Good video. Food is what I worry about more than anything. I have not done the AT but have done 8 days on the Pinhoti trail in Alabama, which was 130 miles continuous hiking. Just a suggestion for anyone interested, I like to separate my foods into per-day groups rather than based on breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way you see exactly what you have to eat each day and avoid eating into the next day's stash. One gallon ziplocks are what I use to separate. Also, separating this way allows you to stash each day of food in various places in your pack to avoid taking up such a large chunk of space in one place. Just a suggestion though. Works well for me.
This reminded me of my younger days in the Marine Corps. I got to eat all that sugar. Couldn't gain an ounce because we ran or hiked so much. Then I got out and stopped all that calorie burning activity, but I didn't stop the sugar intake. It's amazing how you can go from being a bean pole to being overweight so gradually.... Now, Snickers are treats I have in my dreams.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I'm about a month from attempting a 2018 AT thru-hike. It's really inspiring to see a badass woman making trail videos.
Thanks for the insight. I want to try to keep a few things in the vehicle for hikers as I help out again this year with a local shuttle business while still allowing room for people and gear. Last year was my first year helping out with a shuttle business and I loved it. I have picked up hikers for near my home for years for a lift into town and still do but I want to become more involved. Your feedback will help me make their time spent in Erwin even better.
I'm very new to whole possibility of doing th AT, and am extremely excited. I have started slowly, and am devouring as much information as i can. Ypur video's are very helpful and insightful. Ty
Just got off our annual White Mt dad -daughter trip and when we left the trail every bit of food had been eaten. My young daughter is now a teenager and was a eating machine, she ate all of her snacks and some of mine, next time we will carry more food. Stopped in the AMC hut at Zealand Falls and scored some soup and Snickers. Then hit the P and H for some good old fashion truck stop food. Its a tradition, take care
I've watched a bunch of your vids but, girl, I never laughed so hard than at your 'Rainman' Noodles lol. I'm dying. Seriously though, great advice as always.
I recommend the vitamin drink called "Emergen-C" by Alacer. It's a great morning starter, but also good for those mid-day low feelings. The unique thing about that particular powdered vitamin/mineral drink is that the elements are in the form which is readily assimilated by the body.
Thanks for the advice. I'm getting ready for a 5 day backpacking trip, 35.4 miles. This will be my longest trip yet. I've been stressing over what type of food to bring. Your timing for this video couldn't have been better. Thanks for the tips. -ATB Adam
As someone who has backpacked for 54 years I will have to say I really enjoy your takes on grub and gear. Your segregating your meals into there own bags is the only way to go to find what you need at a particular time. How many times have you seen a person rummaging around in their packs like a raccoon in a garbage can to find what they're looking for. Most of the time there dumping the stuff on the ground find it at the bottom, great times in the rain. Keep doing what you do girl.
Good stuff to know, thank you! Suggestion from a Vet for fruit & vegetable needs: baby food! In the field, we used to carry "pogey bait" (any goodies besides MRE's and rations) and one great way to boost our fruit/veggie nutrients was the Gerber baby. Most of it, except the meats, is actually kinda' tasty, and the jars are compact and travel well with no refrigeration. Just don't depend on them; they're meant to add to meals or snack on, and are low on needed proteins and fats. But they're high in vitamins and they knock the hell out of cravings for things you can't carry (peaches, peas, etc.).
@@robiny1823 Well that was an interesting google search string. About a half dozen articles claiming baby food isn't healthy for you and you look stupid eating baby food (note the main problem seems to be that they're not complete meals for adults, meaning you wouldn't want to live on it) and then a few more saying it is healthy especially compared to the kinds of things most westerners snack on. ...Well it does appear to be a perfectly legitimate snack or meal add-on and they now make adult versions of these pouches often calling them "purees" or "smoothies." So thank you very much for the suggestion.
I do daily small zip lock bags. It has snacks and drinks for the day. Then I use it to rehydrate the dehydrated dinners I make. And there's no pot to clean each night. Niloc.
Thank you! I decided I wanted to do a 3 day App Trail hike this spring (hubs is joining me) to challenge myself. After a breast cancer diagnosis/surgery a little over a year ago, I realized it was now or never to do cool things. I bet dried blueberry powder would be great to add to oatmeal. I have a dehydrator, so I may play with that. I’m nervous but excited. Thank you for all your videos. I actually started watching you over two years ago because you’re inspirational.
I am looking into dehydrating all the food for the first few days of my walk as it will cut down on weight. Rehydrating the food should not be a problem as the place I will be walking through is renowned for being wet. I would say it is a good idea as you should be able to reduce the weight by at least half I would imagine. I do know some food may not like being dehydrated but experiment in advance. :-) With water access on the CDT, dehydrating the food may not be a great idea... I don't know.
Took Centum and felt awesome every day on my first hike. One a day pill... 50lb pack, total newb, felt great! 36m 6'2 165lb.. I'm no health nut but would recommend it.
Awesome video always thought it was always a good idea to have more then you need.I like to separate my food by the day in Ziploc bags just to make sure I don't eat all of my food in the first few days out there
just wanted to say thank you for all your videos!! I'm planning on being a section hiker of the AT (due to work) and these have helped me plan more than any other source I've found. Thanks again!!!
