Endurance Eating

Okapi42
Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hiking season will be upon us again soon, and we're planning some long ones - probably starting at a day hike of about 30km, followed by a 42km in May and a longer overnighter later in the summer, and hopefully working up to the 100km/day challenge we've been meaning to do.

Now I know that for this kind of thing, the normal rules of eating pretty much go out the window - you want carbs, and lots of them. As well as all the water you can carry. But I need to avoid too much sugar, and have a fairly low carrying capacity. (Due to nerve damage in my shoulder, I have to keep my backpack light/use only a large waist pack).

So, does anyone have any ideas for the right kinds of (vegetarian) snacks to plan for, and how many calories I should assume I need? I've run out of both food & water before and it wasn't pretty, but I don't want to carry too much, either.

Replies

  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    dried fruit gives you a lot of calories/carbs for relatively low volume and weight
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
    Thanks - dried fruit is a good idea. Doesn't make you feel very full, so you can eat loads...
  • rea1980
    rea1980 Posts: 93 Member
    Always take water purification tablets on those long hikes, just in case you do run out of water. Also look into what types of vegetation are natural to the area you are hiking in. Then you can be on the lookout for food and energy sources growing right around you, just don't ever eat anything you aren't 100% sure you know what it is. If weight is a big issue and there is a lot of natural water around you don't mind purifying, get some MRE's they are very light weight.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
    That's a good idea. I'm usually fine with drinking water from mountain streams as-is, but one guy in my hiking group is a doctor and freaks out about the possibility that a newt might have peed in it or something... Maybe the tablets will put his mind at ease.

    Not much in the way of vegetation where we hike, unfortunately - though we do nibble berries at lower altitudes. Mostly just bracken, heather, and moss toward the top, if anything.

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