dehydration stations: a hiker's menu

a realistic look at what i eat on a hike

welcome back to dehydration stations— my series on experimental hiking meals (a little detour from my usual baking adventures in penny’s kitchen!).

not interested in this series? you can unsubscribe from just dehydration stations by following the steps here. and don’t worry! the baking updates continue as normal on penny’s kitchen

in the last post we went through macro breakdowns, weight considerations and food selection. in this installment, i’ll be running through some of the ‘menus’ i’ve developed for different hikes over the years and sharing some of my favourite meals

key decisions

every hike is different, and your menu can, and should, change based on your plans

here are a few of the factors i consider when planning my menu:

• how long is it? i can happily eat the same meal on repeat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a day or two but need a little variety after that. if it’s longer than a few days, i’ll start to focus more on micronutrients, getting my (dehydrated) vegetables in, and thinking about my saturated fat and sodium intake

• what’s the weather? i know i’ll want to eat different things if i’m hiking in cold, rainy weather vs hot, sunny days. i also might not want to stop and cook lunch in the rain, so will move more to handheld snacks

• am i bringing a cooker? this ties into the weather question, but i may choose to leave the stove and pots at home and cold-soak my food (more on cold-soaking in a later post!). this impacts what you can make

• am i solo hiking, hiking with my partner, or hiking with a group? can i share supplies? are we making a group dinner one night? i will eat much weirder meals alone than in a group!

• what do i feel like? if you wouldn’t eat it at home, you probably won’t eat it on the trail. make sure you genuinely like eating what you’re packing! nothing worse than being hungry and choking down foods you just really don’t like because “it’s what hikers eat”!

• how much time do i have to prepare? am i stocking up at the grocery store on the drive to the trailhead, or do i have the energy to dehydrate and assemble my own meals?

• i’ll also pack myself little treats - hot sauce, dark chocolate, a fresh apple, a squashed banana bread, whatever strikes your fancy! it’s supposed to be fun!

with all of this in mind, here’s a few of my favourite meals and menus

1. the hardcore solo hiker

this is my go-to meal plan for solo, no stove, short hikes. it’s a little silly, but don’t knock it til you try it! it’s the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and granola bars in between. the repetition makes it incredibly easy to pick up at the shops on the way out for a hike. note: i would not keep this up for more than two days!

the meal: peanut butter granola wrap

1 large white wrap

1 generous spoon of peanut butter

1 serving of granola (optionally keto granola, for extra nuts & seeds but note higher fat content and lower carb will be better suited to lower intensity hiking)

the meal plan:

breakfast: peanut butter granola wrap

morning tea: nut bar

lunch: peanut butter granola wrap

afternoon tea: nut bar

dinner: peanut butter granola wrap

2. multi-day hut hiking

this is my typical meal plan for a 3-5 day hike, typically staying in huts or campgrounds. it is often cold and rainy, and plan to cook hot dinners in the evenings, lots of hot cups of tea, and a treat on arrival at the hut. this is easily purchased on the way to the trailhead, with no ‘homework’ to prepare at home.

the meal plan:

breakfast: oats, protein powder, and trail mix (either cooked hot or eaten cold as overnight oats)

morning tea: nut bar and trail mix

lunch: couscous dressed up with a drizzle of olive oil (either cooked hot if i find a protected place to stop, or cold-soaked). note: herbs and spices not shown!

afternoon tea: another nut bar and more trail mix

dinner: instant noodles and jerky (cooked together!), and dark chocolate for dessert!

other supplies not shown: teabags, instant coffee, herbs, spices, and multivitamins!

3. the homemade hero

do i have way too much time on my hands to prepare for a hike, and feel like showing off at the campsite with my home dehydrated vegetables? this is the meal plan.

the meal plan:

breakfast: dehydrated fruit, oats, protein powder, and a dirty bounty

morning tea: big newtons

lunch: tom kha noodles with veggies

afternoon tea: more big newtons, or homemade energy bars

dinner: homemade recovery powder at camp, and then moroccan couscous

and that’s a wrap (literally, if you’re packing the peanut butter granola wrap)!

the fun part about hiking food is that it doesn’t have to be fancy, but it also doesn’t have to be boring. i’ve eaten some truly questionable concoctions on the trail, but i’ve also had meals that made me sit back on a log and say “wow, this is good.” if you’re curious, experiment. if you’re tired, keep it simple. if you’re short on time, the supermarket can provide.

in the meantime, i’d love to hear: what’s been your best (or worst) trail meal?

see you out there,
penny 🥾✨