Headwind and Cycling Through

Nothing is a bigger slap in the face to a cyclist than cycling through a headwind. A sudden gust will quickly zap your energy, motivation and speed. But you don’t have to let a stiff breeze get the best of you. You just have to know how to fight back.

Dress the part

Cycling in baggy clothing will quickly turn you into a giant parachute. Wind loves excess fabric, so dress in a form fitting jersey or jacket with lycra shorts or tight-fitting pants. If you remove the jacket, stash it tightly in the rear pocket of a jersey instead of tying it around your waist where the loose sleeves could dangle and get caught in your spokes. Also, pay attention to the aerodynamics of your bike opting for panniers or a single wheel touring bike trailer, over backpacks and messenger bags. Remove any excess zip ties, mounts or lights that you aren’t using.

Hide out 

You may not have a fancy carbon bike with a low stem and drop bars, but you can still learn a few tricks to get into a lower position and hide out from the wind. Regardless of the bike you’re riding, when a headwind hits, you want to get as flat-backed as possible. Grab the tops of your bars, bend your elbows, slide back on your saddle and ride in a flatter, more crouched position. If you have drop bars, use them.  Keep your elbows loose and relaxed and watch for cross winds that could suddenly blow you into another direction. If you can, ride in an area sheltered by buildings or trees.

Don’t be a slave to speed

Face it: your speed will always suffer when cycling through a headwind. You can either fight it and burn out your engine early or anticipate a lower speed and roll with it. This usually means shifting into a lower, easier gear. Don’t soft pedal. Keep some tension on the pedals and spin a nice smooth gear that you can maintain.

Begin by cycling into the headwind

If you don’t have a set bike route, try to begin your bike ride by cycling into the headwind and finish with a tailwind when you’re low on energy. Riding home with a tailwind is also a mental boost after you’re tired from fighting a headwind. Wind can be mentally defeating, so it’s important to realize this early on and see it as a challenging way to boost your fitness or burn a few extra calories.

Bothersome Bugs

Depending on the season, time of day, and weather, your hike may be spectacular or burdened with thousands of obnoxious insects bothering you the entire time. From late fall to early spring, insects are less of a concern, and that is when I really enjoy hiking more. As the summer progresses, I head to higher and higher country to stay away from the droves of blood-sucking little critters. Then, when cool weather returns, I head back down.

General Insect Protection

I've gathered some tips for dealing with hiking pests in general:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Very light-weight, light-colored clothes can be very cool and they keep most of your skin protected. I have a Buzz-Off shirt and pants that I've been using for two summers. I haven't gotten ticks or mosquito bites while wearing them, so I am very happy with the product.
• Wear light-colored clothes. Lighter colors make it easier to see insects while they are still on the outside of your clothes.
• Tuck pants into socks. This keeps ticks and other crawlies from getting inside your pants legs.
• Wear a hat for both sun protection and keeping insects out of your hair.
• Wear an insect screen hat, jacket, or full body suit. These look kinda dorky, but they really keep the mosquitos and everything else away from your body.
• After your hike, take a shower and check all over your body for ticks.

Ticks

Ticks seam to appear magically while hiking. They can't really fly, but sometimes I wonder how one could have gotten on me without some means of air travel. I hate ticks. I think they are about the most disgusting looking insect around, especially when they're puffed up with blood. Yuch!
Ticks are mostly just a nuisance. They silently and painlessly bite their way into your skin where they suck up your blood. Usually, you find them before they start eating because it takes them awhile to find a good spot and then work their fangs into you.

Preventing Ticks

- The best way to prevent tick bites is to avoid ticks. Stay indoors and watch TV. But, if you're serious about being a hiking dude, that just won't cut it. So, follow these tips to make your hikes a bit less tick-ful:

• Avoid brushy areas and tall grass. Try to walk in the middle of the trail and avoid hanging branches.
• Sunny, dry areas can still have ticks, but fewer than shady, damp areas.
• Wear Permethrin treated clothes or spray it on your clothes. It kills the ticks rather than repelling them and lasts through many washings of your clothes.
• Use DEET-based insect repellents on exposed skin. A 25%-30% solution works super from my experience. I mix 2 ounces of 100% DEET with 6 ounces of 4.7% DEET "OFF! Skintastic" pump spray repellent for a 28% solution that works great.
• Check each other for ticks when you stop for breaks.

