What Food is Served on Fitpacking Trips

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Upcoming Trips

2012
- Cumberland Island National Seashore, GA
  February 18-25, 2012 - $1000, ★
- Big Bend National Park, TX
  With Hot Springs
  March 3-10, 2012 - $1075, ★★★
- Joshua Tree National Park, CA
  March 10-18, 2012 - $1250, ★★
- Arizona Trail / Four Peaks Wilderness, AZ
  March 24 - April 1, 2012 - $1175, ★★★
- Canyonlands National Park Needles District, UT
  April 14-22, 2012 - $1250, ★★★
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC/TN
  Sold Out
  Put me on the waiting list!
  April 28 - May 5, 2012 - $1250, ★★
- Shenandoah National Park, VA
  May 14-28, 2012 - $1800, ★★★
- Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Primer, VA/WV/MD/PA
  New Fitpacking Destination!
  May 26 - Jun 3, 2012 - $1075, ★★★
- Mt. Rushmore / Black Hills, SD
  May 26 - Jun 3, 2012 - $1200, ★★★
- White Mountain National Forest, NH
  With Kayaking
  Jun 2-8, 2012 - $1100, ★★
- Redwood National Park, CA
  With Finnish Sauna/Baths
  Jun 9-17, 2012 - $1200, ★★
- Olympic National Park, WA
  With Hot Springs
  Jun 30 - Jul 8, 2012 - $1250, ★
- Isle Royale National Park, MI
  New Fitpacking Destination!
  Jul 10-18, 2012 - $1250, ★★★
- Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
  Only 2 Spots Left
  Jul 28 - Aug 9, 2012 - $1750, ★★★★
- Crater Lake National Park, OR
  Aug 14-21, 2012 - $1175, ★★
- Yosemite National Park, CA
  Aug 18-31, 2012 - $1800, ★★★★
- Adirondack High Peaks, NY
  With Bobsledding
  Aug 25 - Sep 2, 2012 - $1125, ★★★
- Mt. Rainier National Park, WA
  Sep 8-15, 2012 - $1250, ★★★★
- New Jersey Pine Barrens, NJ
  New Fitpacking Destination
  Oct 6-13, 2012 - $1000, ★
- White Mountain National Forest, NH
  With Kayaking
  Oct 9-15, 2012 - $1125, ★★
- Georgia Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker Primer, GA
  Oct 20-27, 2012 - $1025, ★★★
- Hot Springs / Ouachita Trail, AR
  With Hot Springs
  Nov 3-11, 2012 - $1025, ★★
- Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Chile
  Details TBD
  Dec 8-19, 2012 - ~$2500, ★★★★
2013
- Florida Trail / Ocala National Forest
  With Canoeing
  Details TBD
  Dec 31, 2012 - Jan 8, 2013 - ~$1000, ★
- Difficulty Ratings:
  ★ Easier (but not easy)
  ★★ Moderate (difficult at times)
  ★★★ Moderate to Strenuous
  ★★★★ Strenuous (much of the time)
  ★★★★★ Most Difficult Trip Contact Fitpacking before signing up
- Please note that difficulty ratings are deceptive. The easiest day of a 4 star trip may be less strenuous than the hardest day of a 1 star trip. We have little control over how mountains form, where trails and campsites are located, weather variation and terrain, so difficulty varies from day to day. These ratings just reflect overall impressions.
- All Prices include at least 2 nights in a hotel, all food eaten on the trail, ground transportation to/from trailheads, guides, and permits. Prices quoted are Per Person Double Occupancy (Hotel Sharing), but single supplements are available.

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Fitpacking Menus
When you're out backpacking all day, your body burns large amounts of calories to sustain its energy expenditure. Because of this, food can become somewhat of an obsession. It's difficult to describe just how satisfying a hot meal can be after a long day of hiking. In fact, you may actually remember certain trail meals more fondly than dinners you've eaten at a fancy restaurant after a sedentary day at the office.
Our meals are subject to 4 constraints: Tasty, Lightweight, Healthy, and non-perishable. Stir-fry is tasty and healthy, but it's heavy to carry and can spoil quickly. Mac-n-cheese is tasty, lightweight, and non-perishable, but most people wouldn't consider it the healthiest meal ever. Grits are lightweight, healthy, and non-perishable, but not everyone thinks they taste great. So each meal is an amalgamation of compromises between these contraints.
The food is primarily vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan. Not only does vegetarian food serve the dietary needs of the most people, meat spoils quickly and in some cases is not all that healthy. Should you feel you can not possibly live without meat for a week, you are welcome to bring and carry your own supply. Backpackers generally prefer light, non-spoiling varieties of meat such as jerky, pepperoni, or salami. This is YOUR trip. If you have strong opinions about the sample menus to the right -- if there are items you just have to have -- or something you absolutely cannot stomach -- please let us know.

