Thanks Phat,

I think you are right. There is very little moisture to cook out. The dough comes out to 3.76 oz. a bar. That makes it right at 161 cal./oz., well above Snickers and Cliff bars, and I like the balance better as well, and yes,I was thinking of cutting them in half (I'm not that big a guy anymore). Also figure these would take well to augmentation with Fiber One and protein powder, and maybe some dried fruit for taste.

On the original subject of this post, I think about 8 1/2 to 9 lbs. is about standard/normal for groundpounders for three seasons these days.

I've been there for several years now and even as an avid watcher of this site, I haven't found any way that I'm comfortable with to cut that significantly. Since I carry a poncho, I could ditch my rain gear, but I use the poncho for shelter, and I need some way to make the night run (plus, I wear the pants at the laundramat and the top for wind). At least most of the time, I could ditch the silk longies, but they give me a feeling of safety and comfort, and a few extra degrees on a really cold night. But I still think nine is about the same benchmark that thirty was for so many years.

But at this point, this is all daydreaming, since I'm unlikely ever to hike any distance again anyway.

Take care, thx jcp