To eat or not to eat??? Buck knows best...

As I included in my Mt. Nebo post, there were several factors which kept me from having the best day-hiking experience possible. I knew that I was out of shape before I even started my hike, but I couldn't figure out why I felt pretty good all the way to the base of the summit, but then felt so crappy half way up the summit, as well as the whole way back to my car. I can understand why the summit would be hard on my body, but why would I have to stop so many times when going bacak downhill to my car?

This is where I place my plug for Backpacker magazine again:)

I was reading "The Manual", a weekly e-mail I get from Backpacker, and came across this wise advice from "The Medicine Man", Buck Tilton. To give you some background, Buck is a medical doctor and answers one question a week related to various medical issues you may experience when on the trail. A couple of weeks ago someone asked the following, and received an answer from Buck:

When I read this, I realized that the only thing I ate throughout my day-hike included two small peanut butter and honey sandwiches, a slice of banana bread, and a candy bar. For breakfast I had a couple packets of oatmeal and called it good. In total, I had maybe 400 calories spread throughout the day - nowhere near enough for as many calories as I was burning on my way up the mountain.

I remember thinking a couple of times during the day, that an all-day hike would be a great way to burn unwanted fat, but after reading Buck's response I think I'll reconsider. Personally, I try to find reasons to have big meals that are loaded with calories - FOUND!!! Looks like it's pancakes and sausage in the morning, with calories spread out throughout the hike for me! I love finding excuses to eat a lot:)

During my Nebo hike, I felt that I was stopping so many times just to catch my breath that I didn't want to stop for any additional reasons. It's smart to keep track of time as you hike so that you are actually making time for water breaks, and giving yourself plenty of opportunities to fuel-up for the hike ahead. By the time I was at the base of the summit, my body was already burning its reserves. On my way down from the summit, I realized that I had already taken much more time than planned, so I decided to push forward without replenishing the calories I burned on the way up. This made for a less-than-enjoyable walk back down when it should have felt nice to let gravity do the majority of my work.

In closing, EAT UP CHUBS! Your body wants you to:)