By the time Christopher Cage completed his Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2013, he was a whip-thin 155 pounds. Like many long-distance hikers, the 5'11″ Cage听just couldn鈥檛 consume enough calories to replenish the 5,000 to 6,000 he鈥檇 burn each day for months on end. And most trail foods rank as processed, low-nutrient junk: Spam, Snickers bars, and ramen noodles are popular because they鈥檙e readily available at convenience stores where thru-hikers resupply.
So, as soon as he left the AT, Cage started inventing a better fuel. His first attempts resembled a seed-studded slime鈥攁nd tasted terrible. But after consulting with a food scientist and establishing his Atlanta-based company,听, in early 2014, Cage debuted his ultimate trail food: a听shelf-stable, nutrient-dense energy bar that delivers a whopping 650 calories (the equivalent of a full meal) and actually tastes good.
Most hikers (especially thru-hikers bent on maximizing mileage) don鈥檛 bother to stop, fire up the stove, and cook a proper midday meal. Usually, lunchables such as tortillas and summer sausage provide low-nutrient calories. That may be fine for a weekend, but when you鈥檙e living on trail food for a thru-hike that could take up to six months or more, Cage says, 鈥淵ou need some fiber. You need healthy fats, carbs, and protein.鈥 And so Greenbelly鈥檚 Meal2Go鈥攚hich requires no cooking and provides 17 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of fat, and nine听grams of fiber鈥攕olves the constant question: What to eat for lunch?
The company鈥檚 business has doubled every year and attracted the attention of some of the biggest names in hiking.听Heather 鈥淎nish鈥 Anderson (the first woman to complete the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails in a single year) is a Greenbelly devotee; so is ultrarunner Karl听鈥淪peedgoat鈥 Meltzer.听
Most sales are via online channels; Meal2Go isn鈥檛 sold in the C-stores lining the AT听and other long-distance routes. So, for now, health-conscious hikers must include Greenbelly in the mail drops they ship to themselves along the route.
But听as a thru-hiker who has spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to fuel, Cage has worked out other food hacks that add up to better eating on long-distance trails.
Spiked Oats
Forget instant oatmeal, which has most of the fiber stripped out of it to make it cook听superfast. For longer-lasting fuel, Cage starts his day with uncooked rolled oats听moistened with cold water听and embellished with nutrient-dense additions, such as chia seeds, protein powder, olive oil, almond flour, and brownie mix. 鈥淚 call it the concoction,鈥 Cage says. 鈥淚t checks a lot of nutritional boxes, tastes good, and there鈥檚 minimal cleanup.鈥
Seaweed
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to get many greens while on the trail,鈥 Cage says. And yet green vegetables provide key vitamins, minerals, and other antioxidants that help build and repair muscle. Cage shipped himself packets of freeze-dried green beans and bought seaweed from supermarkets along the trail. 鈥淪eaweed is easily sourced at a lot of grocery stores, and it鈥檚 high in calcium and minerals,鈥 he says.
Superfuel听Shooters
Oil is one of the most calorie-dense foods hikers can carry鈥攐live oil registers 120 calories per half-ounce鈥攂ut Cage didn鈥檛 down his straight. Instead, he prefers to mix a high-calorie cocktail made of one part olive oil, one part creamy peanut butter, and one part honey. 鈥淓at it in small spoonfuls with water,鈥 Cage suggests. 鈥淥r to make it a meal and eat it on a big handful of kale inside a tortilla.鈥
Pork Rinds
Here鈥檚 one convenience store staple that actually provides hikers with worthy fuel.听High in fat and protein, pork rinds are also lightweight and tasty.听