Food on the PCT Basics The great thing about hiking 20 miles/day is that you get to eat all you want. In fact you HAVE TO EAT 5000 CAL/DAY just to maintain weight. The downside is that you have to carry all that food. You are your own mule and unless you actually like carrying obscene loads it's critical to understand a few things about the energy values of food. Here are some key points: Water weighs 2 lbs/quart and has 0 calories. Most fresh foods are at least 60% water; some foods such as green peppers are 90% water. Water is critical for life but it's a backbreaker and, since it's available along the trail, it must be removed from food. A good food dehydrator does the job. High fat foods such as peanut butter, olive oil, and roasted almonds contain 160-200 cal/oz. These foods contain the most bang for the buck but must be balanced by other sources of protein and carbohydrate for good nutrition. Most dried fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats contain about 100 cal/oz. By mixing high fat foods with other dried foods it's possible to get 5000 Cal of good, balanced nutrition from 2.5-3 lbs food/day. Sample Meal Here is a sample menu, containing 5000 calories, for a day on the trail. Item Weight Calories Granola w/powdered milk 8 oz. 900 Breakfast bar 1.5 oz. 150 Granola bars 3 oz. 350 Peanut butter 2 oz. 350 Beef/Chicken Jerky 2 oz. 200 Crackers 4 oz. 500 Dried fruit 3 oz. 350 Nuts/Gorp 4 oz. 600 Cookies 2 oz. 300 Wheat/corn pasta 8 oz. 800 Dried hamburger 2 oz. 200 Dried peas/onion/pepper 2 oz. 150 Dried spaghetti sauce 2 oz. 300 TOTAL 43.5 oz. 5150 Summary Meal planning and preparation for 4 1/2 months on the trail is a long process. I should have bought stock in Price-Costco because God knows I helped increase their sales. Every PCT hiker buys at least some food along the trail. Some hikers buy ALL their food along the trail at the risk of heavy loads and, more importantly, poor nutrition. To save time and worry at resupply points I'm planning to have all my food shipped to me (thanks, Cynthia) and then augment as desired. No doubt I will grow weary of my meals and will buy/swap food along the way. In addition I will hit every restaurant I can for a burger, salad, and beer. Post-PCT Notes I grew tired of most of my food after about the first week but it was necessary calories and I continued to eat most of it. I'm still glad I pre-packed my food at home because, despite the boredom, I ate better than anybody else who relied on the meager supplies from stores near the trail. Breakfast: I never grew tired of granola or grapenuts with Milkman powdered milk. I ate it every day on the trail and it was an excellent energy boost. Lunch: I supplemented my lunches with sardines, cheese, wheat things, and cookies from stores along the way. By the time I reached Oregon I ate peanut butter by the cup. I also loved my homemade beef jerky and wished I'd made more. I made way too much dried fruit­a big mistake. Dinner: I ate all the meals except the mashed potato dinners. The calorie/volume ratio wasn't worth it. I substituted other dinners from home (thanks, Cynthia) and bought a few Lipton dinners along the way. Lipton Broccoli w/cheddar cheese was my favorite. I added squeeze Parkay to everything I could and it was a good taste and fat boost to the meals. I added Parmesan cheese for the same reasons.