Heh. Well, no wonder hiking food keeps me happy..

First of all let me be clear, I hike to enjoy myself, not to lose weight. The only reason I'm posting this is I've been following weight watchers when not hiking (Weight watchers can be left in town with the computer when I hike. I enjoy myself more).

Just for amusement, I put the WW calculator on my hiking food:

Breakfast:
Egg and Taters + coffee - 6 points

Snacks:
1 landjaeger sausage - 4 points
35 almonds - 4 points
dried fruit - 1 point
1 piece Hudsons Bay bread with peanut butter - 15 points
chunk of Parmigiano Reggio - 3 points

Dinner
Dehydrated backpacking meal - average 12 points

Desert - chocolate and tea - 2 points

That would be a nice total of 47 WW points in a day while hiking.. and that's not even counting the odd "I'm bonking"
candy bar.

(I normally eat about 30-32 points in a day)

No wonder the food keeps me content.. Although it's nice to
see counting it out verifies my usual gut instinct of "this is more than enough in the bag, I won't starve :)"

Yeah, I've looked at the calories and that before too, but never in comparison to what I usually eat in a day!

phat:

So what are you doing with that 3-point chunk of Parmigiano Reggio? Nibbling on it? I've thought that hard cheeses like that would be good on a hike since they seem light (dry) and really filling.

Do you feel the miles put in more than make up for the extra 15 to 17 points of food on hiking days versus 'at the computer' days -- I mean, do you think you're burning more than consuming? I'd sure think so.

That doesn't seem that far out of whack considering the likely higher 'activity' level while hiking/camping. How does WW account for being active?

yeah, nibbling on it, it's usually a larger chunk I take and chop little bits off with my knife at a break. it's quite good for hiking.



oh probably.. but I'm not hungry, so it's all good Having said that, I don't tend to lose weight on hiking trips typically

WW lets you have bonuses for being active, depending on the program you follow, but I never pay too much attention to those, I deal with hungry spells for activity out of my extra points for the week and be done with it.

But again, as far as hiking goes - I don't care when I am hiking. My rule is simple when hiking. If I can carry it - it's 0 points - even if it's a side of bacon

First off, I love most cheeses, so I end up eating cheese for a meal around once a week, when I start out having just a few slices on some biscuits, and then end up pigging out and not being hungry for a meal.

That said, I almost always take a "chunk" of hard cheese on the trail. Pretty much the same as Phat said - I lop off a bit to eat at breaks and the like.

There was also that one time when my girlfriend made my hiking buddy and I each 3 lb briskets, and we both decided to bring a loaf of hard bread, a pound of parmigiana, and our brisket for the first 3 days of a 10 day trip. Man that was some good eating. Of course, I made my buddy carry all the barbecue sauce in exchange for letting him split the Crown Royal shot with me at the 100 mile mark.

Good memory... I agree with that logic Phat, it should be counted as zero points when you're on the trail (though I've never brought bacon hiking...).

i'm confused about the cheeses, but really really want to add them to me menus


all of the stores by me sell the cheeses cold? do i need to buy them at room temperature to begin with?

what are the best hard cheeses? and aprox how many days unrefrigerated can i pack them?

Any hard cheese is fine. I suspect most people take cheddar, but there are many other hard cheeses. Just get the real thing, not "process" cheese. Soft cheeses, such as brie or mozzarella, of course spoil much faster and should be used within a couple of days. While all cheeses are now sold refrigerated, that's only because they keep longer that way.

Wrapping the cut cheese in cheesecloth, so the cut surface dries out, makes it last much longer. If there's mold, it will be only on the surface and can be trimmed off and discarded. Most good cheese "bricks" are still coated with wax as they were back in the old days. Avoid plastic because it seals in the moisture and contributes to mold or worse, slime (even in the refrigerator).

My mother used to buy a "brick" of sharp cheddar, cut it in thirds, wrapped it in cheesecloth and then in wax paper. Two of the thirds were mailed ahead with our resupplies so sat from 2 to 4 weeks in a warm post office. She very seldom had to trim off any mold during a six weeks' trip.

thanks...i'm getting tired of almonds and rice! but cheese rice! well hey!...

thanks for the info makes sense about the refrigartion, i was thinking everyone else knew of cheeses that were sold room temp!

are there any brands that are trusted? I imagine cracker barrel cheddar is processed cheese as well and not the real deal?

If you don't want to worry about it at all, buy a brined cheese such as parmigiano reggio - (real parmesan cheese in a block) it's
expensive, but delicious, and basically keeps "forever"

I typically take a hunk of Parmigiano Reggio - I used to take come cheap cheddar, but in my more mature years I have a bit more cash and as such have become somewhat of a high class princess

And for what it's worth, one of the finest hiking meals I've had in a long time was put together by a friend in a campground in tasmania which consisted of "extras" thrown in a pot. it was the extra couscous, I contributed the last of my sausage, and a chunk of parmigiano, and people hucked in dehydrated onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, spices, and some anchovies. It was awesome. So a little bit of Parmigiano and Sausage goes a long way.

Sounds a bit like Sarbar's "Pizza in a pot" which I'll be trying out on my fussy grandkids this weekend! No anchovies, though (ick!).

At home, I follow a low carbohydrate eating system. I managed to drop from nearly 250 lbs to about 180 lbs on it in 2004. Plus a lot of bicycle camping.

When I backpack, it is seemingly impractical to follow a low carb eating system, so it stays at home as does your WW plan.

On trips longer than a week, I find myself losing weight unless I hit towns and pig out.

I did a rough analysis of trail food, and find it works out to only about 3,000 Cal/day. People commonly cite 4,000 Cal/day or more for backpacking expenditures.

I have never bothered to count the backpacking carbohydrates. High on the consumption are the easily found and prepared carbohydrate dishes of flavored mashed potatoes, Knorr "Sides" of pasta or rice base, candy bars, energy bars, hard candies, dried fruits (and vegetables)....

Last summer, I came back from the trip at 173 pounds, and in a couple of weeks had plumped back up to my low to mid 180's level.

Enjoying the hike is more important than a sticking with a weight based diet plan, and for most, one need not worry about gaining weight from a hiking trip of good duration.

Have a good trip.

Cracker Barrel cheese "sticks" should last reasonably well.

One trick for keeping mold at bay: Wrap cheese in a cloth or paper towel that has been soaked in vinegar. The acidity is too high for mold growth.

CM

The best is gouda by far. You can usually find it in a little red cylinder in the fancy cheese part at the store. It is covered in wax, so will last a long time.

I've learned the hard way to be careful heeding other's advice on this light food forum:

As said by phat last May:



After that description, I knew I had to try some on my hike today on the Indian Creek Trail, what is now (temporarily) the new start of the Colorado Trail outside of Denver. So my hiking buddy and I stopped at my local cheese shop to get some before the hike this morning. The new kid working there couldn't find the special knives to "break" the wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, and since phat said it "keeps 'forever'", I ended up buying the whole wheel.


My 92-pound wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, aged two years in Northern Italy

We were in a hurry at the trailhead, which is now the Colorado Trail's start since Waterton Canyon is closed for dredging the reservoir providing Denver's water supply until at least 2012. I didn't have time to attack the hard-rind wheel of cheese with my machete to get a chunk off, so I decided to carry it with me on the trail. It was ANYTHING BUT LIGHT!



I found it too big and heavy to bungee on my back, so the only way I was able to carry it was in Atlas-fashion on my shoulder, trying not to shrug.


At the Indian Creek Trailhead, Pike Nat'l Forest, Feb. 17, "new" start of the Colorado Trail -- I could probably consume this if I went all the way to Durango. And if I did consume it all, I'd probably be the first one to do the entire CT and leave no trace.


On the Indian Creek Trail #800, hiking buddy JJ Smith, who took the cheesee pix.

Besides its weight, the Parmigiano-Reggiano wheel has a most odiforous, yet wonderful smell. It literally sweats an oil through the rind that has a sharp, complex fruity/nutty smell with a strong umami flavor. This strong cheese aroma of the wheel, when carried on the trail, acted like a magnet in attracting wildlife to our path.


Cranes surround me near the frozen marshlands near the South Platte River. Carrying that stinky cheese wheel had me thinking I was Noah heading back to the ark; I believe I brought some bears out of hibernation.

BTW, I carried that thing all the way back to the trailhead after attacking it at lunch with my machete to no avail. I'm lucky I didn't break the blade on that rind.

phat, there must be an easier way to do this. Next time I'm taking a plastic bottle of grated Kraft parmesan.

Kevonia-

I'm glad this is an obvious spoof, 'cause looking at the pictures of you "struggling" with the wheel brings to mind Phat's tag line : "Any fool can be uncomfortable."



CM

Adapt and overcome, Kevon! Drill a hole through the center, insert trekking pole, and ride it like BC did.

Even if cheese does get a little mold on it, dont throw it out. Just cut a thin layer of cheese with mold on it off and eat the rest.

That was hilarious!! What a great day to haul around a round of good cheese.

Paul, but they won't let me into any wilderness areas with my wheel of cheese.

Heh. LMAO Kev..


On the other hand, you shouldn't have given away that it was such an obvious spoof.. The thought of a cheese shop in Denver not knowing where the parmegiano block breaking tools are is just unbelievable - They'd be run out of town and tarred and feathered withing minutes by rabid SUV driving yuppies. - they'd probably even call in the high priced reserve yuppie force from Boulder for such a besmirch on the reputation of the community..

No no.. put the cheese inside a garcia bear canister, and then bolt wheel hubs to the outside of the garcia..

phat:

I was awaiting your reply . . . do you know what lengths I had to go to "to borrow" a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano? I've been working on this for months. (BTW, I don't think I've mentioned that the one I "borrowed" was a styrofoam prop used to build up the display of P-R at a store. The real thing, the 92-pound wheel, really is greasy/stinky.)



Using Strasberg's method acting, I had to imagine in the pix what I'd look like and feel (later) if I'd eaten the whole wheel and was for sure to forever LNT.

Seriously, in my research, I think the cheese of choice while on a backpack is Pecorino Romano. This cheese from Italy (Rome specifically) was a major contributing factor in the Roman conquest. This cheese is similar to Parmigiano Reggiano, although it is lighter or whiter in color and slightly more "ripe." But it is the same cheese today, basically, that Roman soldiers carried in their packs as they conquered the world. It was a high-protein food from what had been perishable milk that they could travel with over long distances and lengthy time without it spoiling.

Main thing today is to put it high up in the food bag on the bear pole far from the tent while in camp.

(And phat, aren't they always saying how similar Calgary/Edmundton are to Denver/Boulder? Last time I was in Calgary during the oil-sands boom, most everyone was driving a Ferrari.)

I wonder, if you didn't care about what else you were eating and that's all you took - how far you could hike on a 92 pound block of parmigiano




Actually they are two cities that feel a lot like Denver.. I'm surrrounded by yuppies.. of course those that live in glass houses.....

Just a note - real pecorino romano is made from sheep's milk not cow's milk

Hmm. and at 121 calories per once, assuming 4000 calories a day, you could hike for 44 days with that block of cheese.. Although hopefully you could supplement with greens and berries and stuff to avoid the digestive effects of eating two pounds of cheese every day... (Maybe the romans had the same idea as modern MRE's

Hi,

This is very interesting and explains why I like eating as much as hiking (lol).

Thank you,
Byron