Mountain Menus

This has to be the most contentious and personal topic after socks. Luckily, we all have our own refined taste and preferences when it comes to food. Food is our daily joy but also our Achilles heel, in that we don’t go so good when it is not there for us.

Recently I led a hike across a windswept ridge after a couple of rough days. There was sleet in our faces as we set off and our hands were sore and cold from clinging to wet rock. We trudged all day, slowly wetter to our core, keeping going to keep warm, no thought of stopping for a brew. Our packs were full of food, water and gas were not the problem. That day we needed the right food in the right place, in this case it should have been carbs and fats in our pockets. We got though to the hut and hot chocolate that evening, not quite as comfortably as we should have.

The Rim of Africa experience is not a boot camp, and weather wise the days are seldom icy, but managing your menu to keep up your energy will have a positive impact on your enjoyment of the hike. I have been in a few lively conversations lately around trail food planning, I also did quite a bit of reading and ultimately took my question to our good friend Charl du Plessis (also known locally as Chat GPT), some of the consensus is presented below. Please add your comments and contribute to the collective prep on this critical topic:

1. Your food should weigh between 550g and 750g per night on the trail, so as to achieve approximately 2500 calories.
2. To achieve a reasonable weight/energy balance, aim for roughly 55% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 15% proteins (by weight).
3. In this model ‘fats’ include foods like nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, cheese, salami, coconut milk powder, dark chocolate. There are very efficient sources of calories by weight, keeping you strong and lightening your pack.
4. Start with a good breakfast and plan to eat at least 40% of your daily rations during the day’s walk.
5. Topping up salts and micronutrients is a good idea. There are products like Revive electrolyte sachets on the market, or you may prefer a salty vegetable stock. We are big fans but neither tea nor sugar is a micronutrient.
6. There are plenty of trail food providers in the market today who can take the schlep out of meal prep. In SA both Trail Foods and Forever Fresh were started by folk who regularly hike the Rim of Africa.

Now that we have spelled it out, let’s own that lists take the fun out of food. If your rations do not meet your culinary ambitions then spice it up a bit. Small sachets of cinnamon or coriander, a few sprigs of salad (snap peas are very good!), shiitake mushrooms or a vial of capers might be just what you need to feel human again at the end of a long day.