Notes for this video, three days of food weighs eight pounds and twelve point eight ounces, her Academy food bag can hold five days' amount of food. You should eat about two pounds of food per day while on the Appalachian Trail, a list of food for a typical three days of hiking on the Appalachian Trail, Great Value Variety Pack Instant Oatmeal (10 Packets), eating two packets a day for breakfast in the morning, weight 13.7 ounces (390 grams), Carnation Breakfast Essentials Complete Nutritional Drink (10 Servings), Rich Milk Chocolate flavor, 12.6 ounces (360 grams), one serving each morning, Dixie would mix in two Folgers Instant Coffee Crystals servings in with the Carnation drink, if you did not want to cook breakfast and did not bring a stove then, dried cereal, or, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon, 8 Toaster Pastries, 14 ounces (397 grams), Entenmann's Snack Size Powdered Donuts 10 ounces (284 grams), one of Dixie's favorite foods, Kind Nuts & Spices Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt, 4 Pack, 5.6 ounces (160 grams), or a Clif bar, for an after-breakfast snack, Austin Crackers and Peanut Butter, 6 Packs of Four 5.5 ounces (156 grams), Produce Brands Fancy Apricot Halves 6 ounces (170 grams), crackers and dried fruit as snacks during the day, especially dried mango, one box of Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers 12.4 ounces (351 grams), ziploc bags to pack the food in, Welch's Fruit Snacks Mixed Fruit, 10 servings 9 ounces (255 grams), three Snickers bars 1.86 ounces (52.7 grams) each, three Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Oriental Flavor, ounces (85 grams) each serving, with every lunch and dinner add Spam Single Classic 2.5 ounces (71 grams), a total of six Spam servings for three days of hiking, for dinner, one for each night, Knorr Pasta Sides Alfredo, Near East Quinoa Blend Rosemary & Olive Oil 4.9 ounces (439 grams), Mountain House Lasagna With Meat Sauce 16 ounces (454 grams), for meat for each dinner, Starkist Tuna Creations Ranch 2.8 ounces (80 grams), and two Starkist READY-TO-EAT Tuna Salad, each tuna pack is 3 ounces (85 grams), alternative meat sources, pre-cooked bacon, pepperoni, dehydrated ground beef, summer sausage, if you decide not to cook for lunch and dinner, soak rice or pasta in water in ziploc bags, or eat pita bread with peanut butter, or bagels with pepperoni, McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix 1.25 ounces (35 grams), for the rice or pasta, one Great Value Beef Jerky Original bag 3 ounces (85 grams), extra items to consider, a bag of fresh spinach, an avocado, for vitamins of the trail, Vitamineral Green to added to Propel powder or Gatorade powder for drinks, try to eat healthy while you are in town, fresh vegetables, a salad, a spinach salad, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, some fruit, Dixie separates out the food when packing it, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, the Pop-Tarts were put in the snack bag, Dixie's food bag, a 15 Liter bag from Academy, weighs 3.55 ounces empty, then add the four food bags, of food in ziploc bags inside a plastic grocery bag, three days of food weighs eight pounds and twelve point eight ounces, her Academy food bag can hold five days' amount of food.
Ayeee I recognize the girl in the thumbnail with you (Kelly-I forget her trail name). We lived together for a while in grad school. I remember when she did her AT thru-hike. Small world!
Your food choices look really good. My sister will be very happy about having portable coffee in the morning since some morning she just needs that battery charge.
Big Island Va. come off the trail just before the James River foot bridge. You can walk down the forest service road to US 501 about 2 miles north is a store. They have a restaurant/convenience store Don't eat anything that needs to be refrigerated from that restaurant or your hike will be bad for a few days
I'll be interested to see how you pack for the PCT or other long trails. If I remember, you need to pack for 5-7 or more days at a time. BTW, I love your videos and your channel. I've been trying to get my daughter into backpacking with me, and I'll have her watch with me. It's great for her to see a woman as passionate about hiking and the outdoors as you are. Keep it up!
Aww, thank you Kurt! That would be awesome for you and your daughter to enjoy the outdoors together :) As far as the food on the PCT goes, I'll let you know before long!
Awesome vid. Just did this exercise for my 3 day trek starting Friday on the AT in the smokies. Doing "mobile trail magic" aka candy bars in a zip lock bag on the back of my pack with a sign saying "mobile trail magic for nobo AT thru hikers, just ask"! Can't wait to get out there. Will be on the AT Saturday between Russell field shelter and spence field shelter. 👍
Hiya Dixie, Great vid, as one of those who have been pestering you for your "daily food", I really appreciate it. I can now see that my planned food might have been good for an overnight trip.... but way under for something more substantial! Thanks again for another great vid.
This was so heartening. Most of my trips for 40 years have been alone and yet I have come to the same conclusions you did. There was probably 90% overlap with what I have come up with and your recommendations. One thing I do like and it helps to hotrod the calories. Use Instant Breakfast, usually vanilla and Milkman powdered milk in your oatmeal. It tastes great. Add dried fruit. I like the Instant Breakfast in the evenings, put in the powdered milk, heat it up. Heaven on Earth as you sit back after getting camp set up. And sometimes a bit of Metamucil with the oatmeal is not the worst idea in the world.
"Little Scrawny Chick". Works for me. I'll not be able to do 3-4 day hikes at my age, but your info still helps me on my frequent overnighters. Thanks, dear.
Thanks for another great video! Food is definitely something I worry about. I wanted to thru-hike but I can't because I am bringing my dog with me. Certain parts of the trail you can't have a dog, so I have decided to section hike. I start hopefully Feb. 2018. Your videos are always full of good suggestions and always helpful.
