Another Fork in the Trail. Laurie Ann March

      When teaching workshops and talking to other outdoors people, I am often asked about how I handle planning food for a trip. It’s a bit of a learning curve and a challenge to find the balance between nutrition and food weight. I remember some of the first trips I took and how much extra food we brought. We’d create a perfect menu and then at the last minute we worry that it wasn’t going to be enough food for the trip, so we’d add more to the pack only to bring it back home. A few trips later we decided that it was time to get realistic and evaluate what we were doing. We made a menu, with a plan for some emergency rations, and stuck to it.

      Our simple meal plan is comprised of three main meals and a few snacks for each day coupled with the occasional dessert. I add in a few extra snacks for cold-weather trips. While I suggest using dehydrated foods, adding in fresh food can really complement the backcountry menu, as long as you don’t mind a little extra weight. Paddlers will have more flexibility in this respect unless they have long or difficult portages.

      You’ll also want to consider that you may eat more in the backcountry than at home because of the amount of energy you are expending; however, you might find that your appetite is decreased in the first few days, increasing as the trek progresses. When looking at peoples’ menus, I often see plans that include items such as candy bars—not always a good choice. While a candy bar might give you a burst of energy, it is nutritionally lacking and will be short-lived. You may experience a sugar crash, which makes you feel lethargic and zapped of energy. This isn’t a good thing when you still have a half day of hiking or paddling ahead of you. When you don’t consume enough calories, you tend to live off your body’s food stores instead of giving your body the fuel it needs. Nutrient-dense foods will serve you better both on and off the trail.

      Planning for Solo Trips

      Solo hikers and paddlers may want to prepare a simpler menu than people on a group trip. Avoid heavier items such as baked goods and backpacking ovens if weight is an issue. If you cook multiple serving meals, package them in single servings and take along a copy of the menu. The benefit of going solo is that you can plan what you like and you don’t have to consider the likes and dislikes of a campmate.

      Planning for Larger Groups

      With larger groups, planning can be a little difficult because you must consider the needs and wants of each person in the group. Some larger groups like to plan food so that the menu is shared; each person is responsible for a meal to feed the entire group. Other groups plan it so that certain people bring specific ingredients that get contributed to group meals. Both methods can cause difficulty in the planning, organizing, and execution. Add fussy eaters, special diets, and varying appetite sizes into the mix and it can be a recipe for disaster. If someone forgets to bring part of his or her share, it can result in the whole group going hungry, and that can create some stressful situations. I suggest handling things a bit differently.

      If your group will have more than five people, create subgroups, limited to three or four people. Sometimes groups will form naturally by couple or family, and other times it will form by dietary choices. An example would be a trip where you have vegetarians and nonvegetarians traveling together. The logical division there would be by diet. The subgroups make it easy because each subgroup is responsible for its own food and the related gear. The subgroups then cook and eat around the same time of day in the designated kitchen area at camp. Before the trip it is best to have someone create a proposed menu plan and then share it with everyone. Then each subgroup can plan its menu with the cooking style of the proposed menu as a guide. Adjustments can then be made to suit the needs and tastes of the subgroup’s members. With everyone eating in a similar style, in the same area, at the same time, it makes for a relaxed and communal atmosphere. We’ve found that this really adds to a trip and it is a great time to reflect on the travel of that day. This method is better because when you cook in a larger group, there is less flexibility in the menu and it can be difficult for those with special dietary needs. Organizing by subgroup does reduce the amount of gear needed, as each group can share a pot set, water filter, and stove.

      Assigning chores is of great benefit and will make life in the camp kitchen much more organized. Morning is a good example. While one person starts to take down the shelter and fills the packs, the other can prepare breakfast. This approach to cooking while preparing to break camp is time efficient and will help you to get on the move early while still enjoying a hearty start to the day.

      Mailing Foods

      When you are going on extended hiking or paddling trips or embarking on a thru-hike, you may need to mail parcels ahead or shop along the way. On some trails shopping in tiny grocery stores can be difficult for vegetarians, especially vegans, as well as people with celiac disease, because selection may be very limited. Mailing food is a great alternative even if it does mean small delays associated with the need to be in an area when the post office is open. It is crucial that all of your ingredients are dried properly and thoroughly, sealed well, and packed carefully. A sturdy cardboard carton is the best choice and you may want to include food-safe oxygen absorbers in the food packages or in the carton itself. These will help preserve the freshness of the food. Oxygen absorbers can be purchased from Walton Feed at www.waltonfeed.com or Sorbent Systems at www.sorbentsystems.com. Speak to someone at the post office that you are sending the parcel to give them a heads-up and ensure that you mail the package in time, so it will be waiting for you when you arrive.

      Special Diets and Picky Eaters

      Individuals with special dietary needs, other than what is covered in this book, or severe food allergies and those who are extremely picky should be responsible for their own food. It is simpler for one person to prepare their special diet rather than expect the whole group to conform. If you have a picky eater, especially a child, you should test the food choices at home to ensure that he or she will like the food on the trail.

      Most recipes in this book can easily be made with low-sodium diets in mind. I’ve included a selection of gluten-free recipes and regular recipes for menu items such as pizza crust so that you may select the one that suits your dietary needs.

      Those who are diabetic should consult their physician, nutritionist, and diabetic education center before going on backpacking or paddling trips. Increased physical activity can cause a diabetic to have increased insulin sensitivity, so adjustment to the carbohydrate intake and medication dosages may be needed to prevent severe hypoglycemia. Diabetic outdoors people should always pack extra carbohydrate-rich foods in case of such emergencies and should test their blood glucose levels more frequently than at home.

      Food allergies are of particular concern and it is best that someone with a severe food allergy plan his or her own menu. Severe and life-threatening allergies should be discussed with your campmates before the trip, as should emergency measures. If someone has a deadly allergy to an ingredient, then it is best for the entire group to avoid including that ingredient in any of the foods in order to prevent cross-contamination. I’ll address some other food substitutions in the next chapter, “Recipe Creation.”

      Resizing