what does one eat when walking 630 miles in 39 days when everything must be carried on ones back?

wow, i'm really bad at this blogging thing. ah well. i reckon i'll get a lot better as i walk in the summer.

so how am i planning on getting my calories in for my walk? how many calories do i need to get in?

i found a useful article here, which reckons on a woman hiking for 7 hours a day needing between ~3330 and 4320 calories a day. thats quite a lot. and using their sums would mean carrying lots of food. i don't intend to carry all my food by any means.

here's a list of what i think i'll carry:

• ready brek or similar (couple of servings worth)
• museli (a couple of servings worth)
• cous cous (a couple of servings worth)
• pasta (a couple of servings worth)
• noodles (a couple of servings worth)
• flavoursome stuff in small amounts (bouillon powder/salt/herbs/spices/black pepper/dried onions)
• parmesan (good flavour to weight)
• cheese (better flavour, but i'll need less cos of the parmesan)
• coffee (few cups worth)
• dried milk (enough for museli and coffee)
• trail mix (nuts/dried fruit/biscuits)

• multi vitamins (because i don't expect i'll be getting enough fruit and veg all the time)
• glucosaminetablets (we have family history of joint problems)
• vitamin c/echinacea effervescent tablets (taste good as a squash alternative and can form the basis of rehydration drink with a small pinch of salt - and help to keep the immune system strong)

obviously that's not gonna be enough even for a week. the stuff i'm carrying is intended as backup for days when i'm not passing towns/villages/cities close to breakfast and dinner time/when i'm running low on pennies.

when i'm passing towns i'll be grabing food as i go. pasties and fish & chips will, i'm anticipating, play key roles in my main meals. i'll also grab fresh fruit and veg (snacking stuff like carrots, tomatoes and sugar snap peas) and biscuits and other high calorific density foods to snack on in the day. and frigg. i love frigg. and it's pretty much the same nutritional balance as recovery shakes.

i'll also stock up on my pack basics when i pass towns with proper supermarkets close enough by, and/or by calling on my family to send out care parcels to me at youth hostels/bring supplies when they join me.

i'll also be relying on my plentiful fat reserves, to save both pennies and weight.

so what do you reckon? i know some of the stuff seems a bit overkill, but i'm a foodie at heart and it's a long trip, so i want to carry enough that i can make tasty/slightly varied food. would you add anything to the list to carry? any other suggestions of good high calorie food for snacking in the days?

up next: give us your money!

jin x
33 days to go...