:) glad you focused on the carbs. My health is in recovery, and I have been working up my ability to hike, and I have read and listened a lot to many peoples suggestions on hiking foods. I have found that a lot of people that set up foods tend to set them up heavy on the fats and oils as their energy to weight is better but the body impact is bad to push your fat calories past about 35%. One good thing about 'nutrition' that a lot of people tend to gloss over is that nutrition is independent of calories. Vitamin C for example. 90mg per day is all you need regardless if your body burned 800 or 8000 calories. So yes a chocolate bar may be "empty of nutrition", but after you have had your 90mg of C does it doesn't matter. The gotcha on that though is insulin, you can create a condition of deeper exhaustion if you use too many simple carbs as your energy source but that's a whole other conversation :P
Looking to hike the AT next year, was curious about the food situation but you really shed some light on it. Thanks and keep up the great work! Love your videos
Love your videos Dixie. I have passed along your TH-cam channel to a AT Section Hiker Facebook page. Mostly other women that are wondering about hiking the AT alone. Thanks for all your posts.
I know you and many are planning on hiking the PCT this year which is awesome. I live in the High Sierra and the amount of snow we've been getting will certainly chnage things up a bit for you all. I'm sure you are aware of this but if not I hope you'll get prepared. a few of our resorts plan to stay open until July... so that says a lot lol. Some areas is already well over 200 inches. :)
Never done any the trails, but have been on a fair amount of the PCT in Oregon/Washington. Was always cool, and so many thru hikers on there, the ones we talked with were always cools as hell. Me and my step brother and friends that went backpacking, we always went way heavy on food, brought a ton of coffee and all kinds of stuff with, keep our meat and other food cold in the nice cold mountain streams up there. But yeah, we had eggs, butter, bacon/sausage. Potatoes all that. And like pork loins we’d slow cook on a rotisserie I’d make up there, roast beets and what not. Usually we’d end up with a through hiker or two each day, either for breakfast, or dinner, or both. Those guys were always happy, big ass, hot meal, coffee, a beer or two, or some whiskey or rum to sip on, or make a drink a with, fire, hangout and bullshit with us. Or fresh caught fish for lunch or dinner. We were kinda like a backpacking diner up there, we didn’t mind carrying the weight. Sometimes, if they were solo, or a pair of them, they’d set up with us and take off a little later in the morning after breakfast.
Great video! I am planning to start my thru-hike in late March and I'm debating stove/no stove. Right now its "no stove", but you are right about no-cook foods being heavier. If I can get my other base weight below 15lbs, then the stove might come along. Hot coffee or hot chocolate IS good on a cold morning.
Oh, I hear you on the Snickers sister! I never eat those things at home, but last year when I was cycling through a particularly remote part of Tajikistan, I came across a small village with a tiny convenience store and there lying between a ball of yarn and some eggs were three Snickers (possibly a year or two out of date). It was like finding a pot of gold. Good video, btw. I'm subscribing.
One type of food that I've used on camping trips is, military MRE's. The taste isn't the greatest but, that's what tabasco sauce it for. Lol. However they do provide you with a lot of calories.
Your channel is awesome! Keep up the hard work! I am stoaked for my through hike and your content is really well put together, entertaining, and informative. Props from Louisiana!
Watching this gave me a Snickers craving and I had to go to Walmart.
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Military MREs have come a long way and have a lot of good meals and maybe a more square meal and can be broken down as well. It's heater only needs a dash of water and you can use it to warm yourself after use. Look up most recent year MRE menu A, B. If buying make certain reputable (on Amazon) dealer. There's a pizza MRE out there! Good day!
As a runner I heard something a looong time ago that has always stuck with me: "You can't out run a bad diet". Believe me I love sweets.... But it is a conscious decision every day. It doesn't have to be super strict and boring... But at least when you do eat well, make sure it's the most macro and micro nutrient dense food you can get. Then... When you want junk... Eat junk and move on to the next healthy meal.
I really wanna do this when I get older probably the minute I turn 18 but my biggest concern was gettin food up there but I guess they already have that set up because I don't feel like starving to death on my way to Maine
A ketogenic diet and a 2 meal a day intermittent fasting regimen would work so well for hikes like this . Especially if you pack on some pounds prior to starting the hike .
a can of spam weights 1 pound and is about 1000 calories. Also 3 cans of deviled ham is also about 1 pound per 1000 calories. Calories burned is about 400 per hour + 1200 per day. A 10 hour day is 5200 calories.
Have you ever considered fishing for food . Not so sure how practical or if the fishing pole would be easily manageable during the hike (i.e if it outweighs the benefit the food to equipment ratio)
The first time I saw the 2+ lbs of food per day was in Horace Kepharts books. I believe he got the number from work done by the US Army around the civil war. The government did a lot of research about it. The same data was also compared to what places like lumber camps used to feed their hungry crowd. What is interesting is that over the years the menu has changed and the content has to some extent but the average weight has not. It's more a switch from barrels of flour and sacks of sugar to prepackaged ready to add water and soak or cook. The only thing really different today is replacing the camp hunter or foraging party with a sealed meat packet of some kind. Well, that and ease of preparation. The cook is no longer making the pasta from flour and water. ;-)
Hi Dixie. I've noticed that you have not mentioned the North County Trail do you know about it it's twice as long as the A.T. Just something to think about love your videos
Hey Dixie I followed all your videos of your thru hike. It was amazing!! I'm planning on thru hiking starting February 24 2018. I have two concerns for the hike. One is running out of water and food. The other one is the heat. I've worked outside for 19 years now in every weather condition you could think of. Do you think that will help me on the hike?
12:50 "Yummy" ... lol Did you put a price tag on the food you bought (Did I miss it?)? If not, could you give a rough estimate how much you had spent on the food in this video? Thanks in advance! ;) -Paul
Your food is almost exactly what I took my first hike. Nice! I prefer the Bumblebee Tuna with the little folding red spoon. 😎 2 of us though so we carried a few other items as well. Celestial seasonings tea... Flour Tortillas... Salt and pepper, Honey..
