Denali food suggestions

[sleepyq2227]

Hey guys, I'm leaving for Denali in a couple weeks. This is my first long expedition and I'm guessing that I won't want to eat the same thing everyday like I do for shorter trips. I'm looking for suggestions on stuff that is both yummy and easy to eat for lunch and snack stuff. I've got breakfast and dinner sorted out. Any things you guys really like to take along that is easy to eat on the go?

[ivan]

i brought probably 10 lbs of corn nuts n' goldfish

 

dykes n' kykes are good too, especially in the tropical flavors

 

and you can never go wrong w/ pre-cooked bacon...

[denalidave]

For 35 days, I never tired of Reese's PB Cups. Pemican Bars have a lot of calorie bang for buck (IMO). Just make sure the Ravens can't dig out yer cache. They got us twice, even taking a full 2lb loaf of pepperjack and over 100 energy & candy bars. Now that hurt. Bury at least 3-4 ft and if you mark it with a wand, put the wand at least 5 ft from the cache... We watched them fly right to our wands & start digging. Skippy peanut butter did not freeze, but the all natural/chemical free hippie shit was solid ice... Choosy climbers, choose Jiffy.

Edited May 19, 2010 by denalidave

[Buckaroo]

When you go to high altitude hydration is more important than food. I would take some Cytomax and some GU energy gells.

 

One thing I noticed on a long trip is that canned fish really hits the spot, like herring or sardines. Get the ones in aluminum for less weight.

[wfinley]

Ditto on the energy gels for summit day. I like those cliff shots - but mostly b/c I've overdosed on Gus in the past.

 

For lunches I make my own bars -- Logan bread and some kind of bar that is a combination of peanut butter and rice-crispies. I also make these little balls that are peanut butter, honey and chocolate chips rolled in coconut..., but you can substitute any of those ingredients as long as they're part peanut butter and part some sort of sticky stuff (like molasses) to hold it together.

 

On longer trips we also take pilot bread, cream cheese and smoked salmon (you can buy good smoked salmon at Carrs or Costco when you get to Anchorage ---- get the Alaska Sausage brand). You can be fairly heavy all the way to 11; after that you'll start to the double carry and want lighter food.

 

PS - here's a nice list of homemade energy bars.

 

[Reid]

Homemade GU: http://www.summitpost.org/article/239378/home-made-power-gels-energy-for-less.html

 

I do 3 parts brown rice syrup, 1 part agave nectar and enough emergen-C that you're getting 1/4 to 1/2 pack with every ~200 calorie shot. I ate nothing solid on summit day, so another recommendation for some kind of energy gel.

 

The only reason I kept eating my dinner stuff (pasta and the like) was that I had some precooked-no-refigeration-needed-until-opening bacon from Costco, cheese, and butter. I also brought along a mini spice kit. Small ziplocs with pepper, garlic salt, and cayanne pepper.

 

I ate an entire bag of cheeze-it's in one sitting. My partner ate the other at the same time. Highly recommended.

 

On the whole I worried entirely too much about nutrition and not enough about simply bringing delicious calories. Also I always bring too much food (on trips of any length). Try to keep it under control if you struggle with that. I wouldn't normally encourage anything but self-suffeciency, but Denali is an interesting place and you'll be able to bum food at any camp if it came down to it.

[AlpineK]

Pop Tarts! I spent about 20 days eating them.

 

We left a food cashe part way through a section of icefalls with pop tarts in it. Due to weather we didn't come back for a couple days. When we did come back and collect stuff as we moved on we found ravens had been through our food. They ignored oatmeal and other stuff and went straight for the pop tarts. Ravens are smart birds!

[rbw1966]

Snickers. Peanut butter in squeeze tubes.

 

Don't worry about bringing too much food to 14K. You can get all the free food you want from people trying to lighten the load on their way off the mountain. Same goes with fuel.

 

Don't take anything with you that you dont absolutely love eating as you wont eat it (e.g. cliff bars).

[Zoran]

I know how you feel.

Last few days are very bad for me packing my food for Mt. Logan ski attempt.

 

I figure-out my snacks easily. So many good European stores are here in Vancouver and choices are great. Also, I often visit Costco in Bellingham and you can find great stuff there (bag of chocolate covered raisins, or raisins covered in yogurt!, dry fruit, flax seeds pancake mix, cheese etc.)

 

My problem are dinners.

