Food and Cooking
There are almost as many ways to deal with food and cooking (in the Isle Royale back country)--as there are Isle Royale visitors. Thus, in this section, I will not attempt to provide a comprehensive guide to outdoor cooking. I will simply talk about some of the things that I have tried, share some general information about some of of the other ways to address food and cooking issues--and provide some links.
Some of the Things That I Do
I am pretty much a "minimalist" when it comes to food and cooking on Isle Royale. I tend to eat only one "hot" meal per day (the evening meal). The rest of my food consists of items which require no cooking and which can be eaten without using any utensils. I tend to frequently eat small amounts of food THROUGHOUT THE DAY--even while I am actively hiking or paddling. I do typically eat a bit more food first thing in the morning and at midday. However, I am not certain that I would call those occasions actual "meals" (nor should I really call them "breakfast" or "lunch").
As I have already noted, I typically eat only one "hot" meal per day when I am at Isle Royale. This is usually an evening meal after I reach my campsite. That one hot meal is almost always some sort of dehydrated or freeze-dried (commercially manufactured and packaged) food. I just boil approximately two cups of water in a very small cooking pot. I pour the boiling water into the pouch that the meal came in. Stir it well. I let it sit for 8 or 9 minutes. Then, I eat the food directly out of the pouch (using a titanium "spork"). I have no significant cleanup to do--other than rinsing off my spork, placing the empty food package into my trash bag, and putting away my backpacking stove and fuel. I don't have to heat any water in order to wash dishes. I don't have to carry any type of dish soap, or sponge, or scrubbing pad. All of this helps to keep my pack weight lighter and reduces the amount of time that I need to devote to food preparation, eating, and cleanup. (Thus, giving me more time to enjoy Isle Royale).
My early morning food routine: I tend to eat while I am breaking down my campsite and packing up. I usually consume 300 to 600 calories before I leave camp. Some things that I might eat in the morning include: a protein or "energy" bar (or protein/energy cookie); peanuts or tree nuts, maybe dried fruit, or perhaps things like Pop Tarts, Nutrigrain bars, orgranola bars. I always consume at least one liter of fluid before I leave camp--either plain water or water with a flavor powder or electrolyte powder added. I drink right out of my water bottle--so no cups or dishes to clean up.
My food throughout the day: A few people have described my eating style (when I am on an outdoor adventure) as "grazing". I try to consume 100 to 300 calories every 1-2 hours. Oftentimes, this means that I am actually eating WHILE I hike or paddle (and/or I eat during my breaks). My hiking pants have cargo pockets. Thus, I always have my cargo pockets stuffed with small food items. I tend to get into my backpack and replenish my pocket food supply during some of my breaks. At longer breaks (usually closer to midday) I might eat some food items that are more difficult to carry in my pockets and/or which are more difficult to eat while walking or paddling. (I have also been known to eat the foods found on this list--in camp--before and after the evening meal). Some of my "daytime" food items include:
Please Click on the Links for More Information Regarding Food
As I have already noted, I typically eat only one "hot" meal per day when I am at Isle Royale. This is usually an evening meal after I reach my campsite. That one hot meal is almost always some sort of dehydrated or freeze-dried (commercially manufactured and packaged) food. I just boil approximately two cups of water in a very small cooking pot. I pour the boiling water into the pouch that the meal came in. Stir it well. I let it sit for 8 or 9 minutes. Then, I eat the food directly out of the pouch (using a titanium "spork"). I have no significant cleanup to do--other than rinsing off my spork, placing the empty food package into my trash bag, and putting away my backpacking stove and fuel. I don't have to heat any water in order to wash dishes. I don't have to carry any type of dish soap, or sponge, or scrubbing pad. All of this helps to keep my pack weight lighter and reduces the amount of time that I need to devote to food preparation, eating, and cleanup. (Thus, giving me more time to enjoy Isle Royale).
My early morning food routine: I tend to eat while I am breaking down my campsite and packing up. I usually consume 300 to 600 calories before I leave camp. Some things that I might eat in the morning include: a protein or "energy" bar (or protein/energy cookie); peanuts or tree nuts, maybe dried fruit, or perhaps things like Pop Tarts, Nutrigrain bars, orgranola bars. I always consume at least one liter of fluid before I leave camp--either plain water or water with a flavor powder or electrolyte powder added. I drink right out of my water bottle--so no cups or dishes to clean up.