Removing Ticks

- There are many home-grown ways to remove ticks, from burning to covering in fingernail polish - all of them are bad ideas. The best way to remove a tick is:

• Wipe the wound area with an alcohol wipe.
• Grasp the tick with a sharp pointed tweezers right down where it is entering your skin.
• Pull it straight away from your skin with a slow, steady pressure. Don't yank it; don't twist it; don't rock it back and forth.
• Even removing the tick as efficiently as possible may leave some of its mouthparts in your skin. If this happens, pinch up a fold of skin that contains the bite area and carefully scrape the skin containing the mouth parts with a scalpel or razor blade. Or, use a sterilized needle to break the skin and remove the mouth.
• It's very important to thoroughly clean the wound with antiseptic.
• If you're concerned with the possibility of Lyme Disease, keep the tick in a film canister or between a piece of folded tape and take it to a public health lab for inspection.

Mosquitos

  The big deal at the time of creating this page is West Nile Virus. It has spread across the country from the southeast and there are now cases reported in virtually all states. It is still a very tiny risk, but that may change as it progresses. Even without the West Nile virus, mosquitos suck! They buzz around your face, constantly bothering you. Then, when they do bite, it itches like the dickens.

Preventing Mosquitos

- Fortunately, it is possible to practically eliminate mosquito bites with a few preventive measures:

• Use DEET-based insect repellent in a 20% solution. Spray it on exposed skin to stop mosquitos from landing. Be sure to wash it off in the shower as soon as you get home.
• Wear Permethrin treated clothes. Either buy pre-treated shirts and pants like "Buzz Off" or treat yourself with permethrin sprays.
• Hike during the morning and early afternoon. Be off the trail before sunset to avoid the peak mosquito hours.
• Hike on open, sunny trails rather than in shady, protected forest. The views are better, the wind will blow mosquitos away, and the drier air is harder on bugs.
• Burning citronella candles can help keep mosquitos away from an area, but wind will blow the smell away easily.

Treating Mosquito Bites

- There's not much to do after you've been bitten. The first indication is an intense itching feeling, so here's what you do when you notice a bite:

• Don't itch it! That just causes more damage and possible infection.
• Wash the bite area with soap and water.
• Apply an anti-itch medicine such as Calamine lotion. There are anti-itch sticks that you daub on the bite and they work good for me.

Spiders

  You may not know it, but all spiders are poisonous. Cool, huh? It's just that there are very few that have poison powerful enough to bother humans. But, those that are dangerous are bad - black widows, brown recluse, tarantula, sac spider, and funnel-web spider. Spider bites are actually very rare and a victim may not realize he's been bitten for hours afterwards.

Preventing Spider Problems

- Spiders are not highly mobile like flying insects and are not laying in wait to attack you like ticks. With some common sense and keeping your eyes open, you should never be bitten by a spider:

• Never reach someplace that you can not see - under rocks, into holes, around branches.
• Shake out clothes, gloves, boots before putting them on.
• When hiking through trees, being tall, I often get spider webs in my face that shorter people have walked under. In those places, I hike slower, point the end of my hiking stick out ahead of me and move it in a circle to catch the webs 4 or 5 feet before I reach them.
• Look before you sit down or lean against a tree to rest.
• Wear gloves when doing any outdoor work.

Treating Spider Bites

- Spider bites usually have one or two puncture spots, but are often so tiny they can not be seen. Different spiders cause different reactions, but in general spider bites should be treated by:

• Wash the bite area with soap and water.
• Place ice pack or cold water towel on bite area.
• Elevate and rest the wounded spot to reduce swelling.
• Watch for symptoms and record them.
• Call or visit a doctor as soon as you can.
• Try to identify the spider. If it is available, take the spider's live or dead body with you to the doctor.

Bees and Such

  Bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, ... they are everywhere and they are beneficial to our environment, but they can sure be a pain. As a kid, I used to put honey on my finger and let bumblebees climb on and lick it up - never got stung. My mom said I was stupid and lucky. Stings from these critters hurt a lot and, for about 1% of humans, they can be deadly. If you've been stung and you know its not a big deal, don't take stings lightly when they happen to someone else.
Honey bees have a barbed stinger and it gets stuck in your skin so they can only sting once. But, yellow jackets and hornets have no barbs and can sting repeatedly.

