Hiking Food

For short hikes, food is more of a nice to have rather than a necessity. But, on long hikes, an adequate food supply is critical to success and safety.

	Food Needs Whether going on a 5-mile walk or a 500-mile long-distance trek, you should have some food along. If for no other reason than just-in-case. Having a good idea about how much food will be required to provide the energy to complete the hike is part of good planning.
	Dayhike Food A day hike requires simple, tasty, cold snacks. Pausing for a rest, munching on a handful of fruit or trail mix, and then continuing your hike is all it takes. Food that packs well and tastes good is the goal.
	Trek Food Multi-day hikes require much more planning and preparation than a simple day hike. Planning food needs and a diverse menu is important to ensure adequate energy is available for your body. Running out of food 30 miles into a 70-mile trek is not a good thing.
	Food Supply Options Carrying all your food for shorter treks makes sense, but as the length increases the food weighs more. For long hikes, resupplying food along the way becomes a necessity. Depending on your style and discipline, there are many options for planning food along the way.
	Cooking Sure, you can live for days and weeks eating crackers and cheese and jerky, but at some point, you'll be ready to kill for a hot, steaming meal. On long-distance hikes, there are quite a few options for cooking your food so you can choose which works best for your trek.
	Menu Planner Oatmeal for breakfast, peanut butter for lunch, and Mac-n-Cheese for dinner - now that's a good outdoors menu. But, not five days in a row. It's not that hard, and certainly not expensive, to create a tasty, easy, nutritious, diverse menu for any length hiking trip. Use this menu planner to plug in your food items, figure the calories, and even print a shopping list.