August 2: Daily Food Rations

In the event I am able to get on the road soon, and in the event that I only have 12 days to get to Alaska (what i made it on with Sonntag in 2000) by September 12th, the day my permit for the Denali Road begins, I  got back to my final  packing for the trip today.  Today I packed my food container.  The dogs have their own food container which consists of three 18-pound bags of dry food, 21 cans of wet food and several boxes of treats, enough to get us to Alaska taking the slow route, where we will restock for them.  I cannot feel sorry for them for having to eat the same stuff every day because the same goes for me, and I do not feel sorry for myself.  Last year, I packed each day's food rations into boxes, but to  free space in the boxes (they took up extra space, limiting me to 10 boxes), this year I am trying plastic zip lock bags for each day's rations, separating the breakfast-and-on-the-road-snacks rations and the supper rations.  My hope is to be able to squeeze 12 days' rations into the container so that if I have to make a mad dash to Alaska in the same 12 days I made it there in 2000 with Sonntag, I will not have to restock along the way.

For the culinary-inclined of my readers, here are more details.

In each of the  breakfast rations bags I have the following for breakfast, a small box of orange juice, 2 packets of oatmeal, raisins, soy milk*, and apple sauce, 675 calories in all, although please subtract up to 85 for the portions the  dogs will probably be able to talk me out of (marked with an asterisk), leaving 590 for me.

In the breakfast rations bags I also have for the road an energy bar*, small package of peanut butter crackers*, small bag of mixed nuts* and one half of a small chocolate bar, 480 calories in all, although the dogs' share comes to no more than 194 of that, leaving 286 for me.  I do not each lunch on he road, although I do pick up fresh fruit and vegetables en route, which add about 395 calories, less when I surrender some of the apple and carrots to the dogs.

In the supper rations bags, I have a small can of V8 juice, a small tin of salmon*, instant soup (all vegan), a serving of brown rice*,  two fig newtons*,  and 187ml of red wine, 970 calories in total, less no more than 355 for the dogs.

In my kitchen container, I carry coffee, tea, peanut butter, lemon juice and a bag dried apricots and prunes.

So, my food bags contain 2125 calories each, of which the dogs might get up to 694, leaving 1431 for me. Add in the fresh fruit and vegetables, and throw in some apricots, prunes, and peanut butter, and you add on an extra 355 for me, or 1826 in total.

On these road trips my level of activity in the morning and evening is extremely high, so my guess is that I burn 3000 calories a day.  (Riding in the Defender is like sitting on one of those weight-reducing vibrating machines for 8 hours, so I am sure I burn extra calories there too.) so, if I am burning 3000 calories a day and only consuming 1826, I am losing .42 of a pound a day.  Multiple that by 60 days, and I can expect to come back home 25 pounds lighter.  That is exactly what I lost on my trip in 2012.

In my kitchen I carry a small propane-powered stove, which is good for hot water-type cooking only.  I do not take these trips to live a high-cuisine  life on the road. I eat on the road to live.

Below are photos of the contents of the breakfast rations bag and supper rations bag (before and after I transferred the contents of the rice and soup to plastic zip lock bags to save space.)

If the trip is cancelled because of Erde's situation, my readers now know what my menu at home will be for the next 12 days.