Running Out Of Food

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bobby49
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by bobby49 »

Wandering Daisy wrote:bobby49- your comment that you never run out of food and the LeConte ranger example and the "his excuse" comment, was taken by me that you thought running out of food was poor planning. If I misinterpreted, then I apologize.
Yes, you misinterpreted.
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markskor
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Re: Running Out Of Food

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Being affable, gregarious, and having absolutely no pride, running out of food has never been an issue.
A lesson learned decades ago - finishing off the Muir, already 29 days out, we were at Consultation (Consulation, Consolation...whatever) - that lake just below Trail Camp, and we did not want the trip to end yet. We just were not ready. The problem was that we were out of food. While I stayed and fished the outlet (skinny fish - the trout there looked like eels), my buddy went down among the campers and laid it on thick. "Bear stole food - starving - dog died - heartbreak of psoriasis" - he had no shame. He also came back with a plethora of goodies. Sardines, salami, trail bars, pop tarts, chocolate, crackers...we stayed there another two days.
Even when doing our typical 2-week fishing soirees, backpacking with the OldRanger, we never stress over food. (BTW, he plans all dinners meticulously, has everything labeled - says he divides it up fairly too - then sneaks in his 1-pound of Asiago into your pack...what a Ba$$hole!) We do catch our fair share of fish though.
After our 19-day out, Yosemite 5-Slam trip, leaving Merced HSC, my bearcan was completely empty. After parting ways with Mike in Echo Valley, I hiked to LYV and openly scrounged my dinner...ate well too. As mentioned above, most hikers (those novice ones anyway) pack way too much food and will gladly give away excess weight if asked nicely.
Once at the Voglesang HSC, had a hankering for some Single Malt...yelled out "Oban." From out of a nearby tent, a bottle emerged...sometimes, just have to ask.
Trading fish for food (I supply the fish and cook 'em up - you supply the rest) usually works too back-country. While never condoning mooching as a main food strategy, those campsites one-day's hike in, can provide.
Mountainman who swims with trout
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SSSdave
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Re: Running Out Of Food

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Interesting read on all this news to me behavior of giving or receiving food donations out on trails. Something I've never experienced because we almost always camp where others are not likely to be near and as I noted don't skimp on food. For the amusements of others, ought to take a photo of my next trip's Candy, salty nuts, pastry, and cookie Ziplocks.
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Tom_H
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by Tom_H »

I always carried a bit more than I needed so never ran out, but when I was training to be a guide in Colorado, we had to learn to survive on edible native plants. We made salads of all kinds of wild thistle, onions, and other things. I have never had such bad flatulence and stomachaches in my life.

I have had to feed other people in the backcountry before. One of those times was an April scouting trip in Emigrant. Everything was still in deep snow and a blizzard blew in. My partner and I found one guy wandering around hypothermic because his partner, who had their food and stove, had bailed on him. We fed him, let him camp with us, and walked him back toward the trailhead the next day.
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longri
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by longri »

SSSdave wrote:Interesting read on all this news to me behavior of giving or receiving food donations out on trails. Something I've never experienced because we almost always camp where others are not likely to be near and as I noted don't skimp on food.
I've never actually given/received food while camping. For me it's always occurred in passing, when a conversation led to mention of a shortage. I've never actually had anyone beg and I've never asked for food. It's been more casual, a mention from one that food is tight and then the other allowing that they have some extra.

No offense directed toward Mark but I think I'd have to be pretty far gone to make up stories in order to get some extra food.

Since so many people believe you need to push the bear canister at least 100 feet away from the tent, stealing food at night would be really easy. Or maybe a little less malicious but still mischievous would be to add something to someone's canister in the middle of the night.
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by LMBSGV »

Like SSSDave, I’ve found this an interesting thread to read since I’ve also never experienced people asking for food and only been offered food once on a long trip when stopped at Vermillion Valley Resort overnight when someone who had concluded their trip offered me any of their leftovers. Since this was pre-cannister times, I did take take a few ounces of white gas to fill my nearly empty gas bottle. I prefer solitude in the backcountry so I also try to camp as far from others as possible and rarely encounter anyone at campsites.

I always carry an extra day’s food (a top ramen package, an extra oatmeal package, too much trail mix and home-dried fruit, an extra bar or two) in case something occurs such as an injury or horrendous weather that causes me to not return on the scheduled day. I don’t worry about a few extra ounces of weight or counting calories. I simply try to eat a wide variety of things when I’m hungry. That's worked fine for over 40 years.
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Snowtrout
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by Snowtrout »

My wife and I have never ran out of food but over the past few years, the amount left over is a lot less than it was. We used to always carry extra food for a just in case situation but no longer do (that's what our fishing poles are for). Understanding our eating habits and amounts, creating a database of sorts (what we like and portion size/weight of each meal) and trying to only take what will be consumed has us carrying very little extra food at the end of a trip. Usually what is left over are protein bars and trail mix. The Snickers and M&M's will be long gone :D

Even though we repackage everything, weight is not what is most important to us. Portion size is. We have found that some companies portion size is less than others and did not meet our needs. That's why any new meal we might want to use out on the trail is tested first at home for portion size along with taste. Last thing we want is to still be hungry after eating our dinner, leading to my wife raiding my chocolate stash #-o
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Over the past decade, portion sizes have been decreasing. The "sides" you buy at the grocery store have gone from about 7-8 oz per package to about 4-5. Supposedly this is in response to obesity problems, but they do not reduce the price! I had to revise my database on my spreadsheet. I too repackage all my food and each meal is exactly what I need. I lick the pot; never throw out anything.

Like Alpine Mike, if you are going to be out all summer (or if you do a long thru-hike), after a couple of weeks you get a significantly larger appatite. Then you need to increase calories to get the energy you need. I increase the food amount gradually as the season wears on. Over the entire season I will end up weighing about 5 pounds less. I know some people use backpacking as a weight reduction program; I do not. Hunger is rarely an issue while backpacking, yet I fight hunger all the time at home with the refrigerator sitting there!

As for the "few extra ounces" for more food, people will spend $$$ to buy a sleeping bag that weighs a pound less, yet on a 10 day trip, reducing food weight 3 oz per day is about 2 pounds less starting weight; one pound averaged over the entire trip. A liter of water is almost 2 pounds. For we smaller backpackers, who proportionally carry more weight in items such as tent, bear can, stove, pots, one way to effectively reduce total pack weight is to be very careful to not carry more food or water than necessary. There have only been a handfull of times in nearly 50 years where I wished I had taken more food. Long ago I deleted "emergency food".

Although not technically "running out of food" when gas for the stove is gone, backpack food becomes nearly inedible. A few times I have hydrated my meal and eaten it cold and crunchy. I have also been stuck in a tent due to weather for more than a day, only eating trail food for dinner. When weather improved, I would then cook the dinner food at lunch.

Two things I always take too much; coffee and matches! These are my security blanket items.
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bobby49
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by bobby49 »

longri wrote:
SSSdave wrote:
Since so many people believe you need to push the bear canister at least 100 feet away from the tent, stealing food at night would be really easy.
I use a different metric. I place my bear canister away from my shelter at exactly the range of the flash on my camera. If Mister Bear starts playing with it, I want to be able to get the photo at night.
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Re: Running Out Of Food

Post by rlown »

My bear can is sitting right there where I can see it outside my tent's vestibule.
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