Food: It’s never been so great!

Written by: Emily “Lightning” Ginger

First, I want to do a shout out to my Grandparents who have backpacked and hiked various sections of the AT- Thank you for exposing me to nature throughout my life, for your support in my adventures, and for following my blog! I am proud to be partaking in something you treasure!

It still amazes me that I get to walk up and down mountains all day, everyday! I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to be alive and out here enjoying natural beauty because anytime I glance around I see an awesome setting rich with an assortment of plants, trees, rocks, rivers, streams, or mountain ridges for miles. At times the environment feels surreal and I envy myself for being so privileged.

I am impressed at how well our bodies have adapted to these arduous daily work-outs over and through the Appalachian Mountains. Since our strength has increased so has our daily mileage. Some days we walk 16 miles and on others we walk 24 miles. Also, we have entered into the state of Virginia which has a somewhat “flatter” terrain than what we were tackling in Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee making the higher mileage more manageable. With my body feeling strong and the terrain being easier, I have taken to trail running. I can’t run uphill, and I can’t run everyday, but on a majority of days I will do at least a portion of my hike running (so far I’m up to 10 miles). I get the same adrenaline rush when I sprint down the trail as I would from longboarding down the streets of Chicago or speed rollerblading along the lake front. I am hoping that after 5 months of hiking I will be quicker and stronger when I return to longboarding, rollerblading, and bicycling at home!

Regardless of whether you are walking or running, doing almost an entire marathon up and down mountains everyday with 30 lbs on your back burns a lot of calories. Out here, food has acquired an entirely different purpose for me and is no longer enjoyed for its flavor or texture. If there are calories in something, I’ll eat it! Every morning when I wake up I’m hungry so I eat right away. Breakfast is two packets of instant oatmeal, freeze dried fruit, and some-odd amount of powdered milk (sometimes I’ll add a packet of hot cocoa mix instead). In the interest of saving fuel and money I just add cold water to my oatmeal, stir, and then eat. It’s heavenly but not enough calories so I eat two pop tarts as well. I usually take a snack break after 3-5 miles where I shovel a couple heaping handfuls of gorp into my mouth and eat a Cliff Bar. This gets me to Lunch. For Lunch I’ll eat some tuna or peanut butter with crackers and more gorp or granola bars. By the time dinner rolls around I have already eaten more than I would in an entire day were I at home in Chicago. Hiking takes a lot of energy, and leaves me hungry, so like I said… I eat anything! For instance, a few weeks ago, we stopped for lunch on a rainy day and we were too cold/ tired to pump some water to make a nalgene of powerade. We wanted the electrolytes so we decided to just pour the powerade mix straight into our mouth, like a pixie stick. Since then, we often just pour a mouthful of “electrolyte powder” straight into our mouth and then wash it down with a sip of water. Another day, while sitting and enjoying a view, Kate snacked on some crackers and I mindlessly ate all of her cracker crumbs that had fallen on the rock. Whatever I drop in the dirt (whether it’s a sunflower seed or a melted piece of cheddar cheese), I pick it up and eat it. At night, instead of boiling more water for hot cocoa, I just use cold water and eat chunky hot cocoa, but I enjoy having the dessert!

Not only have my food standards gone out the window, but so have my standards of cleanliness. We have to filter our water, so we use it sparingly and try not to waste a single drop. When I wash my bowl after every meal I just rinse it with about ¼ cup of water and sometimes I will just drink that “dirty” water. Living outside I’m constantly covered in dirt, but I don’t bother to wash it off because shortly thereafter I will just be dirty again. It’s interesting how relative normalcy is and that nobody notices my “disgusting” habits because these are the norms out here- everyone is covered in dirt or drinking their dirty dish water. I look forward to seeing what other adjustments and changes I will experience while out here!

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13 Responses to Food: It’s never been so great!

  1. Paul Healey says:

    Be sure to check at the Post office in Pearisburg, VA; I just sent you guys a big box of calories!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Love it. I miss the trail. I let my dog “clean” my dishes and more often than not just ate out of it at the next meal. Lazy, I think not, conserving calories. I did end up losing a lot of muscle mass though towards the end. They say women lose less weight than men out there, not sure. I lost 30 pounds before the end of VA. I gained 15 and called it “training” before I started.

    Good Luck!!

    Good Luck!

  3. Barb I. says:

    Emily…what a great post! That is what we want to hear about…how you manage on the trail, what your routine is like, differences living there versus life in Chicago…thank you…good job! Mrs. I.

  4. CCGinger says:

    Hey Em,

    Jake says “Run Forrest, Run!”

    Christie

  5. JJ Jessee says:

    Looks like adaptation has gone great. Glad you're having fun. And now with trail running thrown in, you've got a whole new sport to explore post-AT.
    jjj

  6. 11jam11 says:

    This is Kashmir,, I'm just now in Damascus.

    I've been reading your blog.. I've been wondering if I'll ever catch up to you guys and Yanni..(I'm like 6 days behind at the moment) maybe in a couple months I'll just show up out of nowhere.

  7. Anonymous says:

    You are a great inspiration!! I have been training for a 14er (hiking trail above 14,000 ft) here in CO and knowing that you are hiking through the Apalachian means I can totally do my 14er!!!! I will be thinking of you when I do my hike. Keep it up Emily, you and your friends are doing great!!!! -Binh

  8. Christine says:

    I love your blog! It gives me a great vicarious experience of what life is like on the trail. My husband and I live on the border of Shenandoah National Park, and hike there almost every weekend. Maybe we'll see you as you pass through the park in a few weeks. :-)

  9. Mark says:

    Every day I eat lunch at work outside by the retention pond. And I think of the Traveling Circus!!! AND I AM SO ENVIOUS!!! I wonder what scenery you guys must be viewing as I sit & watch the Canada geese floating on the pond. Keep your mind sharp & you will conquer the AT!!!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Emily, I am jealous. -sister

  11. CCGinger says:

    Hey Emily,

    I thought you might be interested to know that your brother is over-feeding our dog on beef jerky treats (his choice, not mine) and it is giving him the runs. That is typical of Jake to inflict some form of diarrhea. Our poor puppy is not very smart and he eats them anyway.

    On another note, the Toronto real estate market is ridiculously overpriced even with the recession for both renting and buying and we are seriously considering moving in to the forest. Do you have any tips?

    The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow so I think I will go waste some money drinking beer an betting on a longshot.

    Christie

    p.s. I would say “Go Emily!” but I figured you might like some sort of update on our lives so there it is. But really, we are rooting for you. Go Emily! When Jake heard you were doing trail running he said “Of course she is. She's a machine. She will finish the trail and then hike home to Chicago.”

  12. pjgingers says:

    I don't think they're disgusting habits at all. What's wrong with a little dirt on your cheese? I got a good chuckle picturing you eating Kate's cracker crumbs that fell on the rock and your breakfast concoction sounds dreadful, but it appears to kick start your energy each morning. I predict that when you are done with this hike, you will never eat instant oatmeal or another granola bar again as long as you live! Love, Mom

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