Date: 2004-11-27
To: Menu planning
Miles today: 0.0

108 days until March 15th, 2005...I haven't finished planning my mail drops, as I'm still planning my menu. This will allow me to better determine which items I need to purchase in advance and which I can pick up along the way. I want to maintain a near vegetarian diet, though I'll be regularly eating fish. Foods that I plan to purchase in advance and portion out include powdered milk, quinoa, couscous, foil-packaged tuna fish and other items not likely to be found at the average convenience store. Foods that I'll pick up along the way include ramen noodles and snacks like granola, fig bars, and candy.While doing research on food and nutrition, I happened upon Dr. Brenda Braaten's online book, Pack Light, Eat Right. This resource has proven to be a wealth of information, as Braaten is both a nutritionist and a long distance hiker. Through this book, I've determined that a 50:35:15 ratio of carbs:fat:protein is ideal for a long distance hiker and I've been able to use Braaten's formulas to determine the amount of calories and protein/fat/carbs I'll need based upon my body weight.While there are many points that Braaten touches on, one of the most interesting to me was how to determine whether you're getting enough of the 20 amino acids needed to compose protein. She states that the amino acid most likely to be deficient is lysine and includes a formula to determine the amount of lysine needed based upon protein needed. Also included is a table listing lysine content of common trail foods. Braaten states that if one is obtaining enough lysine, they are likely obtaining more than enough of the other 19 amino acids.Another concept I learned is the important of regularly consuming snacks high in carbs and fat during time actually spent hiking. Carbs and fat are the ideal fuels for the body, as opposed to protein, which is used to build muscles and regulate chemical processes in the body. Intaking carbs and fat prevents glycogen levels from being depleted, which leads to fatigue. Optimal glycogen levels = better endurance.Changing directions, it seems that every day while I'm at work, I really want to quit my job. I tire of working just to pay bills. Working to live and living to work. It seems rather pointless and I can relate to my father asking whether I ever wonder what our purpose is. He likes to discuss how every creature has a purpose except for us. I like to believe that we're here to enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, this is often at the expense of our environment.The only thing that keeps me going at work right now is that I get to leave in March. While I'm sure there will be some miserably cold and rainy days on the trail, my memory of working full time should be vivid enough to remind me of how lucky I am to be "free."My dad has asked, "What if you get a really good job offer right before you leave?" At this point in time, I wouldn't take the job. While it would be nice to put my college degree to use and have a good paying job, I'd know that I was missing out on the AT.A question I've been asked a few times, as well as a concept often addressed in the journals of others, is why do I want to thru-hike the AT. While I've briefly touched on this before, my best answer is that I don't want to work right now and I'd like to experience life without a schedule or a deadline. I went straight from high school to college to the military and back to college and always had to be somewhere on time. I'd like to try something different for a while.I've been asked whether I'm afraid to hike by myself. No, I've got quite a bit of solo hiking experience and I know that I'll meet people along the way. I look forward to the highly social atmosphere of the AT. Even if I didn't find a group of people to hike with, I'm fairly certain that I am capable of completing this thru-hike. While I don't have any fear, I am somewhat nervous and anxious about boarding an airplane, leaving everyone and everything behind, and heading to the East Coast to hike for five months. Though this isn't a "bad" anxiety; it's more of a "woo hoo" anxiety.