I’m somewhat of an omnivore when it comes to winter-style overnights and refueling. Ski traverses present a nominal puzzle regarding refueling. The variables I consider are what will pique my interest, considering I may have a suppressed appetite (especially terrain at higher altitudes—I live at 3500 feet), low weight because I’m hauling meals in my pack, and easy prep and cleanup, because we’ll be eating at the end of long days. The basic program should look like this: Get into camp, make camp, snack, hydrate, melt water, warm water for rehydrating dinner, eat, clean up, drink tea, melt more water, go to sleep, get up sometime during the cold, cold night, and pee, try to fall back to sleep.
I’ve eaten all sorts of dehydrated meals, and I return to a freeze-dried dinner that meets the needs outlined above: Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai with Chicken. The meal, which includes a packet of peanut butter as a flavor and calorie enhancer, all told, and eaten, packs in 850 calories. That’s more than 3 x 3 Snickers (at 250 calories each), which I have, on occasion, eaten as a gotta-eat-now dinner.
