Food Fantasy - Hard Hiking and the Stomach

I am beginning to get a sense of 'countdown' to my start in July. Preparations continue and center mostly on completing the 60 days worth of meals that I will be shipping out to Sweden in five supply boxes at the beginning of June. Other odds and ends such as toiletries and 'spares' are quietly accumulating as well and soon the five boxes will actually become a reality. It's food though that preoccupies me at the moment, and it's food that will hold my attention on the trail as well.

A couple of reminders of the importance of proper sustenance on the trail. I am currently reading the very interesting account of a walk along the Continental Divide (predating the established trail itself) by Stephen Pern. It's a very well written and entertaining account of his 3000 miles from Mexico to Canada following the watershed of the North American continent. Marked in the early stages are some intense food cravings and I am forewarned for this summer. Pern is English but his cravings in the deserts of New Mexico are intensely American - 'sodas', burgers and fries. Closer to home it's the time of year that I begin to dip into my favourite of the genre 'trail tale', the great Hamish Brown's 'Hamish's Mountain Walk'. A grand achievement of the first continuous round of the Munros fueled by tea and 'pieces'. I've posted earlier on my love of this book.

I've gone back though today to Lars Wessell's interesting account of his, and the first, 'Grona Bandet'. Lars completed his walk in 54 days in the summer of 2011. His website has a very good account of his walk and I, and others, have found it very useful, informative and entertaining. Two themes run through his blog: food and the people he meets along the trail. You don't need to read Swedish to appreciate his photos. You'll notice the odd picture of him enjoying a meal, his account notes often the food he ate. I completely understand that. I seem to swing either between intense food fantasies or, indeed, prolonged periods when I became disinterested in eating. I've read today though of the 'upswing' in appetite as the weeks tick by on a long walk. The answer might seem to be 'town stops' with binging to satiate desire. Lars though warns of occasions on 'town stops' when too much food on a shrunken stomach was to plague him hours later.

Fueling is a theme I've mentioned before and as my supply boxes physically take shape it's one that occupies me now. I found an interesting article from 'thru-hiker.com'. The article considers the effects of long distance backpacking on the body and how to counter those with appropriate nutrition. The principles I know already from long distance running but there is a lot to consider for multi-week hikes. The essential thesis is that long distance over rough terrain carrying a load that may weigh as much as 20 percent of your own body weight sees an upswing by about 150 to 200 per percent on the normal calorific intake your body needs to maintain your metabolic rate. No surprise there, but what's interesting is the effect that a multi-week walk has in increasing that demand over time and how you body reacts.

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Body reserves, the article notes, will contribute a significant portion of the boy's calorific needs during the first few weeks of a thru-hike, 'but as bodies become leaner, dietary intake becomes more crucial.' Essentially, the body's reserve of glycogen (stored in the liver) and the excess energy in body fat will bridge the calorific deficit in the early stages. After that there is the issue of how to counter the effects of sustained low intensity exercise over many weeks. An efficient and well trained body assists but ultimately fueling for the long term is key during the walk to keep a decent level of stored carbohydrate. The article suggests, and I think it's right, that a thru-hiker's body will demand around 7000 quality calories a day. That's a lot, not least when it's carried on your back. A clever fueling strategy is required (I've posted previously about fueling for the short, medium and long term during the day) and that means 'town-stops' too. The consequences of getting it wrong are as noted by Lars, a 'total matkoma' ('total food coma!')

I'll note the advice of the 'thru-hiker' article, 'give muscles a chance to replenish their carbohydrate stores. It takes several days to fully replete stores after they are exhausted/depleted. On a long trek, you may find your energy level flagging earlier and earlier with each passing day. Feeling tired, weak, anemic. You don't have the same stamina. It's likely not because you are suddenly iron deficient, but rather because you are running out of stored carbohydrate. Plan a day of rest following a particularly long grueling day and eat plenty of complex carbohydrates (i.e., whole grains, starchy vegetables). [Notice how many through-hikers do just the opposite. They eat high carbohydrate meals on the trail, then bee-line to town to gorge on a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and a dozen donuts after single-handedly inhaling a large pizza with everything on it. Where does all that fat go? It's NOT replenishing depleted glycogen stores (humans can't convert fat to carbohydrate effectively). If it doesn't go straight through you (diarrhea), some of the fat goes to replete the fat stores in the heart and muscle, but most of the excess goes right back into storage to be lugged around a few more miles'.

So I note the advice and experience of others. Eat smart.  I'll try and get my supply boxes right so I am carrying enough food. I will err on the side of generous in my daily intake and not try and play 'catch up' when the opportunity arrives. Being fed and happy is key to finishing. Further, I'll try and be mindful when the opportunity to eat presents itself. That may be difficult, even after relatively short trips the abundance of food when arriving in civilisation is hard to resist.

Finally, have a read of Lars' article that was published in 'Ute' magazine last year. If you don't read Swedish enjoy the photos. It's a good feature on the Gronabandet's high points and invites the reader to 'section hike' part of Lars' route. I'll thank him for his blog also that's been an invaluable reference.

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