This post was written as part of the Humber College Winter Camping course. In preparation for a winter backpacking trip to Algonquin Provincial Park each student is asked to present to the class on the topic of food in a winter camping setting.

In this post I will outline my planned approach to food for a winter trip. In a subsequent post I plan to outline my meal plan and food pack list.

Approach

My meal plan will aim to account for the following factors:

Lightweight – Since we’re planning to hike up to 6 KM in snow shoes to reach our site i’ll endeavour to keep weight to a minimum.

High Energy – It’s going to be cold and we’re going to hiking with a lot of gear the body will warm itself by processing proteins and simple carbohydrates. Good high energy foods will help keep me warm.

Easy Snacking – While on the trail I want to be able to ensure it’s easy to snack to boost energy.

Calorie intake – At 6′ 4″ and about 180 lbs I should burn about 2,500-2,700 calories on a regular low activity day. Between hiking on snowshoes carrying a 30-40 lbs pack and sleeping in the cold, I anticipate significant additional calorie burn.

• Hiking – I estimate we’ll spend about 2-3 hours hiking in a 24 hour period. Carrying the heavy pack on snowshoes I estimate i’ll burn an additional 500 calories an hour at minimum
• Sleeping and being cold – In addition, sleeping in the cold and just generally being cold should also up my burn rate.

Since I certainly don’t need to pack on additional pounds but also don’t want to starve on the trip i’ll aim for 3,500 calories a day with a 2,000 calorie reserve in my pack in case of emergencies.

Limiting Animal Products – I’ve been a pescatian for a couple years now and have recently shifted to full time vegetarianism. Recently i’ve also been experimenting with a near vegan diet. While this trip won’t be vegan for me I will not pack meat or fish products. I suspect dairy will remain a fat and protein staple in my backpacking routine until I find better substitutes for my go to items.

Lessons learned from past trips

While I’m relatively new into the world of backpacking (and certainly winter backpacking)

Soylent – This trip needs some happiness

I’ve been experimenting with Soylent for a while now. It’s nutritious, make you feel full, and honestly doesn’t taste that bad. However, it does have two major problems that will eliminate it from my pack on this trip.

1. It’s probably the best thing i could eat however, it sucks all the joy out of eating!
   While it’s great for a meal replacement when you’re on the go or too busy to prepare food there’s something about a delicious hot meal around the fire with friends. Keeping morale up will be key and food will play a key role in that.
2. It freezes!
   I had the opportunity to do cold sleeping trial run recently in a friends backyard. To test this theory i brought a bottle with me. Sure enough, when I woke up in the morning the bottle was frozen solid.

Freeze Dried – Why? and Why Not?

Freeze dried food is awesome, lightweight, and will definitely be a part of my meal plan. However, on my first backpacking trip I carried all dried and freeze dried foods for a three day two night trip. I survived, but that trip taught me some valuable lessons.

1. Lots of freeze dried food means lots of water.
   This could be a challenge on a winter trip. Lakes and rivers may be frozen. Snow may be limited or difficult to melt. I don’t want to get stranded without food because I put all my eggs in the freeze dried basket.
2. Freeze dried takes time.
   While this won’t be a problem around the campfire at night it’s not the best trail food. Which brings me to my final lesson learned …

Quick and easy snacks

On the trail I want to be sure to have easy access to high energy snack foods. To accomplish this I’ll need to find foods that are:

• High energy
• Doesn’t freeze or require additional heat/water
• Tastes good to keep me motivated and moving.

I’ll also need to be mindful of my packing plan. For easy access on the trail I’ll need to pack this food in an easily accessed pocket in my bag.

No cans!

Algonquin Park has a ban on all cans in the backwoods.

Some initial food ideas

Given the above, my initial thoughts on food are:

• Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai – It’s vegan, delicious, and full of great calories. Sure it’s high in sodium, but so is all packaged freeze dried food. I’m looking forward to enjoying this around the campfire.
• Cheese – This is probably something I want to work towards replacing on future trips if I stick to the no animal products approach. However, until then it’s a great trail food. Just grab your knife and cut off a piece. It’s high calorie and high in fats and proteins that will warm me up.
• Dried Fruits – A good source of simple carbohydrates and depending on the choice they don’t need to be entirely dry which makes them a little easier to eat if water is low.
• Nuts – My personal preference is for nuts with a high oil or fat content like peanuts or cashews.
• Energy/Protein bars – Probar Meal bars are my go to. The Superfruit slam bar is also free of chocolate which is ideal as I am trying to avoid caffeine
• Mint Tea – Since I’m avoiding caffeine, I’ll use mint tea to warm me up in the morning.

 

Image: “Backpacker’s Pantry”  – Hajime NAKANO – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0