Preventing Stinging Problems

- Since bees fly around looking for flowers, it's very difficult to avoid them while you're outdoors. Their stinger is a defensive device and you get stung when you become a threat. So, the best guidelines are to stay clear of the insects as much as possible:

• Avoid wearing bright or flowery patterned clothes. You may attract a bee looking for flowers. Wearing light-colored clothes, like tan or white, is good.
• Avoid perfume and scented lotions.
• Avoid wearing shiny jewelry.
• Avoid strongly odored food that may be attractive.
• Don't drink from cans - a bug may have gotten inside trying to get to the sweet liquid. Look in your cup before you drink from it.
• Keep your food and garbage sealed in plastic bags.
• If a bee or wasp is bothering you, slowly move away down the trail. Swatting at it or rapid movement can provoke an attack.

Treating Stings

- Most stings are just painful but do no real damage. If you are attacked by a large number of insects or are allergic to stings then there is danger. If you are stung:

• Stay Calm. Getting excited will just speed up the blood flow and spread of venom.
• If the insect is still attacking you, brush it off and leave the area quickly.
• If the stinger is still stuck in you, remove it by scraping it off with a credit card or pulling it off with a tweezer. It has been recommended that using a tweezer can force more venom into the wound, but more recent studies say that removing the stinger as quickly as possible is more important. So, use what you can to get it out.
• Apply ice or cold water to the sting area.
• Control itching and swelling with over-the-counter antihistamines.
• Don't itch or rub the sting spot.
• If allergic reaction symptoms appear or the victim is known to be allergic, get medical help immediately. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, swelling of tongue, mouth, or throat, and hives.

There are other bugs that can bother you while hiking. Chiggers, flies, and other crawling, creeping, swarming things that are all just part of the wild. Be aware of the kinds of insects to be found in the areas you hike and be ready in case of an encounter with them. Having a wilderness first aid booklet along is always a good idea, too.

Climbing Quandary Peak

With a gentle ridge to the top and a trailhead that begins right off a paved highway, Quandary Peak is one of Colorado’s most popular 14ers and great for first-timers. At 14,265 feet, it’s the highest peak in the Tenmile Range (the mountains that make up the Breckenridge Ski Resort.) The main route up the East Ridge is less than 3.5 miles, though steep in places.

Pro Tips

• Parking can be an issue on summer weekends. If the main lot is full, park in the overflow lot adjacent to Colorado Highway 9. The sheriff’s office may ticket people who park in front of nearby homes. Or better yet, avoid summer weekends.
• This is a great beginner mountain for 14er skiers. The East Ridge is readily accessible all year and usually holds continuous snow through May from the summit to near timberline.
• Breckenridge Brewery is only a few miles away, on the south side of the namesake ski town. After the hike, stop for a burger and vanilla porter and celebrate the accomplishment.

Top 5 Colorado Downhill Mountain Bike Parks

Think you have what it takes to master the art of downhill mountain biking? Jumping and skidding your way down the Colorado terrain in a parkour-style fashion, braving only the steepest descents you can find – if this sounds like your idea of fun, check out these 5 can’t-miss Colorado downhill mountain bike parks.

1. Evolution Bike Park — Crested Butte, Colorado

From beginners to expert riders, Evolution, one of the best Colorado downhill mountain bike parks, has something for every rider in this incredible wildlife park. Day passes range from $20-$45, depending on age and length of stay.

2. Trestle Bike Park — Winter Park, Colorado

For around $45/day, riders can access the tree-covered trails in Winter Park. Home of the Colorado Freeride Festival, Trestle Bike Park has plenty of unique trails and features for all skill levels.

3. Mountain Village Bike Park — Telluride, Colorado

Known as North America’s first and only free lift-accessed downhill bike park, this inclusive park is the perfect money-saving ride. Make sure to stop for lunch in Telluride; there are plenty of mountain-town options.

4. Powderhorn Bike Park — Mesa, Colorado

Bike in the mountains at an elevation between 8,000-9,000 feet at Powderhorn Bike Park. Powderhorn has a healthy mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced runs, so the whole family can enjoy the park.

5. Snowmass Bike Park — Snowmass Village, Colorado

Trade your skis for some wheels at the Snowmass Bike Park in Aspen, Colorado. Take the Elk Camp gondola from Snowmass Village to over 50 miles of classic cross-country trails.

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Mountain Biking

Though now extremely popular around the world, mountain biking is still a relatively new sport that’s continually growing with each passing season. As bikes become stronger, lighter, and faster, more and more difficult terrain can be conquered on two wheels. Here are a few fun facts about biking sure to make you’re the most interesting rider on your next group ride.

