The Food I'm Starting The Appalachian Trail With & My Resupply Strategy 

Carbs give you energy about 1.5 hours after you eat them when your blood sugar spikes then your body creates insulin to convert that blood sugar into energy. For that reason, I eat carbs during the day for breakfast & second breakfast when I need the energy and save protein based meals for supper. Usually have meat & cheese for supper (salami, pepperoni, beef jerky, sausage, hot dawgs, & sometimes I bring a steak first day out of town). No benefit in eating carbs when I am done hiking for the day and don't need the energy. I have some cheap recipes for consideration, I make in freezer bags. My go to breakfast is 1.5 cup cereal + 1/3 cup NIDO, add water, shake, for instant milk & cereal; Chili Ramen (broken up in small pieces) + 1 Cup boiling water + 2 packets Peanut Butter; 1/2 package Mash Potatoes + 1 cup boiling water + 1 packet BBQ Pulled Pork (From Walmart); Imitation Biscuits & Gravy = 1 package Ramen (Broken up in small pieces & don't use seasoning packet) + 1/2 packet "Pioneer Country Gravy" + 1/2 packet bacon pieces + 1 cup boiling water; Grits & Bacon = 3 packets butter flavored grits + 1 packet Bacon Pieces + 12 OZ boiling water; "Buffalo Mac", which is 2 of those microwave Mac & Cheese cups + 1 cup boiling water + 1 packet Chicken Creations Buffalo Chicken. I rather have more smaller meals that a big meal so it doesn't spike with my blood sugar too much (have type 2 diabetes). Have a dessert recipe for you. Put a packet of "No Sugar" Jello Pudding in a freezer bag + 1/3 cup NIDO. Then add 12oz water, shake for 3 minutes, stir to make sure no lumps, pudding will set up in 10 minutes. Protein Protein Milkshake for trail. Two scoops Protein Powder + one scoop NIDO + 12oz water, shake, and instant milkshake. Pecans (3200 calories/pound) and Walnuts (3000 calories/pound) are the most calorie dense food and mostly protein & fat. You can get by just eating nuts. I usually bring a pound of Pecan halves from Walmart and they account for 500 of my daily calories. Also, Parmesan cheese keeps for a couple weeks on trail. Peanut Butter & M&M's on Tortillas are good, Peanut Butter acts like a glue to keep M&M's stuck in Tortilla. Also, Peanut Butter & Raisins are good too as a jelly substitute (a little chewy).

Cool video. Thanks for sharing your food ideas. My sister and I hike and these are our top meal choices for section hiking. 1 Backpackers pantry pad Thai-less spice 2 Refuel Peak Coconut Curry Chicken 3 Mountain house beef stroganoff 4 Mountain house biscuits and gravy 5 Ramen noodles with lemon pepper chicken. 6 Buttery Instant mash potatoes with chicken apple smoked. 7 Mountain House Scrambled eggs 8 Mountain House Pasta Primavera Best coffee is Trader Joe’s instant coffee packets bc the cream and sugar is mixed in with the instant coffee already. Just add hot water. I use two packets per 10oz cup. Love my coffee strong! Another great snack are Lance crackers and Cliff Protein Builders bars.

Gusher should've been your trail name LOL!! Looking forward to your AT hike!!

I’m so excited for this year’s hike! Are you watching Stella? She’s crushing miles similar to your last hike.

Hi Taylor! I remember during your last thru hike you stopped and stayed in Marion, VA. I just opened an Outfitter (Marion Outdoors) and Hostel (The Merry Hiker Inn) about a block away from the hotel downtown. Be sure to stop through. I’ll get you set up in the hostel on me! Also we take mail drops at the outfitter. Excited to follow along again!

So looking forward to your daily videos! Love following your progress!

I'm excited for you! Great parents 💙

Looking forward to following you again on your hike, have fun.

Love the traveling bin of supplies idea! Can’t wait to follow you along the trail again!

I loved this. Great information. Thanks. Love your videos of AT

Nice spread! You've really got a nice variety to choose from.

Great and different food options especially the smoothies. Looking forward to following you again.

It is a miracle how you were able to thrive on a junk food diet while through-hiking the AT. You were able to maintain energy, positive attitude, healthy complexion, and recover from each day's hike to go out and do it again the next day. If I tried doing an AT through-hike while on a junk food diet, I would always feel like crap, be cranky, and be very sore after each day of hiking. I wish I had your miracle metabolism!

Gooood evening from central Florida! So ready for upcoming video of you on trail!

You alone know what you like and what will sustain you on the trail. Looking forward to your journey. Thanks for sharing!! Enjoy!!

