known as: How I Plan to Fuel My Somewhat Ridiculous Metabolism by Walking 15+ Miles a Day.

Hiking imposes limitations and, like life in general, those limitations are often in conflict. For example, completing the tour in less time reduces costs. Carrying less food reduces weight so you can walk faster. This reduces the cost in theory. But, if you bring less food, you will also have to stop in the city more and stopping in the city will cost you more money. The key is finding the right balance for me.

Factors I considered

Taste

I won’t eat enough food if I have to choke it down. This was the most valuable lesson from my failed Tahoe Rim Trail hike. Until then I always followed two philosophies: “I will eat anything if I am hungry” and “Everything tastes better on the road.” I was wrong on both counts. If I have trouble eating or have to swallow food, I eat less. This seems especially true for foods that are too salty for my taste. Most of my food should be food that I enjoy, at least a little. To help with this, I will buy a wide variety and try almost every option before my hike.

Cooking

At one extreme of “cooking” we have cold soaking. Put your ramen in a bowl, pour cold water over it and wait. In the end you will have food, or an approximation of it. Unfortunately, I can’t wash dishes well while hiking. Using the same dirty cup to cold soak food eaten with a dirty utensil is just asking for food poisoning. Feel free to comment otherwise.

At the other end, the sky is the limit, at least in theory. In practice, weight limits me. I don’t consider myself ultralight, but kitchen equipment weighs too much for me to consider anything more than my 0.9 liter titanium cup. So my sky is simmering. Simmering requires fuel. The fuel increases the weight, or the frequency with which I stop in the city, or both.

Between the two of us we have “Things You Can Pour Boiling Water On” and that is how I will cook any cooked food. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 of my calories (bars, snacks, etc.) don’t need cooking.

Calories/Weight/Cost

I know from past experience that I need over 3000 calories a day when backpacking. This may be closer to 4000, or more, once you walk every day.

Keeping food weight low will allow me to carry more food. More food means more time between stops in the city. Stops in the city increase cost and time. Ideally I travel five days between cities and can comfortably carry around 10 pounds of food. At 2 pounds per day, I need a minimum of 100 calories per ounce. 2 lb2 = 32 oz = 3200 calories per day.

I have a margin of budget and time, but it is not infinite. I need to eat for four months on approximately 20 dollars a day. $20 divided by 32 ounces = $0.62/oz, which I have rounded down to $0.50 to add cushioning and simplify the calculations.

So what did I decide?

My hiking food rule

Anything I like with at least 100 calories/oz that costs less than $0.50/oz.

I wanted a simple rule to be able to select foods quickly. Most stores display the cost per ounce on the shelves and by using a whole “ten,” I can quickly calculate the calories per ounce. As long as I follow my rule, I don’t need to micromanage my food budget. I hope this means I won’t stress about food.

To decide to buy something in advance or buy it at stops in the city, the plan is also simple. If it’s normally available for less than $0.50/oz for replenishment portions (5 days), I’ll buy it along the way. If it is difficult to find, I will receive it by mail and similarly for items that are only within the budget when purchased in bulk.

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