What do people eat when hiking the Appalachian Trail?
Crackers and cheese, tuna and chicken in foil packets, tortillas, pita bread or bagels, and peanut butter, nut butters and other spreadable items are popular lunch options.
How do you eat healthy while hiking?
My top-5 recommendations for planning and preparation on a restricted diet are:
- Calculate calorie needs and plan out your meals/snacks.
- Make your own meals.
- Take existing backpacking recipes and manipulate them to fit your needs.
- If you can tolerate them, incorporate nuts into everything.
- Hit Costco hard.
How much should my pack weigh for the Appalachian Trail?
Again, for inexperienced backpackers, aim for a base weight of about 20 lbs, plus or minus 5 lbs. This was the typical base weight for most thru-hikers and long-distance section hikers. If your base weight is 20 lbs or higher, make sure to use a standard pack. A minimalist or ultralight pack will not be your friend.
What to eat before during and after a hike?
Eat a combination of complex carbohydrates and lean protein, 1-3 hours before a hike, for example:
- A peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread.
- Greek yogurt with berries.
- Oatmeal with low fat milk and fruit.
- Apple and peanut butter.
- A handful of nuts and raisins (2 parts raisins, 1 part nuts)
How many calories should I eat on Appalachian Trail?
For a strenuous day of backpacking with a “heavy” pack (no weight range specified), they suggest 25to 30 calories per pound of body weight. Using my 185-pound self as a proxy, that’s 4,625 to 5,550 calories.
What do you eat when hiking the Appalachian Trail?
Crackers and cheese, tuna and chicken in foil packets, tortillas, pita bread or bagels, and peanut butter, nut butters and other spreadable items are popular lunch options. Dried foods like pasta that can be boiled and prepared on portable stoves are popular with hikers.
How long can you carry food on the Appalachian Trail?
In remote areas, such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee/North Carolina and the “100 Mile Wilderness” in Maine, hikers may carry food for 6-8 days or more. Many hikers buy food and supplies in towns along the Trail or businesses near the Trail that cater to hikers.
What should I pack for a long hike?
Nutrition: Pack enough snacks to fuel your body for the exertion of your hike. Pack one extra snack for use in the event of an emergency that keeps you on Trail longer than expected. Make sure to carry a plastic bag to pack-out anything you don’t consume, like apple cores, excess food, or food packaging.
What is the ideal pack capacity for hiking the trail?
As the contents inside hikers’ packs get lighter and more compact, so too does the pack itself. Nowadays the ideal pack capacity is going to fall somewhere in the 40L–65L range, depending upon how much gear a hiker is carrying, the gear’s compression, and how much food a hiker requires. Simple, internal frame packs dominate the trail nowadays.