One of the things I most enjoy about prepping for an overnight trip, whether the trek spans one night or four, is meal planning. Over the years I’ve whittled down my menu to things I know work great and I keep a tub in the closet of my go-to staples for last minute trips. I’ve spent enough Friday nights buzzing around town to the various grocery stores and REI looking for things in a panic that I found it easier to just stock up on my favs. That being said, in plotting out a 5-6 month hike through the Appalachian Trail, my plastic bin of sesame snacks and summer sausage is not gonna cut it. And while I do enjoy eating certain foods on repeat, 168 days is a lot of repeats, so the challenge is to find edible, portable, shelf-stable options. Mission accepted! The link to my meal-plan spreadsheet can be found here – obviously right now it’s a work in progress, but hopefully as March draws closer it’ll be pretty spectacular.
