2017 FKT Plans: The Food

Lake Virginia (Day 20)
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Food will be a very important aspect of a hike as fast and unrelenting as I am attempting. The accounts of others attempting speed hikes all have one thing in common: lots of lost weight... and I don't mean "Wow! I finally lost my baby fat." I mean legit, watch out for your health, dramatic weight loss! Being a tall wiry fellow, I don't have a lot of weight to lose so I really need to plan well to avoid malnutrition/starvation.

Tuolumne Meadows (Day 21)
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Because I will likely lose a lot of weight on the trail regardless of what I do, I am going to try to eat like a football player as I train this spring. I usually weigh about 162 or so but I would like to start the hike at a slightly more substantial 180 lbs. To build my body up, I will be eating a lot of proteins and natural fats along with lots of veggies and fruits to stay balanced. As for carbohydrates, I will be not be avoiding them but eating donuts and pizza all day long is not the proper way to gain healthy weight.

View near Sonora Pass (Day 22)
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I am also planning to delve into the world of protein shakes. I am still researching whey and casein powders to pick the right supplement. I may very well work some powder into my trail meals during the hike also.

Upper Blue Lake (Day 23)
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I will aim to ingest 6000 calories of food each day if possible. That will likely be enough to maintain a healthy body weight but this is just guesswork based on what I have read. That is a lot of food to carry! So I will focus on calorie dense foods in my preparation. People have different ways to approach this dilemma. Some pack lots of candy and snacks because they are high in calories. Others try to avoid "empty" calories by eating more healthy things like muesli, cured meats, quinoa, etc.

Aloha Lake (Day 24)
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It is my intention to borrow the best from both worlds. I will eat a hearty, and pretty healthy, breakfast and dinner, meant to "stick to my bones" for a while. I will then try to have hourly snacks designed to fuel the engine of my body as it continues for hours without any substantial relief.

Tinker's Knob (Day 25)
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My go-to "hearty" breakfast is currently:
- Oatmeal with dried apples, cinnamon, sugar, chia seeds, walnuts, and maybe a little protein powder. I will also pack oatmeal with other fruits/berries to keep things interesting.  I will also be experimenting with muesli mixed into the oatmeal to make it more substantial.

My lunch will mostly be tortilla wraps with peanut butter, jelly, Nutella, honey, etc. as I see fit. I have used tuna packets in the past and may pack a few again. They have few calories considering all of the water weight, and they can get a little difficult to eat on some days... but they are also a little more substantial in other ways  and more likely to settle my stomach after eating snacks all morning.

My go to "hearty" dinner will likely be:
- Dried meat mixed with dehydrated re-fried beans. I have not tried this but heard it was good on another hiker's site.

Lakes near Sierra City (Day26)
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In between, I will snack on a lot of different things, various trail mixes (GORP is my favorite), jerky, Peanut M&M's, Snickers, Payday bars, chocolate-covered anything, fruit leather, Oreos, other cookies, Fritos, other chips, granola bars, energy bars, etc.

My goal is to start out the day feeling stuffed with good food rather than eating a bar and then running out of energy in the late morning. As the day wears on, I will try to eat every hour. By continually eating, it is my hope to keep the energy to a maximum... the proper use for the "empty" calories I will eat during that time. Lunch will be nothing more than a glorified snack. But when I arrive at camp in the evening I will settle down and eat hearty again (even if I don't feel like it) to give my body something to digest so that it can fortify for the next day. Eating a big dinner will also probably help me sleep, along with Benadryl.

Mount Etna (Day27)
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I will also be taking some supplements. I already mentioned adding protein powder to some food if possible. I will also be using EcoDrink powdered vitamin supplements in at least one liter of water every day. This will be particularly important in the desert when electrolytes must be considered. Another vitamin that I will take with every meal: one ibuprofen to help fight inflammation. Taking ibuprofen is so common on the trail that it is often referred to as "vitamin I".

PCT midpoint (Day28)
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Below is my one and only calorie-counting session... something I never thought I would do in life. But it will really help plan the amount of food that I can/must carry between resupplies. I really want to be prepared so this is my planned intake for one hypothetical day:

6 am : Breakfast - Oatmeal (approx 150(oats),       96(sugar), 100(nuts), fruit, muesli.. = 400+ calories)
7 am : Fruit leather  (50 calories)
8 am : Snickers bar  (250 calories)

I won't eat all of the chips/crackers... otherwise, a day of food.

9 am : Granola (Approx 200 calories) 
10 am : Chocolate covered raisins (1 cup = 702 calories) (964 calories for almonds)
11 am : Peanut M&M's (1 cup = 877 calories)
12 am : Lunch - PB/Nutella tortilla wrap (approx 148(Tort), 600(spreads),.. = 800 calories)
1 pm : Jerky(approx 150 calories)
2 pm : Chocolate covered granola bar (140 calories)
3 pm : GORP (1 cup = 853 calories)
4 pm : Fruit leather (50 calories)
5 pm : Fritos (4-5 ounces = 500 calories)
6 pm : Payday bar (240 calories)
7 pm : Dinner - Beans'n'Meat (approx 500 calories)

 These calorie amounts are all pretty approximate since many of the meals are handmade. By using generous "cup" measurements, I feel confident that I can surpass 6,000 calories per day.

Lower Twin Lake (Day29)
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It turns out to be a couple of pounds of food per day. That is a lot to carry but I need the sustenance and not carrying it will be a motivation to eat plenty... something people often forget to do until they arrive at a fast food joint or restaurant. I will carry most of the snacks in a small bag that hangs from the front of my pack. That way I can pick food, eat, and switch snacks without stopping at all... a great way to maintain my pace!

Lassen Peak (Day30)
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