Thank you for presenting your food options by describing and laying out each day's supply on the table. Appreciated how you packed each days supply in a separate plastic bag. For myself, I do not have any experience on the trail and you have provided an insight of what to expect.

Excellent food video!

Yes that’s Im waiting hehe thank you

Thanks for showing us about Honey Stingers on your last Appalachian Trip, we are taking those with us on our hike up Mt. Leconte!

I am so excited to watch you hike the AT again! I started section hiking it in 2021 and I have learned so much from your videos. Thank you for that! Your positive attitude has helped me when I feel defeated out there. I say to myself Girl, eat a pack of Gushers and get up that mountain like Taylor would!

Thank you for your info. I did buy the Hyperlite Unbound via your link. I'm doing a section hike of the PCT. Keep trekking. 😀

I think you are designing yourself a great hike. Part of it is knowing what makes you happy. You are going to be walking all the way from Georgia to Maine (Again). That is freakin' Awesome! And filming it all so we can experience it, too, which makes it awesome for us as well 😄

Best of luck on your AT hike and new store. I'll check it out next time i'm in the Gilford area. Gotta get more stickahs! Can't wait to see how this one unfolds.

No roasting here. Huge fan. You eat what you want, you're an experienced hiker, you know what's best for you and what works. You have a good mix of items and were smart about bulk ordering. Can't wait for you to get started. Thanks for the updates

Thank you for sharing! It's helpful to hear your thought process on food resupply/changing apetite/how much food to take. I will say that if you can get The Complete Cookie Chocolate Chip -- it's a really calorically dense and mostly healthy cookie. They're so tasty. Also, we eat the Bobo Stuffed PBJ bars for our lunches. If you haven't tried Bobos (because they're from Colorado and maybe not out there in NH), I'd order some online. We also love using the HMG re-pack to help keep our freeze dried dinners more compact. We pack our meals into freezer safe bags and it cuts down a lot of space in a bear bag/cannister.

You rock !!!

Variety is the spice of life. It's always good to change foods up so you don't get burnt out on the good stuff. I'm planning on having flavored ramen for lunch and then for dinner something that has a lot of taste and flavor. Breakfast is up in the air.

Great video ... looks like soon to be on trail .. I see a couple items not familiar with .. going to have to try ... I usually don't put too much planning into my trail meals. ,, usually just grab and go from a trail tote for amount of meals /snacks for how many meals needed plus one extra day ... Stay safe and Happy Hiking ...

I'm a french woman living in ohio and before discovering your previous through hike i never heard of gushers before and now first yime i saw it in the store i thought of you and bought it AND I AM OBSESSED

I'm just glad your parents will spend even more time with you this year. Make sure you get a jacuzzi again🙂

I'm afraid my hiking food looks similar, even though it's not very nutritious or healthy. It's hard not to rely on heavily processed foods and still get enough calories without having to do extensive cooking. Always good to get new ideas! I also have heartburn over the plastic waste. So much packaging. Again, hard to do it without carrying a ton of bulk food. If you find something amazing another hiker is doing, be sure to get some video!

I make oatmeal in the standard instant packets it works well and not messy

A Stroop Wafel Honey flavor is probably just like the stinger wafel.

It’s helpful to not only be a talented athlete, but to plan & organize so well.

you have a super supportive family. Everyone knows its hard to eat healthy on the trail. Its all about getting calories. looking forward to seeing on start🌻

Good tip with adding those meat packets from trailtopia to Knorr sides! I should try that. I love GGG! If you've not tried the Heather's Choice Trail macaroons, they are such a treat! Highly recommend. Also, the chai spice nut butter you can get on GGG?! Omg...SO worth it. Smear it on a honey stinger. So. Good!

My food choices look similar. I usually put in some little packs of jelly beans, like Jelly Bellies - they have so many flavors. For me, nuts and dried fruit are usually easy on the stomach so I do those (probably where you'd do a more fruit-based snack). And I gotta gotta have that salty snack every day. I try to mix it up on the salty snacks, so I have something different every day. Also, they seem to be less popular now, but the little packets of energy goo are what get me up a mountain at the end of the day.

I eat like that all the time.....I think I might as well hike the trail as well and get extra healthy

Looks like your ready to hit the trail.

As a control freak-the concept of mailing resupply boxes has always freaked me out. I had anxiety when you were in HI, and unable to track your gear landing in ATL, lol. I love the idea of the big bin at your parents'. I bet that they love it too.

Peak chicken Alfredo is very tasty…. Wishing you well on your journey and will be following

Have you tried any of the freeze dried fruit. The chocolate covered freeze dried bananas, mangos and strawberries are awsome! And since they are feeze dried they are so light!