You should try Scho-ka-kola, a heavily caffeinated chokolate that was given to German army pilots in WWII. It´s my number one morale booster on winter hikes :)
Great video, so much information and ideas on the whole subject. Love your videos, Wednesday doesn't come fast enough! You said that your dehydrated beef was a non trade item but was there anything that you looked forward to maybe bartering for while out on the trail that other hikers would normally have?
I know you get ideas off the web site you mentioned, but would you consider a video on some of the stuff you mix up & dehydrate to take on the trail with you?
Thank you! I have two fur children, Hank and Fancy :) They shadow me. Most times they are right nearby if not in the frame. Lol. Australian Sheps are pretty dogs!
Also(almost forgot) i like to take a rib steak and some bacon for the first day , great way of starting off the hike with some good protein to get you going the next morning ! Yummy ! Hike on !
I will be thru-hiking the AT in 2023. I have never backpacked so I am learning. I have started practicing cooking on my stove and bought pasta sides, but they take milk. Did you just not worry about the milk and use all water? Also when you do Mac and cheese what dis you do with the excess water? I heard you can’t just dump it (LNT) and I don’t want to drink it. 😬 ❤️
Did you reach some point when you wanted to start eating healthier food on the trail? Are there any restrictions on foraging along different sections of the trail?
Not answering for her, just what I tried. Trail food is simpler than camp food. Trail food you want to cook in five minutes or you will need more fuel. You can get Knorr alfredo quick meals. MILK: I tried powdered milk in meals and drinks, but for me the flavor or richness was not enhanced. Maybe powdered "creamer" would be? I did try powdered cheese, that was worth the weight. Oil is a heavy mess, and I thought it did not enhance flavor, only calories. Powdered peanut butter was a hassle to make, so I just added it to wet meals and now bring normal, cheap peanut butter. There is also powdered refried beans, powdered cheese, powdered soy sauce... etc. TEST COOK your trail meals AT HOME is the best way to discover good/bad ideas. Have fun on the hike.
Hey Dixie!!! Not sure if you take requests but if you do, could you do a video on "how to hand a bear bag"? I need all the help I can get, lol Thanks for all your helpful videos and best of luck on the PCT!!! I'll be cheering you on😊!!!
![ILLSLICK X YOUNGOHM - We're The same [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yUJNkobYR0E/mqdefault.jpg)
*THIS VIDEO HAS BEEN UPDATED* - th-cam.com/video/nSxyFjfI1SQ/w-d-xo.html
I swear girl you got the true gift of gab. No uhs or ers going on here. Good job.
Thanks, Gary!
hahaha. She actually does say uh and um a lot but she does not pause at it . . . LOL You dont hear it cuz she zips along like a pro.
Ah Ha, I heard an "uh" at 6:47
and 7:32 and several after that.
Gary Ford jumping clips ya white knight
Good video. Food is what I worry about more than anything. I have not done the AT but have done 8 days on the Pinhoti trail in Alabama, which was 130 miles continuous hiking. Just a suggestion for anyone interested, I like to separate my foods into per-day groups rather than based on breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way you see exactly what you have to eat each day and avoid eating into the next day's stash. One gallon ziplocks are what I use to separate. Also, separating this way allows you to stash each day of food in various places in your pack to avoid taking up such a large chunk of space in one place. Just a suggestion though. Works well for me.
Thanks for the tip! Not a bad idea.
Good advice thanks.
Sounds good to me.
I like it! This will probably be my preferred method.
This reminded me of my younger days in the Marine Corps. I got to eat all that sugar. Couldn't gain an ounce because we ran or hiked so much. Then I got out and stopped all that calorie burning activity, but I didn't stop the sugar intake. It's amazing how you can go from being a bean pole to being overweight so gradually.... Now, Snickers are treats I have in my dreams.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I'm about a month from attempting a 2018 AT thru-hike. It's really inspiring to see a badass woman making trail videos.
Thanks for the insight. I want to try to keep a few things in the vehicle for hikers as I help out again this year with a local shuttle business while still allowing room for people and gear. Last year was my first year helping out with a shuttle business and I loved it. I have picked up hikers for near my home for years for a lift into town and still do but I want to become more involved. Your feedback will help me make their time spent in Erwin even better.
That's so sweet of you, Doug!
How wonderful you want to help them and be a trail angel👼
I'm very new to whole possibility of doing th AT, and am extremely excited. I have started slowly, and am devouring as much information as i can. Ypur video's are very helpful and insightful. Ty
Just got off our annual White Mt dad -daughter trip and when we left the trail every bit of food had been eaten. My young daughter is now a teenager and was a eating machine, she ate all of her snacks and some of mine, next time we will carry more food. Stopped in the AMC hut at Zealand Falls and scored some soup and Snickers. Then hit the P and H for some good old fashion truck stop food. Its a tradition, take care
I'm planning a NB hike this year and I've been watching your videos for years. This one is especially helpful!
I've watched a bunch of your vids but, girl, I never laughed so hard than at your 'Rainman' Noodles lol. I'm dying. Seriously though, great advice as always.
Your videos are always thorough, well thought out, and useful. The dash of humility is appreciated as well. Thanks for sharing.
Aww, thank you Rick!
I recommend the vitamin drink called "Emergen-C" by Alacer. It's a great morning starter, but also good for those mid-day low feelings. The unique thing about that particular powdered vitamin/mineral drink is that the elements are in the form which is readily assimilated by the body.
