Meal Planning for outdoor trips, part two

In planning our menus for each trip, there is both a macro-planning stage and a micro-planning stage. The answers to the questions we ask in the macro-planning stage help us pick the meals we're going to bring. The answers in the micro-planning stage help us decide on the order of the meals. In this section we focus on micro-planning (see the archive for macro planning).

1. What is the day like? Is this going to be a day where we push a little and are apt to get into camp either tired, hungry, or both? Or is this a layover day, when we have time to put on a second pot of coffee and have a leisurely morning, or arrive at camp in plenty of time for an afternoon with some down time? As you can imagine, in the former situation we want something that is easy, filling, delicious, and quick to cook. One pot meals with minimal prep are the rule here. We hardly ever use freeze dried food, but this would be the time if you're into it. Ah, but when we have a layover day! That's when we get out the bakepacker or Dutch oven and have corn bread, gingerbread, or try making cinnamon rolls.
   
   
2. Can we have a fire? On most backpacking trips, the answer is usually no. On most canoe camping trips, the answer is yes. The main issue here is that when we need to use stoves, we have to consider fuel consumption. How much fuel should you bring? Our rule of thumb is a quarter cup per person per day, which is usually ample. Still, you don't want to make meals that require two hours of simmering (if you even have a stove that permits simmering) unless its the last day of the trip and you know fuel isn't an issue. having a fire gives you lots more flexibility that way.
   
   
3. Is water readily available? Obviously not a big issue for canoe trips! But for backpacking trips, such as the ones in the Grand Canyon, it can be a real issue. Depending on the route, we may have a night at a campsite where the nearest water is 2 miles down a steep trail; or even where there is no water for two days. This is not the time to have pasta or anything else that requires large quantities of water that are not going to be ingested.
   
   
4. What did we have the night before? Dehydrated foods have many wonderful qualities, in terms of nutrition, variety and weight. However, they also tend to promote the formation of gas. The bottom line- don't serve beans two nights in a row. Or the Fantastic Foods vegetarian chili with TVP before or after a night with beans.
   
   
5. What time are we getting going in the morning? Sometimes we need to get up very early and get a quick start. This is almost always true in mountaineering, where you want to take advantage of the snow being frozen. It is also true in hot weather backpacking, when you want the cool of the morning; or sea kayaking, when the sea is at its smoothest early in the morning. Regardless of the reason, you want a meal that is quick to fix and quick to clean up. If it doesn't involve cooking, so much the better. In fact, in some cases, you may choose not to eat a real breakfast and just enjoy snacks and energy bars at frequent intervals.
   
   
6. How many people are going to do the cooking? On our trips, guides do the cooking and participants help when and if they want (we just don't think that cooking is a skill that most adult women really need to master). On most trips there are two guides but occasionally (e.g. trips with a very small permit size) there may only be one. In those cases, we may still have 3 courses (soup, main dish, dessert) but the dessert is nore likely to be chocolate and apricots than strawberry cheesecake unless its a layover day.

So those are the things we take into consideration. We love cooking, we love eating, and we love sharing good food with everyone who comes on our trips!

If there is a topic you want to see us address, e-mail us at topics@adventuresingoodcompany.com.

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