We eat a lot of food. Since hiker hunger has kicked in with full force, it’s always a challenge to carry enough food for a week or so without our backpacks weighing 100 lbs. Especially with long legs such as our most recent one, food is always on the mind. This last section of the trail took us seven days further up into Colorado, through cactus and scrub brush-filled sections up into snowy, 12,000 ft mountains.

But back to food. Our diet varies based on what’s available when we’re resupplying, as well as current cravings. Even after a couple months​ we’re still figuring it out. For those who may be interested in the details, here’s what can often be found in our backpacks:

Breakfast: Poptarts, or occasionally granola or protein bars. (Poptarts are the best compact calories. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up granola bars in the store, only to put them down because one bar was barely over 100 calories. I mean, come on granola bars. You can do better than that.)

Lunch: Tortillas, cheese (yes it’s heavy, but it’s so goooood), packets of tuna or salmon or pepperoni.

Dinner: We cold soak almost all our dinners instead of cooking. It’s just easier at the end of a long day. Favs include instant mashed potatoes, Ramen, stuffing, packets of refried beans, and Knorrs rice dinners although they take longer to cold soak.

We supplement all our meals with snack items, which we also consume during breaks throughout the day. These items include candy and chocolate bars, trail mix, other nuts, banana chips, dried cranberries, individual pies, instant pudding, crackers, Pringles, cookies, jerky, and drink mixes.

Despite the weight, I’ll often pack out a couple of apples and/or some veggies to eat during the first days out of a town, because I crave fruits and vegetables all the time. It’s a good thing I’m not Snow White, because if someone offered me an apple on the trail, they could even say it was poisoned. I’d still be like, “I’ll chance it.”

Writing this post has made me hungry, so I’m off to find a snack. Maybe two.