"Don't know if we've got any triple crowners on there, but we will" 😉 Oh, Dixie, you already knew you'd be one
Thanks for the advice. I'm getting ready for a 5 day backpacking trip, 35.4 miles. This will be my longest trip yet. I've been stressing over what type of food to bring. Your timing for this video couldn't have been better. Thanks for the tips. -ATB Adam
Awesome! Glad I could help :)
As someone who has backpacked for 54 years I will have to say I really enjoy your takes on grub and gear. Your segregating your meals into there own bags is the only way to go to find what you need at a particular time. How many times have you seen a person rummaging around in their packs like a raccoon in a garbage can to find what they're looking for. Most of the time there dumping the stuff on the ground find it at the bottom, great times in the rain. Keep doing what you do girl.
Good stuff to know, thank you! Suggestion from a Vet for fruit & vegetable needs: baby food! In the field, we used to carry "pogey bait" (any goodies besides MRE's and rations) and one great way to boost our fruit/veggie nutrients was the Gerber baby. Most of it, except the meats, is actually kinda' tasty, and the jars are compact and travel well with no refrigeration. Just don't depend on them; they're meant to add to meals or snack on, and are low on needed proteins and fats. But they're high in vitamins and they knock the hell out of cravings for things you can't carry (peaches, peas, etc.).
I LOVE baby food! Thanks for the suggestion :)
Similarly, fruits and veggies come in squeeze pouches that travel well, and the empty pouches are lighter and less bulky or breakable than jars.
@@robiny1823 Well that was an interesting google search string. About a half dozen articles claiming baby food isn't healthy for you and you look stupid eating baby food (note the main problem seems to be that they're not complete meals for adults, meaning you wouldn't want to live on it) and then a few more saying it is healthy especially compared to the kinds of things most westerners snack on.
...Well it does appear to be a perfectly legitimate snack or meal add-on and they now make adult versions of these pouches often calling them "purees" or "smoothies." So thank you very much for the suggestion.
Why did I never think of this. That’s smart as hell. Two weeks away from my section hike I’m glad I read this.
Of course I meant MRE's, carrying a MRI machine on any trail would be somewhat cumbersome.
You are so refreshingly honest and brilliant .. you go girl 😊
I do daily small zip lock bags. It has snacks and drinks for the day. Then I use it to rehydrate the dehydrated dinners I make. And there's no pot to clean each night. Niloc.
Nice tip! Thanks
I don't understand...do you simply rehydrate the meal and eat it cold?
[And "Niloc"--the Sith Acolyte? Your Trail Name perhaps?]
Yup, boil water and rehydrate. Within 20 minutes you have a yummy home cooked meal. Yes Niloc is my trail name.
My husband and I are planning to try to do that... will see how it works out.
colin shepard how do you dehydrate your meals do you have a YT channel that shows it
Thank you! I decided I wanted to do a 3 day App Trail hike this spring (hubs is joining me) to challenge myself. After a breast cancer diagnosis/surgery a little over a year ago, I realized it was now or never to do cool things. I bet dried blueberry powder would be great to add to oatmeal. I have a dehydrator, so I may play with that. I’m nervous but excited. Thank you for all your videos. I actually started watching you over two years ago because you’re inspirational.
I am looking into dehydrating all the food for the first few days of my walk as it will cut down on weight. Rehydrating the food should not be a problem as the place I will be walking through is renowned for being wet. I would say it is a good idea as you should be able to reduce the weight by at least half I would imagine. I do know some food may not like being dehydrated but experiment in advance. :-)
With water access on the CDT, dehydrating the food may not be a great idea... I don't know.
when you called it a buggy I knew you were my people. Love the videos
Haha, thanks Dan!
Buggy is the only name I know....
@@darlene19668 Right. They ARE buggies. :)
Thanks so much for the information! 67 retired and ready to go!
Took Centum and felt awesome every day on my first hike. One a day pill...
50lb pack, total newb, felt great! 36m 6'2 165lb..
I'm no health nut but would recommend it.
Thanks for continuing to share your experience. Especially love the Carnation Breakfast & Folgers combo (Poor Man's Mocha).
Thank you for watching :) Haha, I love that term!
Awesome video always thought it was always a good idea to have more then you need.I like to separate my food by the day in Ziploc bags just to make sure I don't eat all of my food in the first few days out there
Thanks, Dixie, for being so thorough re: the food and resupply! It is great that you have a forum started. Super idea!
just wanted to say thank you for all your videos!! I'm planning on being a section hiker of the AT (due to work) and these have helped me plan more than any other source I've found. Thanks again!!!
Notes for this video, three days of food weighs eight pounds and twelve point eight ounces, her Academy food bag can hold five days' amount of food.