Mix your cocoa with your coffee for a mocha in the morning. Swiss miss has 2 types of mocha that are in small packages. And they are good.

I recently found Mountain House and Readywise meals on clearance for $4.00 a bag. Not even close to expiration (2040). All of the popular flavors. I was super happy and bought 25 of them. Even more recently I found out I have extreme high blood pressure and need to on a very low sodium diet and medications. I looked at the sodium content and almost cried. Oh well..... lol.

When are you starting your hike? Looking forward to follow your journey for a second time!

All good trail food. Nothing wrong with that. I got to Neel's Gap, as I recall, at the end of day 2. They had frozen pizza, (but sadly no beer 😞) They close at 5PM. I'm usually not that hungry until like week 3 on a long hike. My starting food load for long hikes is usually: granola for breakfast, a ProMeal for lunch, Mountain House for dinner, and Peanut M&M's for snacks in between. I would suggest to NEWBIES, to not overpack the first week's food (especially on the AT where towns are SO close). Newbies carry WAY too much food. And their legs aren't accustomed to the the load. But, as an old man, what can go wrong? Constant sugary foods, limited teeth brushing. I hesitate to stick my disgusting fingers in my mouth to floss. I remember, Anish said she came back with 4 (four) cavities after one of her long hikes. Maybe the walking is good for human beings...but not the food....

Hey Taylor 😎 Ken NC ❤️

Great video Taylor. My issue is I eat a vegan diet so it’s somewhat difficult to find food on the lighter side to hike with without getting bored. Sounds like you are so organized. Happy trails.🤘🏻🥾⛰️

I love the chicken ramen! I find I'm not that hungry the first night but it's easy to eat.

Oh to be young again and eat like that without too much consequence 😂😂. We recently had gushers candy donated for snacks at school and I had to laugh. The kids ALL wanted them! I instantly thought of you on trail!

I would go south bound for trip #2 .

Miss you! When should we grab the bin and meet you?❤

The starbucks brand instant coffee packets are amazing fyi

Maybe I missed a comment on it but do you include an iron supplement (or other supplements - other than electrolytes) for taking on a regular basis? The deficiencies can sneak up on you but you did not look peaked at the end of your last AT NOBO. I love how you hike your own hike while constantly being curious about what can be done better each time. Mac

Every time I hike a long distance, I am not hungry for several days. Strange. John (OSAT)

It's usually much healthier on trail than in town. ;-)

I value a good burger when town is an option as I do best on carnivore. 👍

A lot more food than I eat starting a trail. Never that hungry first few weeks.

Every good Hobbit has a second breakfast.

Hey Taylor, enjoyed watching your 2021 thru hike and was wondering if there was any particular reason your starting later this year. Started training for my 2024 attempt and trying to figure the best time to start.

🦋

I can’t believe the amount of candy you eat😮? Well… to each his own I guess. I wish you a nice trail and to raise your health level before you leave. You’ll need it!👍🏻

What month are u going to start your trek, also be careful with your blood pressure to young for that good luck and stay safe🏹

Second Breakfast? What about Elevensies?

Trailtopia oatmeal is yummy

Mtn House lasagna was my first backpacking meal love & my go to, however I need to try some others…Would you say Backpackers Pantry is hands down the best of the lasagna’s!? Better than any other brand!?

Do you wear contacts while thru hiking? Do you have any tips on that?

How hard is it generally to find fuel (for your stove) in trail towns?

Whats do you estimate you daily average calorie intake as?

I love how northerners say "breakfast" Every time I hear it I think they are saying, "breffix" 😂😂😂

What? No Dunkin iced coffee?

So you don’t take a stove? No wonder you run Thru the trail like Flash 😊 sugar you up away you go 😊 that’s why you eat so much in town 😊 good for you 😊 not sure if I could eat that diet? I might try it for a week? 😊 wish I could drop my coffee I think I’m addicted to caffeine? 😊

Nope, mountain house, gushers, coke, gushers 😂😂

Hopefully you won't meet that guy on trail in N.H. who told you that you were going the wrong way

Why the AT again? Are you not interested about PCT and CDT?

Just make sure Yu have scissors for your gushers so hard to open big box we got at bjs

Taylor, I bet you can’t hike the trail in under 100 days and eat healthy at the same time. Lol

Gushers are man’s greatest invention. Period. Bar none. Not flight. Not the wheel. Not art. Not space flight. Not the printing press or the internet. …. Gushers. Period.

it all makes a turd

a bunch of empty calories and lots of sugar ,awesome diet there hahalmao

omg I respect you very much but the over processed food is not my cup of tea. I would never compromise nutrition on a thru hike. I know you are trying to eat healthy but there are better options. Have a great thru hike and be nutrition smart.