4 People@
30 Days@
4500 Calories a Day=
540,000 Calories
2.5 lbs per person per day=
300 pounds of food
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| Cooking Bannock on a wood stove |
This may seem like a lot of food/calories to those folks who haven't done any extended backcountry camping and even to those of you who have, the amount may seem excessive, but winter camping requires you to consume significantly more food than warm climate camping. In cold weather your body is charged with not only keeping your body up and running as usual, but is also asked to increase the amount of heat it puts out to compensate for for the cold temperatures faced in February in northern Minnesota and also to handle the increased workload that comes with pulling heavy toboggans and living in a winter camp- think chopping through 2' ice for water and cutting firewood for the stove.
The easiest way to understand the needs of the human body in terms of food is to think of the food we eat as wood on a fire. Small sticks (carbohydrates) release intense heat for a short period of time but need to be replenished often. Medium sized sticks (proteins) burn slower while releasing less heat, and large logs (fats) burn for a long time while emitting a lower level of heat. We need to balance the three, carbs, fat and protein in order to have the quick energy and heat we'll need to get going in the morning and to stay warm throughout the day while also benefitting from the long term energy we'll need to keep going for the long haul (no pun intended).
So what are we eating? It is amazingly hard to find half a million calories unless you consume large amounts of animal and vegetable fats. Fats are the most calorie dense food (4800 cal/lb) so we are taking 15 lbs of butter and 8 lbs of coconut oil; the latter being more usable in a frozen form than other vegetable fats. We are also taking nut butters, sausage and the holy grail of trail fat: bacon drippings. For proteins (1800 cal/lb) we are taking bacon, dried meat and summer sausage. Also, the grains we are taking (quinoa, flour, oats and rice) all contain good amounts protein. Sugar, dried fruits, pasta, chocolate all contribute to the carbohydrates (1800 cal/lb) on our food list. We will also be taking dried veggies, a few sauces, spices, coffee, tea, cocoa, and some locally made cookies and fruit cakes from Coco's Bakery in Washburn Wisconsin.
It is a simple diet, but as they say "hard work is the best seasoning." I have found this to be true countless times- where you are working all day outdoors, camping, hiking or cutting firewood only to be thoroughly satisfied by what would be considered a simple or bland meal were it to be prepared and eaten indoors after a day typing on computer. Fresh air, the smell of the woods, and the contentment of a good day on trail all make dinner a source of nourishment and not necessarily a fine culinary experience. That said, we will not be living on gruel- venison and vegetable spaghetti, oats with cranberries and whole milk (powdered), and homemade fruitcake are all on the menu. Anyone in the northern Wisconsin area is welcome to attend an expedition food planning workshop I will be teaching at Northland College next month- date of the workshop will be posted here.
Just make sure that the meat you're using isn't factory-farmed.
ReplyDeleteTrue dat. It is easy to rest on one's laurels when buying food for a backcountry trip like this where weight, cost, and nutritional value can override the importance of being a good citizen of this here planet. Like most of in our everyday lives, we will do our best to buy local food when possible, organic food if local isn't available, and when neither are available we will weigh the importance of including that food in our menu. Of course we need to eat and our budget, like most people I know, is limited, so there is that balance to strike as well. Ultimately, we will eat the best food we can afford while knowing that there are always improvements to be made.
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