Introduction

Eating well on the trail is not a mystery, but it does take planning. The first time I ever backpacked, I survived on a diet of trail mixes and ramen noodles mixed with mash potato flakes. I liked my choices for the first 2 days and then I was quite ready for some vegetables. I once met a hiker who ate only things that he did not need to cook, and for him that included cold hot dogs with cheese whiz and Little Debbie cinnamon buns (which he claimed had the most calories per ounce of any food out there). It doesn’t have to be this way!

Maximum performance necessitates quality fuel. If you are only going out for a few days, then most any food can get you by, but refined grains, high fats, and lots of chemicals are not my choice. Within the pages of this manual, you will find ways to eat varied, high quality foods that are appealing, healthy, and light to carry. You will need a food dehydrator, but depending on the food, an oven set at its lowest temperature can work, as can a solar dehydrator that you can make from plans off the internet.

In many of the recipes, I have instructions to store the ingredients in a Ziploc bag. I am using this as the more or less generic term for any plastic bag that has a secure way to seal it. When there are instructions to add hot or boiling water to the bag, be sure that it is a “freezer” bag. A regular plastic bag will melt if you add boiling water to it, but a freezer bag can actually tolerate being submerged in boiling water.

This booklet is a compilation of recipes that I have made up or found on the internet. Thanks to the many hikers who are willing to share their ideas. I have tried to organize the recipes according to when you might want to use them starting with breakfast first. There is a lot of overlap.

I hope that these pages give you a starting point. Many thanks go to the people who have helped me refine my ideas about eating well on the trail. Specials thanks to my mentors, Marti Greason, Jim Reel, and Diana Lynn, and to my special hiking buddies, Missy Devening and Marit “Moonwalker” Gay. A very special thanks to my husband, Tom Brown, who encouraged my creativity and was willing to eat my creations!

Buen Provecho!

Francy