AT Prep

A few nuggets of dehydrating gold from AT prep

There are still 7 days left for adventure preparations. Our projected start date is currently 8 March 2015; depending on the weather, which is looking promising as of right now.  The next week will be spent on packing the resupply boxes and "split-training"my March Drill for the National Guard (paper work in the military moves as fast as mud... on a 18 degree day- i.e. dirty ice. Ice does in fact move, just a time-lapse camera is needed to see the movement...I digress. I've been watching too much Frozen Planet while cutting up vegetables to dehydrate).

Anyway, the picture below is one of the main reasons I've been watching too many nature documentaries and have had to cut up so many carrots.

1.2 pounds of fresh carrots dehydrates down to 2 oz. sandwich baggie full

Luckily some food items take very minimal prep but yield an exemplary result. One of the golden rules of back packing is to keep food weight LOW while keeping calories HIGH.  A good rule of thumb when it comes to choosing calorie efficient food is to try to stick with 1 oz. to every 100 calories or better. Most/all of the food I'm dehydrating fits this category but corn is by far the champion, with lentils coming in a close 2nd place. 

6 servings of frozen corn (600 calories) dehydrates down to 4 oz.

Last days of AT prep

After all the denatured alcohol (tin-can stove fuel) has been purchased. After all the apple slices have been dipped in lemon juice (which keeps the apples from turning brown during the dehydrating process).  After every potential item in my backpack glared at and interrogated ruthlessly if it is actually worth it's weight to lug up mountains, there is nothing left to do but get packed (and go in for split training because YEAH ARMY!!! -_-). 

I have 21 resupply boxes that will hopefully find their way to me along the Appalachian Trail (1 box about every 100 miles). 

Contents of one resupply box: 

3 bags of dehydrated apples

3 bags of dehydrated lentils 

3 "backpacking alfredo"

2 bags of dehydrated carrots

1 bag of dehydrated corn

4 Q-tips

1 roll of toilet paper

1 "hippie soap" (only in 7 boxes)

14 dehydrated baby wipes (just normal baby wipes that have been dried out)

2 granola bars

2 grits

2 oatmeal

1 razor (yes, I'm going to be that vain. Only planning on letting my legs reach fuzzy kitten status, NOT wooly mammoth status)

Out,

-Mullins