High Sierra Topix

Interesting discussion. I don't count calories - makes me crazy, having had food issues in the past. We've probably all found that what we eat at home has no relation to what we need on the trail. And even on the trail, my needs vary with the difficulty of the day. And as I get older, I need less. Over the years I've figured out about how much I need to keep me going without crashing. Me crashing is not a pretty sight. I've been known to eat fish scales , get bitchy , and sit in the middle of the trail crying. Now I make sure I prevent that with some candy and a granola bar in my pocket. And it usually takes 4 days til that happens. I can get 7 days of food in a can but for more than that I'd probably have to count calories, too. I'm big on powdered refried beans and instant pea soup - calories and protein in a dense powdery blob. Oh, and manchego cheese and salame for hors doeuvres.

Supplement with as much olive oil you can stomach.

The stuff is about as dense calorie wise as you can get. I usually bring along a bottle of oil on my extended trips and add it to pasta/couscous/rice dishes.

never counted calories for this year - looks like about half a million to me:

fishmonger wrote:never counted calories for this year - looks like about half a million to me...

Nah, it's a well-known fact that no bear canister can possibly hold more than one thousand calories. That's why we're all so skinny after these trips. And so hungry!

Is there really a reson other than preference to have the Luna/cliff/larabar selection?

Are they cheaper than just buying snickers and Peanut M&Ms?

Hot Damn... I see some nutella there... there's some Calorie density for you...mmmm.... Nutella...

rayfound wrote:Is there really a reson other than preference to have the Luna/cliff/larabar selection?

Are they cheaper than just buying snickers and Peanut M&Ms?

Hot Damn... I see some nutella there... there's some Calorie density for you...mmmm.... Nutella...

Snickers melts in your pack, less protein, kids don't like them. Kids don't like peanutbutter anything. There are more Clif bars coming in the mail - flavors they don't have locally. Also some Bear Valley bars, which are by far the most calorie-loaded and quite yummi.

basically, these bars are a daily treat for the kids, somethin to look forward to. Important for the morale. I'd be perfectly happy with a few cheap Quaker Oat bars or the coffee bars I picked up at the supermarket, but the little ones are spoiled since they found Clif bars in a hiker barrel last year

it all started with this one we picked up at Muir Trail Ranch:



There's all kinds of goodies - about $50 worth of beef jerky, haribo gummi bears (Target sells the huge bags now), sharkies, protein drink mix, tacos, etc - gonna post the final packing list for each depot on our web site when I get this sorted

bar comparison - print and compare to what you get from Quaker Oats and others at the local grocer

http://www.prolithic.com/hpages/efoods/barcomp.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nutella rocks - just look at her face when she spotted the Nutella in our bucket at Muir Trail Ranch last summer;



she'll eat it with a spoon, nothing else needed. I'll bring a few crackers just for fiber supplement, but have no worries that these jars will all be licked clean before the next one gets picked up.

next to the nutella another calorie bomb: Laughing Cow brand cheese, shelf stable without refrigeration, 42% fat I think, tastes great. For saussage we're taking Chorizo - stable without refrigeration. Slim Jims, real beef jerky (local guy makes it, bone dry, not fluid-soaked like most national brands are to make them heavier), even a pack of Twinkies (never had them in my life before). Gatorade, Starbucks instant coffee, fancy hot chocolate mixes and cappucino, gatorade powder, etc - if it takes good, everyone is happy.

The Bear Valley Bars have the most calories, but are really dense, you better
drink whole lot of water with them.
I cannot eat the margarine since I refuse to eat anything with trans fats in it, some
peanut butters have it too!
Same goes for salami and sausage which are over processed, and some have a lot of
preservatives added to them.
EVO is my main calorie buster, and a healthier option.

rayfound wrote:Is there really a reson other than preference to have the Luna/cliff/larabar selection?

Are they cheaper than just buying snickers and Peanut M&Ms?

They're a lot more expensive, but we at least fantasize that they have a better carb/protein/fat balance than the aforementioned.