What I ate while backpacking
- Erica
- Jul 30, 2020
- 2 min read
“Do one thing every day that scares you” Eleanor Roosevelt
"Wild and Wonderful" is the slogan for West Virginia--and that was definitely my experience this past week! A college friend and I hiked Dolly Sods, 21 miles in 2.5 days. The breathtaking views made for an unforgettable first backpacking experience.
As far as food goes, there are lots of different options out there for backpackers. You can dehydrate your own meals, buy freeze dried/dehydrated meals, or bring dry food ingredients and cook them on the trail. I wanted to experiment with all of these options. Here's what we ate on the trail!
(Night before we hit the trail)
DINNER: Chana Masala DESSERT: No Cow protein bars
DAY 1
BREAKFAST: Oatmeal LUNCH: Almond butter +
(toppings: trail mix + dehydrated strawberry tortillas
dehydrated strawberries)
Oatmeal is a super easy breakfast option We opted for a no-cook lunch this day so we
while backpacking. Just boil your oats didn't have to dirty any dishes. This is the
and top with whatever you want! I backpacking version of PB&J :)
dehydrated these strawberries before
our trip.
SNACK: No Cow protein bars
I bought these bars because I wanted a high protein snack. I had never had them before. They were very filling but a little chalky in texture.
DINNER: Vegetable fried rice + Thai curry
This was probably the most typical"backpacking" We also split this single serving meal.
meal, meaning you wouldn't necessarily cook Just add boiling water and you're
with these ingredients if you weren't backpacking. good to go!
This fried rice included minute rice, powdered eggs,
and freeze dried veggies.
DAY 2:
BREAKFAST: Oatmeal (toppings: dehydrated strawberries + trail mix)
LUNCH: Black bean and quinoa burritos
I dehydrated this meal at home! I actually don't own a dehydrator...but I borrowed one from the library ;) Dehydrating does take some time to prepare before hand, but on the trail it is ready within minutes! Probably one of my favorite meals of the trip.
DINNER: Red lentil pasta
For this meal, I brought all the ingredients from home and cooked it together on the trail. There is nothing more satisfying than a big bowl of pasta!
DAY 3:
BREAKFAST: Veggie/egg skillet + trail mix
Our last meal on the trial was a mixture of whatever leftovers we had.
All in all, the food was a success! I liked all three versions of meals: purchasing meals, dehydrating meals yourself, and cooking from dry ingredients on the trail. The REI meals I purchased were super delicious and involved the least amount of work. Next time I go backpacking I will definitely dehydrate more meals myself! Even though it took a lot of time to prepare at home, it was cheaper than buying a pre-packaged meal, and was ready within minutes on the trail. But even if you don't have access to a dehydrator you can totally bring food you have at home and cook it there like I did for the pasta, fried rice, and oatmeal.
Happy adventuring!
For full recipes/products check out the links below:
Equipment used:
Keep thriving,
Erica
Comments