1. Mountain bikes started out as a tool.

Prior to the idea of mountain biking as a recreational activity, “off-road” style bikes were used for transportation over rough terrain. One of the earliest examples of this was their use by Buffalo Soldiers headed from Montana to Yellowstone during the 1890s. The design of these 19th century bikes was a far cry from the sophisticated gearing, shock, and brake systems that mountain bikes have today, and they were much heavier and much slower. But, they got the job done.

2. Mountain bikes were imagined as one-directional.

Not one-directional in a sense of moving forwards and backwards, one-directional in the sense that they were only meant to go downhill. With origins of mountain biking as a recreational sport dating back to 1970, early bike designs were essentially modified cruisers that riders would take to the top of a hill in an automobile or by pushing and then ride down. Though the uphill can still make for an occasional miserable time, it’s probably best that modern bikes can easily go both ways.

3. Americans pioneered recreational mountain biking.

Just like basketball, football, and competitive cup stacking, the origins of competitive mountain biking are also heavily rooted in the United States. The first National Off Road Biking Association (NORBA) Nationals were held in 1983 outside of Santa Barbara, California. It would take nearly seven years before the International Cycling Union would host a similar event on a worldwide scale.

4. Norway hosts the largest race by a landslide.

Currently, the largest mountain biking race in the world when it comes to number of participants is the Birkebeinerrittet in Norway. It’s 53.4 miles long and attracts anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 participants annually.

5. The world’s longest race could stretch across America and then some.

If you’re into ultra-long distance riding, you’ve probably already heard about the Tour Divide mountain biking race. It’s over 2,700 miles long with riders climbing over 200,000 feet throughout the entire ride on a route that stretches from Canada to Mexico.

6. Colorado’s 14ers don’t come close to the highest bike race.

Even if you’re somehow able to get your bike to the top of a Colorado 14er, you’re still thousands of feet under where some riders are competitively biking. The world’s most elevated race is the Trans Himalayan Bike Race on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest at an altitude of 17,160 feet! Just thinking about participating in this grueling ride through thin air should have most bikers gasping for breath.

7. When it comes to mountain biking, age is just a number.

One reason many people pick up biking as a hobby is that it can be a lifelong adventure. While it’s impressive that the youngest rider to ever win a mountain biking world championship was Sam Hill at the age of 16, it might be even more impressive that riders like Fred Schmid compete and win national championships well into their 80s. Fun fact about Schmid, he didn’t even start riding until he was gifted a bike in his 60s.

How cyclists actually recover post-ride

The suffering is over. Many hard miles logged, metres climbed. You’re so tired you’re unsure of your own name. After a hard ride there’s only one thing on your mind. It’s not stretching. Or active recovery, or even your ‘nutrition strategy’ otherwise known as eating. No. Get me off this bike, you think. Now.

Minute 1

You’re off the bike. For once your precious is far from your thoughts. You’ve abandoned it somewhere, you’re not sure where, you don’t care. Feet on the ground, the earth seems to move, a sailor returning to land after months at sea. Only it’s your legs that are quaking, quivering under the load. You fumble with your door keys like a drunk after a big night out.

Minute 2

You fire up the computer. Strava time. Priorities. Ride uploaded you marvel at your conquest, your great adventure. You spend a few seconds looking at some graphs and pretending to understand them. Time for a beer.

Minute 5

Ha ha, brilliant you think, having finally come up with a name for the ride on Strava. You check for kudos. Nothing. Disappointed, you hit refresh to no avail whilst opening beer #2.

Minute 6

You’ve emptied the food cupboards and your kitchen looks like it’s been burgled, ransacked by wolves. You have no idea what you’ve just eaten. You didn’t chew, just swallowed. Your pet dog trembles in the corner of the room, out of sight, hiding in case it’s next on the menu.

Minute 7

You check Strava for kudos again. Nothing. One more refresh. One more beer.

Minute 8

You’re lying on the floor in filthy Lycra. Your stretching routine consists of opening and closing your mouth. You’d cry if you had the energy. The ceiling above seems to spin and the dog comes over to see if you’re still breathing. You do not flinch when it licks your salty face.

Minute 15

It takes over a minute to pull yourself off the floor and return to the fridge. So hungry. You look for protein but see only salad. Noooo! Thirsty too, all beer drunk, the only cold liquid is the small bottle of fish sauce that’s been in the fridge ever since you tried cooking Thai curry five years ago.
You pick up a scent and gag, something smells like it’s dying. You sniff the fridge for a moment until you realise the smell is you. Must shower. It’s winter and you’re wearing more layers than an onion. Try as you might you cannot pull the sweaty base layer over your head. You imagine being in an emergency room, doctors skilfully cutting your clothes off with scissors.

