FOOD

From gallons of ice cream to All-You-Can-Eat (AYCE) buffets, long-distance hikers consume copious amounts of food whenever they hit a town near the Trail. And, because they can’t take all that glorious food with them, they often leave dreaming about the Epicurean delights the next town might have to offer. For those on smaller-scale hikes and for ultralight backpackers, calorie intake is not as much of a concern. But, because packing light is important no matter the hiking distance, hikers must often accept a less-than-satisfying amount of food in tow.

DEHYDRATED/FREEZE-DRIED FOODS

Like most hikers we usually stick to the low-cost supermarket brand dinners such as Kraft, Lipton, and a few others. Thanks, no doubt, to the number of families with working parents, supermarkets are filled with many easy-to-fix, just-add-water dinners. But specialty dehydrated foods designed for backpackers have come a long way too. Though still expensive, they offer variety to the macaroni-and-cheeses and ramen-noodle dinners many hikers subsist on.

We decided to test a few of the specialty dinners available on the market, and were pleasantly surprised by what came out of our cook pot. For breakfast, we tried an omelet with potatoes and sautéed onions. The two-serving egg dish was not a bad buy. A bit of a pain to clean up, but it definitely adds variety to the staples of oatmeal and toaster pastries.

For supper, we tried a dinner described as “turkey, vegetables, and wild rice in a tangy sour-cream sauce.” The no-cook entrée (not actually true—when you hike, even boiling water is cooking) was actually quite tasty. The dinner says it serves two, although a hungry hiker would probably have to eat the entire dinner just to get halfway full. We also had freeze-dried ice cream for dessert. The two-serving portion of Neapolitan ice cream was good but expensive—and too small for a single hungry hiker. We were intrigued by the dried ice cream but we definitely recommend sticking to the cobblers, pies, and more filling desserts.

Wild blueberries on the A.T.

Among the companies that supply backpackers with dehydrated and freeze-dried foods are Adventure Foods, Alpine Aire, Harvest Foodworks, Mountain House, Natural High, Nature’s Pantry, Richmoor, Trail Wise, and Wee Pack.

A new type of trail food, boxed in tiny “milk” cartons, is manufactured by Taste Adventure. These vegetarian, dehydrated meals are inexpensive and prepare quickly—just add boiling water and stir. We tried both the black-bean chili and lentil soup, which were tasty and provided large portions for two people.

Although we would still not recommend relying solely on these specially dehydrated and freeze-dried foods, we do believe they are a wonderful way to add variety to the diet. Keep in mind, though, that main dishes tend to cost two to three times as much as store-bought macaroni, pasta salads, and rice dishes. However, long-distance hikers can benefit from bulk purchasing online to get a much lower per-unit cost than is typically available in stores.

On the other hand, if you are willing to dehydrate food yourself, the sky’s the limit. Although it takes time and effort, dehydrating your own food is a very inexpensive alternative. Dehydrators can be purchased through most outdoors stores and start at $50, though you can certainly use your own stove. All manner of food can be dehydrated—fruit, meats, and vegetables. Trail Food by Alan S. Kesselheim, published by Ragged Mountain Press, is a good resource for home dehydrators.

FRESH FOOD

With a little planning, weekend hikers can easily enjoy fresh foods. If you are willing to carry the weight of fresh meat and produce, again the sky is the limit. Steaks, hamburgers, fish, or chicken are all possible candidates to cook over your grill. And if you intend to have meat your second night out, freeze it before you go. By the end of the second day, it should be thawed and ready to cook. Make sure you keep it in a zipper-lock bag, or you could end up with a messy backpack. One of the greatest advantages of short hikes is that your diet is limited only by the amount of time you want to spend cooking.

Fresh foods are certainly an option for the long-distance hiker, although you can’t rely solely on fresh foods for your backpacking diet—you have to eat these goodies your first night back on the trail after a shopping stop or face rotten and decaying food. We usually stick to hot dogs (turkey or chicken) on longer hikes, because they are the only meat that won’t drip blood all over our packs; if you do buy chicken, steak, or some other meat, make sure it is wrapped well before you leave. Hot dogs roasted over a fire with some cheese make a delicious meal alternative, and you don’t have to worry about ketchup, mustard, etc. We also occasionally carry apples, oranges, pears, carrots, and other fruits and vegetables that are not easily bruised.

LIVING OFF THE LAND

Unless you know your edible wild plants backward and forward, stick to store-bought and homemade foods when backpacking. Many edible plants can be easily confused with poisonous plants.

While attending a lecture on mushrooms, we were dismayed to find that a mushroom we had feasted on in Maine was potentially fatal. This mushroom has the color and taste of lobster and is parasitic, growing off both a safe and a very dangerous mushroom. Obviously, we had been lucky and decided we’ll never take a chance like that again.

There are some obvious edibles, though. Blueberries grow profusely in the wild and are great in pancakes, on cereal, in oatmeal, and so on. Blackberries, gooseberries, currants, raspberries, and wild strawberries can also be found trailside. Mulberries, unless fully ripe, can be dangerous. Another safe wild plant is the ramp or wild leek. Its strong onion odor distinguishes it—use as you would an onion.