Thru-Hiker's Companion

My 2011 edition of the, "Thru-Hikers' Companion" by the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association has become my thru-hiker bible. It was $14.95 and includes everything I need to plan my trip!! If you are wondering what I will be doing for the next month I will be reading.

Caloric Intake

So I'm just going to come out and say, becasue I have no shame in doing so, that I am about 130lbs...127 on a good day. I swear to you most of it is muscle thanks to family genes.

All the experts suggest carrying no more than 25% of your body weight on an extended hike which is 32.5lbs.

It is interesting to note that most all men loose weight on the trail, save for Machine McCarron who gained 15lbs, but he is a special case all together finishing the trail in 90 days and kicking it off with 24.9miles the first day. It is common for women, on the other hand, to gain weight during their thru-hike do to a gain in muscle. I have no idea how the trail will change my body, but I will keep Ed's formula in mind and adjust my caloric intake accordingly.
So long story short, both my pack and I together will weigh about 162.5 lbs. Below is a table of calorie needs based on both weight and activity as seen on dietbites.com:

CALORIE NEEDS BASED ON WEIGHT
Weight	Inactive	Moderate	Active
161	2093	2415	2737
162	2106	2430	2754
163	2119	2445	2771
164	2132	2460	2788
165	2145	2475	2805
166	2158	2490	2822
167	2171	2505	2839
168	2184	2520	2856
169	2197	2535	2873
170	2210	2550	2890

http://www.dietbites.com/Pyramid-Diet/161-170-daily-calorie-needs.html

According to the chart on average I will require 2445ca/day. Hmmm...I have some calculating to do.

Food Pickup

Now for a bit of food talk. Friend Ed. S of Northland Adventures suggests planning on eating 2lbs of food per day while I'm up north and reducing it to about 1.5lbs/day as I get further south. He explains that "all days are not equal...colder days require more food than warmer days."

I plugged my numbers into Ed’s equation and it turns out that I should require 2lbs of food/day for the 1st 2months and about 1.5 for the remaining 4 for a total of 300lbs of food for my 6month long trek.

It is weird planning what you are going to eat for 6 months in less than 30 days.

Today I pick up my 235lbs of nuts, lentils and grains from my local natural food store. 

My dad joked and said that the boxes were going to bottom out my roller skate.

My package will consist of: 25lbs brown rice, 50lbs red and green lentils, 25 lbs barley, 30lbs peanuts, 25lbs quinoa, 25lbs peas, 25lbs beans and 30lbs raisins. I realize that a lot of this food does not have a lot of flavor so I am going to invest in some spices to flavor my nutritional meals. There is also a thing called nutritional yeast which replenishes all of your B vitamins which comes in sprinkle form.

According to the article published on WhiteBlaze.com, "Food, protein, greens, and digestion: OVERVIEW," by Yerba Jon:

• Many hikers fail to eat enough calories on the trail.
• Many hikers fail to eat enough protein on the trail.
• Most hikers fail to eat enough vegetables on the trail.
• Most hikers fail to get enough calcium on the trail.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=95264#post95264

Since meats and jerky are expensive and I dropped the ball in terms of dehydrating my own meat, I am planning my meals as if I am a vegetarian. By combining vegetable proteins such as rice and beans I will be replenishing my body with all 9 of the essential amino acids found in meat and other animal products (which are considered to be "complete proteins." Quinoa, aside from soy, is one of the only sources of a complete protein from a plant source.

My 30lbs of dehydrated veggie soup is on the way and I still need to order 50lbs of fruit.

Ed says that "food is everything, it makes fast friends, bad days turn good, and it puts the pep in your step."

I was planning on living off of Ramen and gorp for 6 months but after a trip to the natural food store, I realize that nutrition is extremely important. I am my own vehicle and beans and lentils have a higher octane. I see my trip as a retreat from luxury, something my pallet will have to get used to, but I am optimistic.