You should eat about two pounds of food per day while on the Appalachian Trail, a list of food for a typical three days of hiking on the Appalachian Trail, Great Value Variety Pack Instant Oatmeal (10 Packets), eating two packets a day for breakfast in the morning, weight 13.7 ounces (390 grams), Carnation Breakfast Essentials Complete Nutritional Drink (10 Servings), Rich Milk Chocolate flavor, 12.6 ounces (360 grams), one serving each morning, Dixie would mix in two Folgers Instant Coffee Crystals servings in with the Carnation drink, if you did not want to cook breakfast and did not bring a stove then, dried cereal, or, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon, 8 Toaster Pastries, 14 ounces (397 grams), Entenmann's Snack Size Powdered Donuts 10 ounces (284 grams), one of Dixie's favorite foods, Kind Nuts & Spices Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt, 4 Pack, 5.6 ounces (160 grams), or a Clif bar, for an after-breakfast snack, Austin Crackers and Peanut Butter, 6 Packs of Four 5.5 ounces (156 grams), Produce Brands Fancy Apricot Halves 6 ounces (170 grams), crackers and dried fruit as snacks during the day, especially dried mango, one box of Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers 12.4 ounces (351 grams), ziploc bags to pack the food in, Welch's Fruit Snacks Mixed Fruit, 10 servings 9 ounces (255 grams), three Snickers bars 1.86 ounces (52.7 grams) each, three Maruchan Ramen Noodle Soup Oriental Flavor, ounces (85 grams) each serving, with every lunch and dinner add Spam Single Classic 2.5 ounces (71 grams), a total of six Spam servings for three days of hiking, for dinner, one for each night, Knorr Pasta Sides Alfredo, Near East Quinoa Blend Rosemary & Olive Oil 4.9 ounces (439 grams), Mountain House Lasagna With Meat Sauce 16 ounces (454 grams), for meat for each dinner, Starkist Tuna Creations Ranch 2.8 ounces (80 grams), and two Starkist READY-TO-EAT Tuna Salad, each tuna pack is 3 ounces (85 grams), alternative meat sources, pre-cooked bacon, pepperoni, dehydrated ground beef, summer sausage, if you decide not to cook for lunch and dinner, soak rice or pasta in water in ziploc bags, or eat pita bread with peanut butter, or bagels with pepperoni, McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix 1.25 ounces (35 grams), for the rice or pasta, one Great Value Beef Jerky Original bag 3 ounces (85 grams), extra items to consider, a bag of fresh spinach, an avocado, for vitamins of the trail, Vitamineral Green to added to Propel powder or Gatorade powder for drinks, try to eat healthy while you are in town, fresh vegetables, a salad, a spinach salad, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, some fruit, Dixie separates out the food when packing it, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, the Pop-Tarts were put in the snack bag, Dixie's food bag, a 15 Liter bag from Academy, weighs 3.55 ounces empty, then add the four food bags, of food in ziploc bags inside a plastic grocery bag, three days of food weighs eight pounds and twelve point eight ounces, her Academy food bag can hold five days' amount of food.
Ayeee I recognize the girl in the thumbnail with you (Kelly-I forget her trail name). We lived together for a while in grad school. I remember when she did her AT thru-hike. Small world!
Mix the carnation into the oatmeal its really good imo
Ooooo, yum!
Homemade Wanderlust what about sprouts, did anyone you come across sprout their own seeds?
@@wiseandfunfox would they sprout if they were kept inside your pack?
Interesting idea!
Your food choices look really good. My sister will be very happy about having portable coffee in the morning since some morning she just needs that battery charge.
Thank you, Meredith! If she doesn't love the idea of instant coffee, there are always the singles that look like tea bags. amzn.to/2ldDl2B
Big Island Va. come off the trail just before the James River foot bridge. You can walk down the forest service road to US 501 about 2 miles north is a store. They have a restaurant/convenience store Don't eat anything that needs to be refrigerated from that restaurant or your hike will be bad for a few days
The Ray-man noodles make another appearance!!!! I love it!!!!
Well done Dixie! Your are always educational and entertaining. Thank you for posting.
Thank you, AJ!
I'll be interested to see how you pack for the PCT or other long trails. If I remember, you need to pack for 5-7 or more days at a time. BTW, I love your videos and your channel. I've been trying to get my daughter into backpacking with me, and I'll have her watch with me. It's great for her to see a woman as passionate about hiking and the outdoors as you are. Keep it up!
Aww, thank you Kurt! That would be awesome for you and your daughter to enjoy the outdoors together :)
As far as the food on the PCT goes, I'll let you know before long!
Hi Jess thanks for the info! heading out to the AT (from the UK) on 22nd march and this was really helpful :)
good luck Alice have fun
So exciting! Good luck on your journey :)
great video anyone should be able to follow your advice and not have trouble on the trail thanks for your efforts in presenting good content.
Thank you!
Awesome vid. Just did this exercise for my 3 day trek starting Friday on the AT in the smokies. Doing "mobile trail magic" aka candy bars in a zip lock bag on the back of my pack with a sign saying "mobile trail magic for nobo AT thru hikers, just ask"! Can't wait to get out there. Will be on the AT Saturday between Russell field shelter and spence field shelter. 👍
AWWW, that's SO cool! Feel free to take pics and share them with us in the Homemade Wanderlust Backpacking Forum Group on facebook :)
Hiya Dixie, Great vid, as one of those who have been pestering you for your "daily food", I really appreciate it. I can now see that my planned food might have been good for an overnight trip.... but way under for something more substantial! Thanks again for another great vid.
Thank you! Glad it helped :) I always appreciate suggestions, so keep them coming!
thanks for being so real . normal not super expensive hiking food.
This was so heartening. Most of my trips for 40 years have been alone and yet I have come to the same conclusions you did. There was probably 90% overlap with what I have come up with and your recommendations. One thing I do like and it helps to hotrod the calories. Use Instant Breakfast, usually vanilla and Milkman powdered milk in your oatmeal. It tastes great. Add dried fruit. I like the Instant Breakfast in the evenings, put in the powdered milk, heat it up. Heaven on Earth as you sit back after getting camp set up.
And sometimes a bit of Metamucil with the oatmeal is not the worst idea in the world.
"Little Scrawny Chick". Works for me. I'll not be able to do 3-4 day hikes at my age, but your info still helps me on my frequent overnighters. Thanks, dear.
Thanks for another great video! Food is definitely something I worry about. I wanted to thru-hike but I can't because I am bringing my dog with me. Certain parts of the trail you can't have a dog, so I have decided to section hike. I start hopefully Feb. 2018. Your videos are always full of good suggestions and always helpful.