Problem is that I really can't eat freeze dried food or any other prepackaged stuff. Also, my two partners are for communal dinners and that added additional pressure.

 

If I am alone I could settle with less variety and simpler dinners (for me soup is essential) but I don't want to disappoint them. Some people are affected with "standard" food (monotony).

 

On my Denali trip I haven't paid a lot of attention to food so we stopped eating at camp 5. We had bunch of freeze dried bags but we couldn't look at them. I will never bring Cliff bar or pastry again, or any kind of bar (Lara or no Lara)! Ever!

It will be always good chocolate.

 

This time I have fair trade Cadbury and halva sticks (Greek halva). Lots of cheese (smoked Gouda, Cheddar, Parmesan and cheese sticks). Costco is great place to find stuff! Also Serbian dried bacon and jerky from local stores here.

 

Bring something you can eat. Don't worry if someone says it's too fatty or you shouldn't eat low fat food. If you like it and tastes good go for it.

 

Run check through your dinners again and bring less but high quality food. Many people will give you their food in Camp 4 so you will get crappy food there. You don't need to buy it here!

 

 

Edited May 20, 2010 by Zoran

[Dustin B.]

If you are on a budget tuna. If you are not on a budget smoked salmon. Assuming you eat fish that is. Smoked Salmon is lighter as well.

 

Find a bar that you like, weather it be oat based or something else. look for bars with honey/peaut butter. Always of course take them out of the wrappers and repack without them.

 

There is lots of good advice here already posted as well.

 

 

I have devolped a personal favorite gorp. 3 types of choclate chips, dried fruits (raisin, craisn, mango), almonds, sunflowerseeds, and pretzels. So experiment and see what you like the most.

 

I also take a salty mix as well that is "asian" flavored.

[summitchaserCJB]

If you are on a budget tuna. If you are not on a budget smoked salmon. Assuming you eat fish that is. Smoked Salmon is lighter as well.

 

Find a bar that you like, weather it be oat based or something else. look for bars with honey/peaut butter. Always of course take them out of the wrappers and repack without them.

 

There is lots of good advice here already posted as well.

 

 

I have devolped a personal favorite gorp. 3 types of choclate chips, dried fruits (raisin, craisn, mango), almonds, sunflowerseeds, and pretzels. So experiment and see what you like the most.

 

I also take a salty mix as well that is "asian" flavored.

Not to be a P**** but don't eat too much Tuna. Like I think once a week is fine. Higher than that and you can start acquiring toxic levels of heavy metals.

[ivan]

heavy metal? excellent!

[Dustin B.]

If you are on a budget tuna. If you are not on a budget smoked salmon. Assuming you eat fish that is. Smoked Salmon is lighter as well.

 

Find a bar that you like, weather it be oat based or something else. look for bars with honey/peaut butter. Always of course take them out of the wrappers and repack without them.

 

There is lots of good advice here already posted as well.

 

 

 

I have devolped a personal favorite gorp. 3 types of choclate chips, dried fruits (raisin, craisn, mango), almonds, sunflowerseeds, and pretzels. So experiment and see what you like the most.

 

I also take a salty mix as well that is "asian" flavored.

Not to be a P**** but don't eat too much Tuna. Like I think once a week is fine. Higher than that and you can start acquiring toxic levels of heavy metals.

 

Hmm, I have not heard any studies on this but I tend to belive it. I take salmon, and at that I only take local hatchery fish that is smoked by a friend of mine. It makes a great cracker topping or is also good added into a garlic pasta. Can you link me to any of the stuff on tuna? I would like to read it.

[Dustin B.]

a quick search turns up some good info. "tuna heavy metal"

 

It appears the best tuna is toll caught pacific albacore, which has about half the mercury level of a deep sea fish. With that said, it looks like tuna is relatively safe, I wonder if u can get any good trolled albacore at pikes place. I know they used to sell WILD steelhead, but we have recently put an end to that.

 

Another option for fish would be to catch some rainbow trout locally and smoke it yourself. From a healthy lake the fish should be great for you.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Dustin B.

[summitchaserCJB]

My nutrition professor told me so I don't have a link handy. Is a PhD a good enough reference?

Edited May 21, 2010 by summitchaserCJB

[bronyraur]

Buying a pizza in Talkeetna and wrapping slices in foil for the first few days of the trip will go a long way. Light enough to take up to 11 and good enough to provide an easier transition to weeks of freeze dried / trail mix.