2024 CDT #1 The Prep

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”- Lao Tzu

Our first step was prepping the food we would need for 150 (estimated) hiking days. After confirming what was in the freezer from previous hikes, the assembly of what was needed began in the winter months. We now know what is digestible for us personally and what works with our jet boil stove. Our system is simple, our stove boils water and we then soak our meals in it. There is no cooking on trail- just boil-stir-soak-eat. The items we found to be indigestible were those items that were not cooked enough to digest with our cooking system. Purchased dehydrated beans DO NOT WORK! However, if I cook up a batch of beans at home and then dehydrate them in our Excalibur dehydrator they ARE digestible. (This is an example of how Jobie and I often learn lessons through painful ways!) TVP (texturized vegetable protein) doesn’t work for us, so our main protein choices are narrowed down to home cooked dehydrated red lentils, purchased freeze dried chicken cubes, homemade tofu jerky, powdered dehydrated black bean flakes, egg powder, dehydrated tuna flakes, chia and hemp seed, and protein powder. Along with garden dehydrated and/or freeze dried vegetables, seasonings, homemade dehydrated quinoa, couscous, and noodles, we eat well and happily now!

Some thru hikers are more easy going with their food choices but we do better with less processed and more nutritious ingredients (as long as they are digestible!) Although it takes time to investigate and create hiking meals that suit us, it is a way to stay connected to the trail in the off season!