:) glad you focused on the carbs. My health is in recovery, and I have been working up my ability to hike, and I have read and listened a lot to many peoples suggestions on hiking foods. I have found that a lot of people that set up foods tend to set them up heavy on the fats and oils as their energy to weight is better but the body impact is bad to push your fat calories past about 35%. One good thing about 'nutrition' that a lot of people tend to gloss over is that nutrition is independent of calories. Vitamin C for example. 90mg per day is all you need regardless if your body burned 800 or 8000 calories. So yes a chocolate bar may be "empty of nutrition", but after you have had your 90mg of C does it doesn't matter. The gotcha on that though is insulin, you can create a condition of deeper exhaustion if you use too many simple carbs as your energy source but that's a whole other conversation :P
Looking to hike the AT next year, was curious about the food situation but you really shed some light on it. Thanks and keep up the great work! Love your videos
Love your videos Dixie. I have passed along your TH-cam channel to a AT Section Hiker Facebook page. Mostly other women that are wondering about hiking the AT alone. Thanks for all your posts.
I know you and many are planning on hiking the PCT this year which is awesome. I live in the High Sierra and the amount of snow we've been getting will certainly chnage things up a bit for you all. I'm sure you are aware of this but if not I hope you'll get prepared. a few of our resorts plan to stay open until July... so that says a lot lol. Some areas is already well over 200 inches. :)
Never done any the trails, but have been on a fair amount of the PCT in Oregon/Washington. Was always cool, and so many thru hikers on there, the ones we talked with were always cools as hell. Me and my step brother and friends that went backpacking, we always went way heavy on food, brought a ton of coffee and all kinds of stuff with, keep our meat and other food cold in the nice cold mountain streams up there. But yeah, we had eggs, butter, bacon/sausage. Potatoes all that. And like pork loins we’d slow cook on a rotisserie I’d make up there, roast beets and what not. Usually we’d end up with a through hiker or two each day, either for breakfast, or dinner, or both. Those guys were always happy, big ass, hot meal, coffee, a beer or two, or some whiskey or rum to sip on, or make a drink a with, fire, hangout and bullshit with us. Or fresh caught fish for lunch or dinner. We were kinda like a backpacking diner up there, we didn’t mind carrying the weight. Sometimes, if they were solo, or a pair of them, they’d set up with us and take off a little later in the morning after breakfast.
I will normally eat the heavier meals in my food bag first. I love to feel my pack getting lighter.
Oh, also, at home I cook with wheat germ a lot. It’s a bit more nutritionally dense than rolled oats and cooks fast.
Great video! I am planning to start my thru-hike in late March and I'm debating stove/no stove. Right now its "no stove", but you are right about no-cook foods being heavier. If I can get my other base weight below 15lbs, then the stove might come along. Hot coffee or hot chocolate IS good on a cold morning.
It sure is! You could do a mix and not take a stove but take a pot and cook on the fire some. Like just at night or in the morning.
Oh, I hear you on the Snickers sister! I never eat those things at home, but last year when I was cycling through a particularly remote part of Tajikistan, I came across a small village with a tiny convenience store and there lying between a ball of yarn and some eggs were three Snickers (possibly a year or two out of date). It was like finding a pot of gold. Good video, btw. I'm subscribing.
One type of food that I've used on camping trips is, military MRE's. The taste isn't the greatest but, that's what tabasco sauce it for. Lol. However they do provide you with a lot of calories.
Your channel is awesome! Keep up the hard work! I am stoaked for my through hike and your content is really well put together, entertaining, and informative. Props from Louisiana!
Thank you so much! I appreciate the feedback :) Happy Trails!
Watching this gave me a Snickers craving and I had to go to Walmart.
Military MREs have come a long way and have a lot of good meals and maybe a more square meal and can be broken down as well. It's heater only needs a dash of water and you can use it to warm yourself after use. Look up most recent year MRE menu A, B. If buying make certain reputable (on Amazon) dealer. There's a pizza MRE out there! Good day!
As a runner I heard something a looong time ago that has always stuck with me: "You can't out run a bad diet". Believe me I love sweets.... But it is a conscious decision every day. It doesn't have to be super strict and boring... But at least when you do eat well, make sure it's the most macro and micro nutrient dense food you can get. Then... When you want junk... Eat junk and move on to the next healthy meal.
I use an esbit stove with fuel tabs, and it's not even 1lb of wait. Works like a charm! I can't stand not having a hot meal, but that's just me.
I really wanna do this when I get older probably the minute I turn 18 but my biggest concern was gettin food up there but I guess they already have that set up because I don't feel like starving to death on my way to Maine
A ketogenic diet and a 2 meal a day intermittent fasting regimen would work so well for hikes like this . Especially if you pack on some pounds prior to starting the hike .
When I was in the Marine Corps, there were times i took raman noodles, tuna and cheese... makes a delicious meal.
a can of spam weights 1 pound and is about 1000 calories. Also 3 cans of deviled ham is also about 1 pound per 1000 calories. Calories burned is about 400 per hour + 1200 per day. A 10 hour day is 5200 calories.
You own this ! Great job !
Best breakfast on the trail. Grits, granola and GORP. I add beef jerky when I have it.
Thank you for that skip intro link!
Yes sir :)
Have you ever considered fishing for food . Not so sure how practical or if the fishing pole would be easily manageable during the hike (i.e if it outweighs the benefit the food to equipment ratio)
The first time I saw the 2+ lbs of food per day was in Horace Kepharts books. I believe he got the number from work done by the US Army around the civil war. The government did a lot of research about it. The same data was also compared to what places like lumber camps used to feed their hungry crowd. What is interesting is that over the years the menu has changed and the content has to some extent but the average weight has not. It's more a switch from barrels of flour and sacks of sugar to prepackaged ready to add water and soak or cook. The only thing really different today is replacing the camp hunter or foraging party with a sealed meat packet of some kind. Well, that and ease of preparation. The cook is no longer making the pasta from flour and water. ;-)
So glad to see this! Thank you!
