Hiking 101: Best eatables to carry for a day trek

08:15:00 Charles Wood 0 Comments

One day treks have gained popularity in the last few years with many institutions organising treks in Maharashtra. While it may not be as taxing as a  day long Himalayan Trek it is still quite tiring especially for a first timer.

In all the excitement of the impending adventure, one can not underestimate mother nature. Hiking takes you away from your comfort zone, right into the wilderness of nature. While many love this experience, one needs to be well prepared for their first hike.

Eatables is one of the essential stuff you need to pack for your day hike. After all not everyone is Bear Grylss or Ed Stafford to eat anything that you get in the wild. Packing for a day trek needs is an easy task. Eatables to be packed should not be easily perishable and light in weight. This article is written especially for the first time trekkers.

Dates

Dates are highly nutritious and one of my favourite items on the list for two reason because it is light weight and because it actually fills you up. It is a wonder food as it's low in cholesterol, high in proteins and rich in vitamins. The only downside to eating too many dates is that it makes you feel thirsty.

Fruits

Fresh fruits are a favourite amongst many trekkers and rightly so. Trekking can be exhaustive and dehydrating. Fresh fruits have vitamins and a lot of water content that replenishes your body. My personal favourites are Apples, Oranges and Bananas. You can carry them in your backpack or in a separate bag altogether. Be careful when packing fruits like Bananas and Oranges, keep them in a place where they will be in minimal contact with other things and there's no chance that they can get squashed.

Dry Fruits/Trail Mix

Carrying dry fruits is a brilliant way of saving on space and weight in your back and not compromising on the nutritional value. Dry fruits are power packed with energy, proteins and good fats. A trail mix is usually a mix of different dry fruits with some optional chocolates and fruits. It can easily be carried in a zip lock back and can be very handy to eat on a trek.

Dry Cake

Dry cakes are not only a popular snack for most occasions, it's quite a convenient snack to carry on a trek. While it may not boast nutritional values like the other items on this list, it certainly helps lift up your mood during a trek. A bar of ready made dry cake can be easily packed in your day pack. It is very light in weight and does not occupy much space in your bag.

Granola Bars

Granola Bars is the best item on this list in terms of weight to nutritional value ratio. I personally carry Granola bars to all my treks. I consider them as my backup for the food supply. Granola Bars can be home made or can be purchased online or at any general store. They come in different flavors and I prefer the ones by Nature Valley especially Apple cinnamon variant. They are high in energy and will keep you going for long. The only downside to them I feel is that they are very dry and make you feel very thirsty.

Boiled Eggs

If you are a non vegetarian or an eggitarian, boiled eggs are a great source of protein and exactly what you need after you climb the elevation and your muscles are sore. They can be easily carried in a ziplock or a small tiffin. One whole egg packs about 5gms of proteins and is a brilliant food item to replenish your tired body. They can be taken as it is or in sandwiches. That's one food item that can never go wrong!

Sandwiches

Who doesn't like sandwiches? They can be consumed as full meal on a trek and is easy to prepare. Vegetarians can opt for sandwiches with a filling of cucumber, lettuce, boiled potatoes or a combination of all. Non-vegetarians can opt for egg or salami sandwiches. I like to carry sandwiches on a trek because they make you feel that you're actually eating something (They are my comfort zone in the wild). The downside of carrying sandwiches is that the shelf life is low and it has to be carried in a tiffin which takes up some space.