Minute 18

You’re finally naked. You check your calves and stare at the muscle definition, convinced it is more pronounced than last week. You admire the bulging veins whilst doing your best not to look at your emaciated upper body. You trace the outline of your old summer tan lines, still there, waiting for a top up.

Minute 19

All is well in the world, Strava kudos ahoy. Thanks random person / automated bot in Lithuania.

Minute 20

The shower is hot yet you turn up the temperature despite the fact you’ve almost passed out three times. You catch a glimpse of your face in the mirror and wonder what the white streaks across you cheeks are. Snot. Not that anybody would have noticed, so busy would they have been staring at the blob of banana stuck to your chin.

Minute 40

You finally leave the shower. Back in the kitchen you’re on the hunt for food that will cook as quickly as possible. You begin to panic, the magical 20 minute window to refuel long gone. Coffee brewed, you find yourself with a weird concoction of carbs and protein in a saucepan. You don’t bother with a plate and eat stood next to the kitchen worktop, stretching your legs in what can only be described as half-assed. You review your ride on Strava again, proud.

Minute 41

You’ve eaten everything, even the salad. Masses of food sits heavy in your belly, pulling you to the sofa. You lie down and elevate your legs where you remain like a dead rat. You stare at your ride on Strava for a moment until sleep strikes despite the coffee. You sleep like a baby. A drunken baby. Nothing disturbs you.

Two hours later

You wake up, legs sore, devastation all around you. Damp and dirty Lycra strewn all across the floor, the kitchen a bomb site. It can wait. You stand gingerly and try to remember the post ride stretching exercises you read about in Cycling Weekly but the best you can manage is an impression of an old man trying to put his slippers on. You cook and eat again. Good job you never washed up eh? You climb back on the couch and pick up the massage stick, which you use to bring the remote control closer before rolling it back beneath the couch.

14 Ways to Make Camping Way Easier

Perhaps the best tip for making camping way easier is to go with the flow. Don’t take it too seriously. You can plan all you want, but remember that this is nature you’re dealing with. You can’t control the wind or the bugs, so just accept that there will be some bumps—metaphorical and literal alike—along the way. Only when you finally surrender the illusion of control can you ease up and enjoy yourself. Here are some tips to help you maximize your newfound enlightenment: • Take the time to check the weather report before you go. As noted above, you can’t influence the weather, but you can get a sense of what you’ll be facing, from sunshine to downpours to snowstorms. Pack or cancel accordingly. • In the realm of thinking ahead, there are some things that you can control. Plan your meals, inspect your equipment, and make a list and check it twice before you leave. This will spare you some stress and reduce headaches in the long run. • If there are costs to be shared among the group, figure out how you’re splitting the bills ahead of time. Remember to account for reservation fees, parking and other permits as necessary, food, and various other potential charges and expenses. Knowing who’s financially handling what makes relaxing and having fun together much easier. • Pre-cook and freeze as many meals as possible. Frozen food will keep your ice chest colder longer, and pre-cooking gives you more time to enjoy nature rather than spending hours at the camp stove. • Freeze a couple gallon jugs of water to keep in your ice chest. They will last longer than crushed ice, and you can drink the water as it melts. Bonus tip: Frozen margaritas make a good first night of camping treat. • Buy firewood from a shop in the vicinity of your campsite. This saves you the trouble (and potential hazards) of carting it in yourself or scrounging it up once you arrive. Bring homemade fire starters to make starting a blaze super-easy. • Unpack with re-packing in mind. Don’t scatter bags around and lose track of your rain fly. Keep like with like and make departure as easy as arrival. • Always set up your tent before it gets dark. • A head lamp surrounding a gallon jug of water, bulb side in, creates excellent ambient light for reading or finding things in a dark tent. Assembling this isn’t necessarily easier than just turning on a lantern, but it looks cool, it’s cheap, and you can drink the water if you get thirsty in the middle of the night. • Designate spaces for site necessities as soon as you arrive: campfire, cooking, eating, cleaning, tent, trash, storage. Knowing where everything needs to go will make unloading and set up much simpler. • Place a welcome mat and a sturdy 5-gallon bucket with a lid at your tent entrance. This gives you a place to sit and take off your shoes on your way in and put on your shoes on the way out. Shoes can go directly into the bucket when not in use, significantly reducing dirt tracked into your tent. A solar garden light at the entrance is also a nice touch to help find your way in the dark. • Pack extra trash bags, heavy-duty aluminum foil, and gallon sealable bags. They come in handy in all sort of ways you’ll discover once you’re out there. • Always put water on to boil when you sit down to a meal. That way, it will be ready for dishes and hot beverages by the time you are finished eating. • When you wake up in the morning, fold your pajamas, clean socks, and beanie or warm cap inside your pillowcase or sleeping bag to keep them clean and make them easier to find in the dark when you go to bed that night. Got any tips you use to make camping easier? Let us know in the comments below.

