I’ve just finished reading The Appalachian Trail Food Planner. It’s a helpful little book with instructions on how to plan your food for the trail. Most people either have their friends send them food or they use a bounce box. A bounce box is a package filled with extra supplies, like food, batteries, undies, that a hiker sends to herself in one town, where she takes what she needs and then sends the remaining supplies to the next town. It’s a great way to avoid carrying too much weight.
The three most important things I’ve taken from The AT Food Planner are as follows:
1. You will eat a lot more than you think you will eat, so pack a little extra.
2. Avoid monotony, prepare at least 15 different recipes spaced out over the coming months.
3. Avoid carrying more than two pounds of food per person, per day. (And ideally less).
There are also a few tips and tricks on creating a mail drop schedule, preparing food for hot weather or cold weather, and what foods hold out the longest without going bad. It’s a great book and I would highly recommend it.
Now I’m going to begin picking out recipes (which they include as little perforated cards) and testing them to see which ones are tasty.
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