Grand Canyon Hiking : Camp Food - Hiking & Backpacking

Guest Author - Jill Florio

3/5/03 - Last week you learned to carry plenty of water on your day hike into the Grand Canyon. Now we'll discuss everyone's favorite subject: food.

What do you need to know about food? Bring lots! Make up your mind ahead of time to eat a lot while hiking in the Grand Canyon. This is not a place to be on a diet. With a rim-to-rim canyon elevation change of 10,000 feet in some places, you will need the calories.

Let's start at the beginning, with breakfast:

Breakfast of Champions

Make sure you eat something at the trailhead if you didn't partake of a hearty breakkie. From experience, I can tell you that if you skip the first meal, you won't get more than a few miles before you start feeling sluggish.

If you eat more than two hours before you hike, it's okay to eat those high-protein egg breakfasts - like a Denny's Super Slam Omelette with all the fixins'. Pack it in - consider it pre-loading! You body will make full use of these raw materials.

However, if you wait too long (like an hour before take-off), your body won't have enough time to digest such a rich meal.

Grabbing a bite near/at the trailhead is easy enough, however. Stick to mostly carbohydrates with a little bit of fat and protein. I'd recommend a couple of bagels with cream cheese, a banana (for the potassium) and either granola or oatmeal. Yogurt works well with that granola if you don't have milk on hand. I actually do quite well on a cheese danish, banana and orange juice.

One last note: take it easy on the coffee. Have a cup, no more. Downing gallons of java won't help you at all - keep in mind that caffeine will only dehydrate you, even before you take a single step.

Snacks

In addition to packing as many meals you might need, stuff your pack full of high-quality snacks. I usually travel with a bag of trail mix and one Clif or Luna Bar per every five or seven miles. No joke. The terrain here is steep enough that keeping the glucose levels even will be your best hiking technique. Go for the gusto, here and pick out the high-caloric tastes you like best: like Carrot Cake Cliff Bars or Chocolate-Covered Cherry Luna Bars.

An low-calorie apple may refreshing on hot days, but doesn't provide the kind of staying power as slices of cheese or salami. Even on the hottest days, you should try to keep your energy levels high.

But, by all means, tote along the apple as well! It may be heavy on the hike down, but it's a tasty source of water and quick sugar. Just toss the apple core into the bushes (hey, this is a national park - so you didn't hear that from me!). And there's nothing to carry on the return leg up.

here's a sample menu for a good mid-day food break: an apple, pretzels or other salty chip-like treat, some slices of fresh cheese and a few slices of hard salami/peperomi. Add chocolate for dessert. Fun finger food!

TIP: ALWAYS bring two extra food bars for emergencies (you never know when you might get lost or hurt, or stuck out overnight. And bars don't add
much weight to the pack), so there's no excuse NOT to carry extra.

Lunch Time!

For an afternoon food break, sandwich items are great: thick bakery rolls,
swiss cheese, smoked turkey slices, sliced tomatoes, red peppers and
scallions in a ziplock, and packets of mustard and mayo from the
supermarket deli counter. Avocados are a great high calorie, healthy, easily digestible food to slice onto sandwiches. Or take along whatever you enjoy eating: hiking these days isn't about pilot biscuits and hardtack rations. Make a great buffet of items and let everyone stack their hogies high.

One last note

Plan ahead for regular water and food breaks. Take a look at your map and break it into sections, demarcated by food breaks.

Any hike into (and out of) the Grand Canyon is by nature very strenuous. But wow - it is incredibly worthwhile! I don't mean to scare you away from trekking. Far from it! Just realize that knowing a few basics before you go will make your journey that much more fun ~