My food throughout the day: A few people have described my eating style (when I am on an outdoor adventure) as "grazing". I try to consume 100 to 300 calories every 1-2 hours. Oftentimes, this means that I am actually eating WHILE I hike or paddle (and/or I eat during my breaks). My hiking pants have cargo pockets. Thus, I always have my cargo pockets stuffed with small food items. I tend to get into my backpack and replenish my pocket food supply during some of my breaks. At longer breaks (usually closer to midday) I might eat some food items that are more difficult to carry in my pockets and/or which are more difficult to eat while walking or paddling. (I have also been known to eat the foods found on this list--in camp--before and after the evening meal). Some of my "daytime" food items include:
- Trail mix--or peanuts, or "tree nuts" like walnuts or almonds.
- Beef sticks (like "Slim Jims") or small "shelf stable" (and sealed in plastic) meat slices.
- Small packages of fruit snacks or dehydrated fruit.
- Small packages of crackers and cheese spread (that require no refrigeration)
- Jerky
- Tortillas (or pita bread)--and maybe some sort of "spread" like peanut butter, Nutella, or small jelly or jam packets).
- There are some types of sausage and some types of cheese that do not need refrigeration until you open them
- "Corn chips" (like Fritos) actually have a lot of calories, they transport well--especially in a hard-sided container, and they can even be lit on fire and used to help start a fire in an emergency).
- Protein bars or energy bars. Granola bar. Clif Bars. Nutrigrain Bars.
- Bagels
- Tuna or chicken in foil packets (Because they are often packed in water or oil, they are not the most lightweight food option). Sometimes I will eat the tuna or chicken on bread, tortillas, or crackers.
Please Click on the Links for More Information Regarding Food
- Backpacking Food Ideas & Meal Planning (REI Co-op)
- 79 Easy Backpacking Food Ideas
- Grocery Store Backpacking Food
- The Best & Worst Backpacking Food Ranked
- 10 "No Cook" Backpacking Meal Recipes
- How to Prepare Homemade Backpacking Meals
- The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Eating
- Dehydrating Food Guide
- Dehydrate Your Own Trail Food
- DIY Dehydrated Backpacking Meals
- The Ultimate Guide to Dehydrating Food
- 100 Backpacking Food Ideas For Beginners
- 40 Best Backpacking Food Ideas From the Grocery Store
- Dollar Store Backpacking Food Ideas
HEALTHY EATING CONSIDERATIONS
I will be among the first to admit that my food choices both on Isle Royale (and even in my daily life) are not always the healthiest. That being said, most people are on Isle Royale for a week (or less) and very few visitors are at Isle Royale for more than two weeks. Thus, you won't be eating this "unhealthy" food for a long period of time. Therefore, unless you have serious medical conditions like diabetes or hard to control high blood pressure--a week or two of "bad eating" probably isn't going to cause you permanent health damage. (Plus, you are also burning a great many calories and perspiring a great deal when at Isle Royale. That can sometimes help to offset all of the sugar, carbs, and sodium that you might be ingesting on your trip. One more note, there are many people who seem to almost "enjoy" being appalled at how "unhealthy" the food is when people backpack or go paddling in the wilderness. Yet, these same people often do not seem to be as mortified when someone goes on a vacation to a non-wilderness area or goes on a cruise and spends an entire week or two consuming almost nothing but "less-than-healthy" foods and beverages. An Isle Royale trip is relatively short. Personally, I can think of many factors (other than healthiness) that would have a greater priority in my food selection decisions for a wilderness trip. (Those would include things like the food weight, the food's caloric density, ease in preparation and cleanup in a wilderness setting--to name just a few).
