Food is Stacking Up!

Well I’ve put in my two weeks notice at work and now have just 11 days until I move back to home base in Loveland, Ohio where I’m accumulating my food for the trail to be put into flat rate boxes and then mailed to post offices along the trail where I can resupply.
I am doing a no cook hike which means I will not be bringing a stove or any food that needs preparation. We did this for the majority of the Appalachian Trail and I liked it better. I’m not one of the people who must have a hot drink in the morning or hot breakfast a night so there are many benefits to this way of hiking. Here are my pros and cons for doing this
Pros:
1. Carry less weight and volume. Don’t need to carry a stove, fuel, cooking utensils, cleaning supplies, etc. I will carry a lighter in case I need to make a fire of course.
2. No worrying about having to resupply fuel when it runs out.
3. I wont ever run into the problem of having dinners that need cooking and have no fuel. Dry noodles are pretty tough to eat if you can’t cook them.
4. Less smell that would attract animals.
5. Saves time. When you are tired at the end of the day you don’t want to sit there and wait to for food to cook and then have to clean up. You want to gobble down food and then pass out. Trust me I’ve been there done that.
6. Saves water. Don’t need to carry extra water to cook or clean with.
Cons:
1. No warm food or drink. Can boost morale. I get my morale boosts from hot food in towns anyway.
This is just my opinion of course.
I have bought lots of high calorie, low volume food which is high in fats and sugars which propel you and lots of high protein foods like tuna, chicken in pouches, beef jerky, slim jims, soy beans, and nuts.
I also made a spreadsheet which tells the amount of calories per $ of an item that I bought at Sam’s Club to get the most energy for my buck. I will post this later for anyone whose curious. Coconut oil, peanut butter and jumbo honey buns being the ultimate high calorie, low cost foods on the list. Although I don’t know how to incorporate coconut oil into my diet. Any ideas i’d love to hear them!

Meant to Wander

Out of the box vs 1400 miles on the AT

Very ready to begin hiking again. I’m feeling antsy and contained. People weren’t meant to be caged up in one place their whole lives working away doing the same thing for decades at a time. Perhaps staying in one place will make you comfortable and feed you, but this existence does not feed the soul. We are wanderers, explorers, adventurers. Its the discovery of new, unexpected and marvelous things in nature that feed my desire. I doubt many people lay on their death bed and regret that they didn’t work more during their lives. They wish they did the things they never had time for. Well in my fleeting existence I plan on making time for the things I want to do. I very much doubt an 80 year old, dying Matt Berger will regret choosing this 2650 mile adventure through dry deserts, high alpine mountains, rain forest and everywhere in between over working a little bit more in the prime of his life. I can work when I’m older, I wont be able to climb mountains for half a year (or at least not easily!)

1 Month from Today

One month to go!