Food for Treks

Daily Food

Pretty much any snacks work to provide energy for a Day Hike since you can eat a healthy breakfast before hiking and a nice dinner when you get home.
Once your hike becomes multi-day, your nutrition needs change greatly. You now need to ensure your body is receiving more than just calories.
A good distribution of foods from the food pyramid, possibly supplemented by a daily vitamin will keep you hiking strong for days, weeks, and even months on end. The calories you consume should be around 15% proteins, 50%-65% carbohydrates, and 20%-35% fats.
Carbohydrates provide faster energy, fat more long-burning, and protein replenishes and keeps muscles healthy over time. Reducing protein too much will be devastating on a long-distance hike.
Carbohydrates and proteins have 4 cal/gram (113 cal/oz), while fats have 9 cal/gram (255 cal/oz). It is a good goal to find calorie-dense foods so fewer pounds are carried for the same amount of energy. A food pack containing about 4.25 cal/g (120 cal/oz) is fairly dense. Most multi-day hikers carry 1.5 to 2.0 pounds of food per day. That means carrying more than about ten days of food becomes impossibly heavy. For longer treks, read about supplying food along the way.
The process to outfit your trekking food is:

• Estimate how many calories are needed with this Calorie Calculator.
• Create the meals with this Menu Planner.
• Shop for food. Start early and buy when items are on sale since they can be stored.
• Repackage. Just before the trek, repackage food into meals so all ingredients are easy to find.
• List required utensils. Choose food to minimize the extra tools needed.

The planning of food, shopping for ingredients, and repackaging into meals is an enjoyable part of planning for a long hike. It's exciting to think I will be preparing this meal while the sun is setting on some far mountain.
Figuring out what tastes might work together, making sure I have enough but not too much food, understanding what utensils are needed to make the meal - all parts of the planning that can be a lot of fun.
Some people like real food, such as steak, stew, hamburgers, or other items that take real cooking and weigh a ton. These people tend to take day hikes from a base camp, exploring an area thoroughly.
To take an extended trek requires changing your expectations of food and the effort involved in carrying it and preparing it. Minimizing the weight to carry and the time, fuel, and utensils needed to prepare a meal are the main goals.

Reduce the Weight

  It makes no sense to carry any more weight than necessary. Since a large portion of total pack weight can be food, that is a good place to start lightening the load.
There are a number of ways to reduce the weight of your hiking food:

• Dehydrate - buy your own food dehydrator and dry fruits, vegetables, and meats.   Most inexpensive and healthy option but requires effort at home. A dried apple is still an apple, just without the water.
• Buy Prepackaged - purchasing freeze-dried or dehydrated meals is the easiest. It is also the most expensive and can introduce large amounts of sodium and preservatives.
• Calorie Density - read the nutrition labels on foods. Find those that are dense in calories compared to weight. Sunflower kernels are 190 cal/oz while an apple is 15 cal/oz. and a dehydrated apple is 100 cal/oz.
• Repackage food - you'll be surprised how much garbage labelling you'll throw away. Better to just leave it at home rather than carry it mile after mile just to throw away later.

Other Trek Food Tips

• Take dehydrated fruits and vegetables to help input vitamins not found in processed foods.
• Take a daily vitamin each day to help fill any lack of nutrition in your food choices.
• Pack spices. Take a lightweight container of 5 or 6 common spices to add flavor to meals - salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, cinnamon, chili powder, onion, or whatever you like.
• If you expect cold mornings, or aren't eager to start hiking bright and early, have oatmeal and hot chocolate. On long treks, I prefer packing up and moving right away with a break for Pop-tart, granola bar, or trail mix after an hour or so. This saves a lot of time heating water and clean up. It also means less fuel to carry.
• The ultimate lightweight meal packaging is to just take your credit card. When thru-hiking a long trail that goes through towns, it's a lot lighter to eat at a restaurant or buy fresh food at a grocery store than to carry your meals.