Now that my "rant" is over, here are some links to some healthier backpacking food options:
Now that my "rant" is over, here are some links to some healthier backpacking food options:
Calorie Density (The Importance of Weight/Calories in Choosing Foods)
Especially when you are backpacking (or portaging all of your stuff on long portages) -- the weight of everything can become important. This is also true for food choices in the wilderness. Some foods have very few calories per ounce. Other foods have many more calories per ounce. Let's assume that you wanted to consume 2,000 calories in a day. Dried apple slices have approximately 69 calories per ounce. Thus, you would have to carry roughly 29 ounces of dried apple slices to have 2,000 calories. Conversely, English walnuts contain 185 calories per ounce. It would take just under 11 ounces of English walnuts to achieve 2,000 calories. Let's imagine that you were going backpacking for 7 days (at 2,000 calories per day)..and eating only one type of food for the entire week. A week's worth of dried apple slices would weigh approximately 12.7 lbs . A week's worth of English walnuts would weigh just 4.75 lbs. That is almost an 8 pound difference.
As you can see, "calorie density" (the number of calories per ounce) can make a big difference in how much a week's worth a food will weigh. Therefore, it is very helpful to try to be conscious of the caloric density of the foods that you are choosing to bring with you. The more calories per ounce--the less your food will weigh (for the same amount of calories).
I am definitely not saying that you should ONLY bring foods which are calorie dense--nor am I saying that you should always avoid foods that have very few calories per ounce. It is VERY important to bring a variety of foods. However, the calorie density of your food choices is one important factor to consider--unless you want to carry a great deal more food weight in your pack.
Here are some articles regarding calorie-dense foods:
As you can see, "calorie density" (the number of calories per ounce) can make a big difference in how much a week's worth a food will weigh. Therefore, it is very helpful to try to be conscious of the caloric density of the foods that you are choosing to bring with you. The more calories per ounce--the less your food will weigh (for the same amount of calories).
I am definitely not saying that you should ONLY bring foods which are calorie dense--nor am I saying that you should always avoid foods that have very few calories per ounce. It is VERY important to bring a variety of foods. However, the calorie density of your food choices is one important factor to consider--unless you want to carry a great deal more food weight in your pack.
Here are some articles regarding calorie-dense foods:
COOKING YOUR FOOD: "BACKPACKING" STOVES
It is important to note, that you cannot have a campfire (or cooking fire) at most Isle Royale campgrounds, Thus, you will need to bring some sort of "backpacking" stove with you to cook your meals. There are numerous kinds of stoves out there. Probably the most common types of stove at Isle Royale are: 1) "Canister" Stoves, With these stoves, the stove body typically screws on to a metal canister containing a blend of propane and butane gases. 2) Liquid Gas Stoves--that to have a fuel bottle with an integrated pump--that connects to a free-standing stove body. The liquid fuel is often called "white gas" or "camp fuel". 3) Alcohol Stoves. These can either be homemade or commercially made. The fuel is usually denatured alcohol (and/or the contents of the automotive fuel additive "HEET--found in the YELLOW bottles). Isopropyl alcohol or rubbing alcohol will also work--but it will produce a much poorer quality flame and amount of heat. 4) Twig stoves. As the name suggest, these stoves use twigs (or very small sticks) as a source of fuel. 5) "Esbit" stoves. A folding stove that burns solid fuel tablets. Sometimes called a "solid fuel" stove. Solid fuel stoves are not permitted at Isle Royale.
The first four types of stoves are acceptable for use on Isle Royale. SOLID FUEL STOVES ARE NOT PERMITTED AT ISLE ROYALE. I typically use a homemade--and very lightweight--alcohol stove when I am on Isle Royale. My other stove is a "Pocket Rocket" canister stove sold by MSR.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: Check with your transportation providers to learn about their special rules for transporting stoves and fuel to Isle Royale. The ferries and the seaplanes all have different rules. Commercial airlines will also have rules and regulations. There can also be rules for mailing or shipping fuel to Isle Royale as part of a resupply package.
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Here are some links to information regarding backpacking stoves:
The first four types of stoves are acceptable for use on Isle Royale. SOLID FUEL STOVES ARE NOT PERMITTED AT ISLE ROYALE. I typically use a homemade--and very lightweight--alcohol stove when I am on Isle Royale. My other stove is a "Pocket Rocket" canister stove sold by MSR.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Check with your transportation providers to learn about their special rules for transporting stoves and fuel to Isle Royale. The ferries and the seaplanes all have different rules. Commercial airlines will also have rules and regulations. There can also be rules for mailing or shipping fuel to Isle Royale as part of a resupply package.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Here are some links to information regarding backpacking stoves: