Yesterday, the 16th, marked three months until take-off...

For the last few weeks, (not constantly, but here and there) I've been wading through backpacking recipes, trying to figure out what kind of food to pack for this journey.  I've read a lot about food on the trail and what some people's preferences are...Some simply buy all of their food along the way, some diligently pack everything at home, dehydrating food for months on-end.  As with most choices in life, there are pluses and minuses to both of these.  We need some balance here.

Jason and I kind of feel like we fall in the middle of these two choices, and are therefore planning accordingly.  We'll pack some of our food at home (things that are harder to find), and then leave our bodies to decide what we'll pick up along the way.  The health of our bodies is worth the cost of shipping and time.

I value nutrition over convenience, so I'm willing to put in some work to make sure that atleast part of our diet is something that I can be proud of.  For five months, I'm not willing to only eat poptarts, snickers, ramen noodles, and a host of other "convenience foods" mostly found in the mini-marts along the way...so dried vegetables and fruits, probiotics, whole grains-these are what I'm shooting for in this pre-pack portion of our preparations.  I even know how to sprout and soak, so watch out backpack world!   

Last time we went shopping, we bought some different boxes of Couscous and picked one out for dinner.  We both ate one bowl with salsa, one with spaghetti sauce, and one just plain.  Then we gave each dish a star-rating that I penned onto the box for later reference!  I don't know!  We have to start somewhere and why not taste-test some of these recipes first!

One of my favorite tips for cooking on the trail involves putting together a meal in a zip-lock bag at home in which you just have to pour hot water into on the trail, and allow to rehydrate/cook.  There is some waste involved, that's for sure-I balance this thought out with the idea that we'll probably generate less trash than we would if we'd be at home for the same time period.  But no pot to clean and simple preparation makes these meals more than just enjoyable to eat!

Since I'm gathering information still, do you have any favorite backpacking meals that you'd like to share with us?  Easy dessert recipes are highly welcome... 

Links:
Freezer bag recipes                
Freeze-dried and Dehydrated food items
SRN
3/19/2010 08:36:51 am

Have a wonderful time. I'm curious. Why are you hiking N to S? If I ever thru hike, N to S feels right to me but I'm curious why you chose it.

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Cassandra
3/19/2010 11:56:15 am

Thank you! We're hoping to have a great time! We were just out for a walk today and after getting up the mountain-side and seeing the views, we were reminded yet again how cool this is going to be...

So this is a great question...Our replies have morphed over time, but these are the main things that have swayed our decision:

-Less people attempt it therefore it's more of a challenge-as if the hike itself isn't enough of a challenge :)
-We live here in Washington so are close to home the first month or so. We find that comforting, being surrounded by friends and family along the way.
-The snowpack here in the Cascades is below average and in the Sierras it's above average-so it makes sense to us to take advantage of what the weather has offered this year. We also have experience backpacking over snow, so it doesn't bother us too much to start off right away in it.
-We don't have the same worries with the creeks here in Washington as we would with the ones in the Sierras, like Bear Creek, Evolution Creek, etc.
-Not as much rain in Washington!
-Not as hot in the desert.

There's probably some more...We've considered the pros and cons of both directions, that's for sure...This way seems to work for us! :) You just gotta make a decision and go for it!






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9/30/2010 11:52:59 pm

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