Breakfast
Breakfasts can be either hot or cold. We ususally have cooked, hot breakfasts or instant hot breakfasts that require only hot water. Cold breakfasts are generally just cereal and will not require much in the way of preparation or clean-up, however hot tea/coffee/cocoa are part of every morning. Expect cold breakfasts on days when we must break camp early to get long mileage in.
- Hash Browns and vegetarian sausage
- Grape Nuts w/ milk powder, sugar, raisins
- Oatmeal w/cranberries, powdered milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt
- Trailside Breakfast Rice (Rice, Berries, Pudding)
- Cold Cereal (generally granola) w/milk powder
- Taco flavored egg and cheese burritos
- Pancakes with blueberries or trail mix ingredients
- Grits w/milk powder, salt, craisins and/or fruit
- Plain Grits, grits with margarine, or Japanese Grits
- Quinoa with brown sugar (gluten free)
Lunch
Lunches are almost always no-cook and are prepared and served on the trail, hopefully at a scenic area
- Tofurky & Mustard Wraps
- Swiss / Gouda / Cheddar Cheese on Crackers
- Hummus and Sprouts
- Bean and cheese burritos
- Peanut Butter
- Tabbouleh
- Grape Leaves on Pita
- Baba Ghaoush
These may be supplemented with the following items:
- Mountain Bread / Wraps / Pita
- Wasa Crispbread (cracker-like)
- Soy or Tofu Jerky
- Mango Slices
- Sprouts / Cucumbers / Carrots
- Clif/Luna Bars (1 per person every other day)
Drinks
Many people drink only water when backpacking. It's a good way to break your caffeine addiction and it just feels "clean" somehow. Also, the more water you drink, the better your body burns fat. However, it's unrealistic to expect everyone to give up caffeine, especially because of the good short-term feelings it can provide as well as prevention of the withdrawal symptoms it averts.

While much of the water encountered on the trail will be delicious, crystal clear mountain water like you've never tasted, on some trips the taste and clarity of certain water sources may not be to your liking. In order to overcome this, some people like powdered drink mixes that sweeten the water and provide electrolytes. Drinks we bring may include:
- Instant Coffee
- Brewed Coffee
- Tea Bags
- Powdered soft drinks (Gatorade, Propel, Kool-Aid, Emergen-C)
- Hot Cocoa
- Hot Cider
Appetizers
Sometimes we have appetizers!
- Chips and Guacamole
- Fried Parmesan Crisps

Dinner
Dinners are typically a combination of a starch (Brown Rice, Pasta, Cous Cous, Stuffing, Potatoes, Ramen, Lentils), a sauce (Chili, Pesto, Red Sauce, Cheese etc), spices, and mix-ins (Carrots, Onions, Mushrooms, Pine Nuts, Almonds, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Corn, Peppers, Garlic etc.)

These may not turn out exactly the way they would in a fancy restaurant, but they will be enjoyable and delicious at the end of the day.
- Sushi (Avocado, Daikon, Carrots, Cucumber, Ginger, Sesame Seeds, Wasabi)
- Stir Fry Vegetables (Peppers, Carrots, Onions, Pea Pods, Tofu) over Stuffing or Rice
- Paad Thai, Garlic, Scallions, Pea Pods, Sprouts. Tofu, Peanuts
- Bangain Bharta or Dhaipur Vegetables over cous-cous
- Penne with Marinara, Pine Nuts, Mushrooms, Garlic, Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Mushrooms, Carrots, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Almonds
- Mac & Cheese w/sun dried tomatoes, parsley, carrots, and peas.
- Vegetarian Chili and rice
- Pasta with pesto, pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic
- Broccoli Cheese Soup with European Vegetable Blend
- Red Beans and Rice with onions and celery
- Pea Soup (Soy Ham, Pea Soup, Egg powder, Quinoa, Rice Flour)
- Taste of the Forest (cous-cous based dish)
- Ramen, TVP (textured vegetable protein), parmesan cheese, garlic
Dessert
Dessert is served sporadically, maybe once or twice a trip, sometimes more and sometimes not at all. Examples include:
- Smores
- Popcorn
- Halvah
- Brownies
- Raspberry Crumble
Trail Mix
Every trip's menu is augmented by Trail Mix. Trail mix is a mixture of proteins, starches, carbs, sugars, and salt and is typically eaten at rest stops. However, it can be eaten any time of the day to supplement your diet or as an alternative to meals that don't appeal to your palate. The day before setting out, we will make our own trail mixes consisting of your own personal mixture of the following items. Ingredients will be subject to availability in the locale of the trip, thus some of these items may not be present on every trip, while others that are not listed here may be.
- Granola
- Raisins
- Peanuts
- Dried Peaches
- M & Ms
- Dried Ginger
- Wasabi Peas
- Dried Cherries
- Craisins
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Pistachios
- Dried Apple Rings
- Soy Nuts
- Dried Pineapple chunks
- Dried Papaya
- Apricots
- Rice Crackers
- Cornnuts
- Dates
- Pears
- Pretzels
- Other items found at the local store

Fitpacking

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Upcoming Trips

2012

2013

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Fitpacking Menus

Breakfast

Lunch

Drinks

Appetizers

Dinner

Dessert

Trail Mix