Raw Return

Success. The backpacking trip was absolutely amazing!

But… boy am I out of shape – thank god we used a pack service to take our gear the 11 miles in. The hike in was brutal, even with just a day-pack. My body was not prepared for the 11 mile hike at over 8000 feet with over 2000 ft elevation change. Even that was not sooo bad, the worst part was the mosquitoes. Wowza, in all my years of backpacking, with 30+ trips being in the Emigrant Wilderness, I have never experienced such a terrible bloom of mosquitoes – not even in Alaska.

While the hike and bug conditions were brutal, the weather was fantastic and the food delicious. A big success as I did stay 100% raw with regard to food on the trip (although I admit that I could not resist ice cold beer). My body felt so good and exhilarating that I really had no cravings for any of the cooked food that the other 4 on the journey were enjoying and boy did they enjoy. With the advent of pack animals to bring in supplies they didn’t hold back – sausage, eggs and potatoes for breakfast topped with sour cream and fresh salsa for example.

I was more than content and satisfied with my raw food goodness including crackers, bread, fruit, humus, veggies and more including some chlorella and spirulina tablets as my greens (see The Dehydrator Runs non-stop for more details) and felt fully nourished. My meal planning was perfect as I came home with very little leftovers and even that little bit was primarily due to my fellow journiers rarely choosing to share in my treats that I offered.

With a little extra planning, a raw food backpacking trip is easy – I highly recommend it.