March 20

This picture gives you an idea of what I and many other thru hikers eat. For breakfast it's  usually coffee  and either oatmeal, cream of wheat, or a blueberry pop tart which taste very good. Lunch and while hiking includes energy bars, gorp, pistachios, or if I'm very hungry I'll stop at a shelter or along the trail and boil 2 cups of water, and have a Knorr rice or pasta package.  For dinner it's pretty much the same as lunch but a bit more such as half a package of mashed  potatoes.  Or I'll  have the minestrone soup which is really tasty.  Then there's always the staple Ramen noodles which most everyone  carries as a backup. To the left in the photo I have a container of olive oil mixed with minced  garlic that I add to the rice, pasta, or soup.  I will also add bacon bits to enhance the flavor.  I'll  have dark chocolate for a semisweet desert.  My camelback is filled with a Gatorade powder mix for electrolytes while hiking.  I haven't seen many people eating Mountain House or Backpackers Pantry type meals.  Some hikers carry peanut  butter and flour tortillas which hold up well in your pack, but weigh alot. Snickers chocolate bar seems to be the bar most hikers have.