I live in the west but I canoed the Warrior river one time in Alabama, it was so different from the Rockies,, I couldn't believe all the turtles
Hi Dixie. I've noticed that you have not mentioned the North County Trail do you know about it it's twice as long as the A.T. Just something to think about love your videos
I have heard of it! I think after the PCT, I'll be heading to the CDT. Then, probably overseas :P
And thank you! :)
Hey Dixie I followed all your videos of your thru hike. It was amazing!! I'm planning on thru hiking starting February 24 2018. I have two concerns for the hike. One is running out of water and food. The other one is the heat. I've worked outside for 19 years now in every weather condition you could think of. Do you think that will help me on the hike?
12:50 "Yummy" ... lol
Did you put a price tag on the food you bought (Did I miss it?)? If not, could you give a rough estimate how much you had spent on the food in this video? Thanks in advance! ;) -Paul
I agree with Alabama grad you should be on the travel channel doing thru hikes and what not
Your food is almost exactly what I took my first hike. Nice! I prefer the Bumblebee Tuna with the little folding red spoon. 😎 2 of us though so we carried a few other items as well. Celestial seasonings tea... Flour Tortillas... Salt and pepper, Honey..
Also hit the donuts up at my first resupply (Dollar General 😆).
And on the drive home.
I hope to see you on the summit soon. Coffee's done
You should try Scho-ka-kola, a heavily caffeinated chokolate that was given to German army pilots in WWII. It´s my number one morale booster on winter hikes :)
I’m new to these vids, but I already love, ‘hey y’all, Dixie here’!
Me too 🤩
Beautiful Southern Belle. The smart and adventurous type!! Wow!
Great video, so much information and ideas on the whole subject. Love your videos, Wednesday doesn't come fast enough! You said that your dehydrated beef was a non trade item but was there anything that you looked forward to maybe bartering for while out on the trail that other hikers would normally have?
Aww, thanks Larry! I can't think of anything I bartered other than food..I traded someone a Knorr Rice Side for mashed potatoes when I was sick. haha.
I know you get ideas off the web site you mentioned, but would you consider a video on some of the stuff you mix up & dehydrate to take on the trail with you?
Thankyou for the videos, im seriously considering a thru hike starting sometime in the beginning of April
Your videos are very very helpful
nice videos. I have been fine tuning my gear lately. I never go without my coffee gear. What's your choice of coffee while on the trail?
Highly informative video. I noticed that you often have dogs in your videos. How many dogs do you have? We have two Australian Shepherds. .
Thank you! I have two fur children, Hank and Fancy :) They shadow me. Most times they are right nearby if not in the frame. Lol. Australian Sheps are pretty dogs!
This is BREAKFAST. Cause it looks like the suun! I'm stealing that one.
:)
less than $10 a week on food. 4 gatorade bottles filled with mash potatoes, oatmeal, stuffing, and honey peanut butter. Done.
OMG, you are amazing! energetic and hyper in a good way. Cute also. Thanks for the video and the tips!
the fireplace is very nice. what does the log say ? Thank you Jessica. ❤️
Also(almost forgot) i like to take a rib steak and some bacon for the first day , great way of starting off the hike with some good protein to get you going the next morning ! Yummy ! Hike on !
Look at all those links! I am going to be here a week checking them all out. :)
Haha. Whoops :P
Those kind bars have indigestible Chicory in them. They can cause stomach ache.
thank you, this is the best video of this kind i've seen.
Always love how you pronounce ramen noodles. For the record, the a is soft, not hard. Loves it!😊
Randy Holloway - actually, vowels are, mostly, long or short. Consonants, mostly, are soft or hard.
Wonderful videos! I have made a list of all the foods you mention in all your videos and have a wonderful long list of totally yummy stuff!
WOW never saw a bag packed that quickly!
I've gotten rather efficient ;)
Great video Dixie. Cheers!
Aw, thank you!
I will be thru-hiking the AT in 2023. I have never backpacked so I am learning. I have started practicing cooking on my stove and bought pasta sides, but they take milk. Did you just not worry about the milk and use all water?
Also when you do Mac and cheese what dis you do with the excess water? I heard you can’t just dump it (LNT) and I don’t want to drink it. 😬
❤️
Did you reach some point when you wanted to start eating healthier food on the trail? Are there any restrictions on foraging along different sections of the trail?
For things like the alfredo, potatoes or mac and cheese, did you pack out powdered milk or butter? Do you just use water?
Not answering for her, just what I tried. Trail food is simpler than camp food. Trail food you want to cook in five minutes or you will need more fuel. You can get Knorr alfredo quick meals. MILK: I tried powdered milk in meals and drinks, but for me the flavor or richness was not enhanced. Maybe powdered "creamer" would be? I did try powdered cheese, that was worth the weight. Oil is a heavy mess, and I thought it did not enhance flavor, only calories. Powdered peanut butter was a hassle to make, so I just added it to wet meals and now bring normal, cheap peanut butter. There is also powdered refried beans, powdered cheese, powdered soy sauce... etc. TEST COOK your trail meals AT HOME is the best way to discover good/bad ideas. Have fun on the hike.
Hey Dixie!!! Not sure if you take requests but if you do, could you do a video on "how to hand a bear bag"? I need all the help I can get, lol Thanks for all your helpful videos and best of luck on the PCT!!! I'll be cheering you on😊!!!
Check out "Follow Bigfoot" on TH-cam. He made such a video. Hanging it PCT style which, apparently, is the better way of doing it.
deborah gracie Awesome!!! Thanks so much!!