Snack, snack, and snack some more. Apparently, long distance hikers snack a lot. Some even go so far as just having extra snacks around lunch time instead of a regular lunch.
Trail snacks are essential. In Pack Light, Eat Right, Dr. Braaten tells us
Throughout long treks, munch. Because both fat and carbohydrates are being burned in active muscle, the ideal way to maximize relative fuel consumption is to keep eating a mixture, but carbohydrates are especially critical during exercise. The body has an ample supply of fat stored up, so even if you don’t eat any fat, there’s plenty available in the bloodstream, being delivered from storage. Not so with carbohydrates. Storage is limited. There is every reason for you to maintain your glycogen stores at optimum levels. If you don’t, you’ll hit the wall, or worse, “bonk” (run out of both liver and muscle glycogen stores).
That sounds like a lot of snacks and a lot of weight. But it’s really not. Keeping in mind that my strategy is to keep food to two pounds per day, get 4,000 – 4,500 calories out of that food (125-140 calories/ounce), and get 35% of my daily calories from snacks and dessert, I only have to carry about 11.8 ounces of snacks per day.
| Drink Powder and Electrolyte Supplement | Carbs | Fat | Protein | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergen-C Drink Powder | 0.3 | Oz | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Calories per Calorie Source | 24 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Percentage of Total Calories per Calorie Source | 100% | 0% | 0% | ||
| Morning Snacks | Carbs | Fat | Protein | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GORP Raisins (1/4 Cup) | 1 | Oz | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| Peanuts, Dry Roasted (1/4 Cup) | 1 | Oz | 5 | 17 | 7 |
| M&M Plain (1 Pkg) | 1.7 | Oz | 34 | 10 | 2 |
| Rolled Gold Pretzels | 1 | Oz | 23 | 1 | 2 |
| Total Grams per Calorie Source | 93 | 28 | 12 | ||
| Total Calories per Calorie Source | 372 | 252 | 48 | ||
| Percentage of Total Calories per Calorie Source | 55% | 38% | 7% | ||
| Total Calories | 672 | ||||
| Percentage of Daily Calorie Goal (4,500) | 15% | ||||
| Afternoon Snacks | Carbs | Fat | Protein | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GORP Raisins (1/4 Cup) | 1 | Oz | 31 | 0 | 1 |
| Peanuts, Dry Roasted (1/4 Cup) | 1 | Oz | 5 | 17 | 7 |
| M&M Plain (1 Pkg) | 1.7 | Oz | 34 | 10 | 2 |
| Frito Corn Chips | 1 | Oz | 15 | 10 | 2 |
| Total Grams per Calorie Source | 85 | 37 | 12 | ||
| Total Calories per Calorie Source | 340 | 333 | 48 | ||
| Percentage of Total Calories per Calorie Source | 47% | 46% | 7% | ||
| Total Calories | 721 | ||||
| Percentage of Daily Calorie Goal (4,500) | 16% | ||||
| Dessert | Carbs | Fat | Protein | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snickers Candy Bar | 2.1 | Oz | 35 | 14 | 4 |
| Total Calories per Calorie Source | 140 | 126 | 16 | ||
| Percentage of Total Calories per Calorie Source | 50% | 45% | 7% | ||
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