Big Breakfast or not?

[climb4000footer]

Just curious what you all think...
I am always torn between eating a lot of food for breakfast so I delay getting hungry on the trail v. being weighed down by a big breakfast on the trail.
Big Breakfast = eggs, pancakes, french toast, muffins, any combination of the above
I guess it is more about "heavy" foods than anything else.

 

[TMax]

For me it's about quality, not quantity. Too much food that is calorie heavy can slow you down but you want something that will offer some sustained energy. I tend to go for complex carbs for breakfast (A good bowl of oatmeal ) and then I add higher fat snacks along the trail to keep the energy up. Then dried fruit for the occassional burst. But then again, I'm kind of wierd when it comes to food so maybe you shouldn't listen to me!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I'm lucky, and I can eat just about anything for breakfast (except day-old Big Macs). I'd love to have a nice full breakfast before hiking, but since I tend to wake up in my car, all I can usualy have is what I find on the seat next to me. Salami and red licorise is a comon breakfast for me.

 

[Barbarossa]

It's your stomach...

Just curious what you all think...
I am always torn between eating a lot of food for breakfast so I delay getting hungry on the trail v. being weighed down by a big breakfast on the trail.
Big Breakfast = eggs, pancakes, french toast, muffins, any combination of the above
I guess it is more about "heavy" foods than anything else.

I think you would know your own answer better than anyone.

As a long time friend of Tony the Tiger (FOT), here is something I have done:

Fill a Tupperware-type container with Quaker 100% "Natural" cereal (actually, the Stop & Shop store brand version), pour in the milk, jump in the car and go. I reach the mountains in about 2 1/2 hours, so I would eat a rest stop somewhere along the way. It is pretty convenient, but you want a cereal that will stand up to milk.

 

[Artex]

Everyone's metabolisms are different, so it's just a matter of finding what works best. I prefer a big breakfast before a hike, and when I don't, I only get hungry quicker and ultimately eat just as much.

 

[bruno]

the bigger the better. the "hungryman" at munroe's in twin mountain gets me up the hills doublequick! then it's wine and pasta or pizza for apres hike comestibles!!

and yeah, i agree with ospreyboya (and terry too!)

 

[Tramper Al]

Yes

I can heartily recommend Peg's in North Woodstock, NH for hikes in the western White Mountains. For the eastern Whites, the buffet breakfast at Pinkham is awesome, though I believe it doesn't open until 6:30. For BSP starts, I recently had a nice breakfast at the Appalachian Trail Cafe in Millinocket.

 

[Artex]

For BSP starts, I recently had a nice breakfast at the Appalachian Trail Cafe in Millinocket.

That place rocks! Though everytime I've eaten there it's been for BSP stops.

 

[percious]

...I tend to wake up in my car...

Better there than a jailhouse floor with another inmate named Bubba.


-percious

 

[ADK4Life]

I made the mistake of a Dennys brekfast before climbing washington my first time (I usually dont eat bad like that) thinking all of the fuel would help ...I think my sweat was actual maple syrup at one point.

 

[Bjarni]

Black coffee, donuts, bacon, Stolichnaya, and Excedrin, in that order.

The coffee to wake up with, the donuts to jam some carbs in, the bacon to give me something salty to taste for the first few miles, the Stoly to improve my eyesight, and the Excedrin to prevent the otherwise inevitable headache.

 

[Louis]

Breakfast

Big but healthy breakfast yes... and i think as important is a big healthy meal the night before, pasta being my choice... it will help a lot for the long day on the trail.

 

[Umsaskis]

I always opt for a big breakfast before a long hike. If I don't, I get hungry fast, and since I also have trouble finding things that I consistently like to eat on the trail, that leaves me open to fatigue, hypothermia, and all manner of problems.

My breakfast of choice always includes potatoes - usually fried with bacon or sausage, and eggs. If I eat that , I don't get hungry until 1:00 in the afternoon, even if I ate at 4:30am. I've found that I can cook the breakfast the night before, put it on a plate in the fridge, and microwave it in the morning. It's not quite as good as fresh-cooked, but it's still pretty good and assures that I don't opt for something faster but with less energy in order to save time. Or, I use canned potatoes or potatoes I've boiled the night before and start them frying as soon as I get up, which means they'll be totally cooked in about 10 minutes, after I've finished packing, heated my water, and so forth. The eggs and frozen, pre-cooked sausage cook up quickly, so time really doesn't become a factor anymore.

I've never been able to get cereal to go the distance for me. If I sleep at the trailhead, I use muffins, but they don't last very long either.

 

[twigeater]

Southern Baxter trips usually mean Dysart's on the way up, Appalachian Trail cafe on the way out...northern Baxter trips are the Patten Diner all the way! Or I guess the real name is "downtown deli" or something like that. Course I have my favorites for trips to western Maine and downeast as well...and Rock's in the fer northern reaches is great too!

Anyway back to the subject - Dysart's is a big breakfast, and the hour or so drive to BSP from there gives it a chance to settle. But I wouldn't be comfortable eating a big breakfast then jumping right up to go hiking.

 

[Panama Jack]

Big breakfast

The problem is, when I really want a big breakfast I am several miles and thousands of vertical feet from a frying pan.

Breakfast is the trickiest meal of the day for me, If I dont fill up adequately I spend the day unsuccessfully trying to catch up, then end up eating 2 days rations for dinner that night.

 

[lumberzac]

Breakfast for me when I'm hiking is normally an energy bar. I’m constantly eating while I hike, but never a lot of food at once. When I’m doing other activities, such as hunting or ice fishing, I tend to do the opposite, with one or two large meals and nothing in between.

 

[sapblatt]

Breakfast of Ex-Champions

When I am camping or hutting it is usually 3 packets of instant oatmeal, with the brown sugar. When I do my 2-3 hour car trip north at 4 am and time is of the essence I often crack open a box of Hostess Donuts...3 or 4 shortly after departure and a couple of more 30 minutes from the trailhead...way too many bad carbs, but they are the type of energy you can burn going up. Plus, they are yummy!

 

[weatherman]

Switching to "cleaner-burning summer fuel"

For some reason, my hiking food tolerance changes with the seasons. Winter breakfast=AYCE something with lots of protein and fat until my wife says "Yer gonna be DEAD if you keep eating like that!" To which I think, "well, I might be dead if I don't eat this much!" Summer is the opposite: big breakfast= hurl 1 mile up the trail. 1000 calories o'carbs is about all I can do for a summer breakfast (3 packets oatmeal plus brown sugar, 1 liter instant breakfast, +/- Tang.)

Oh yeah, a little coffee to ward off withdrawal.

Weatherman

 

[MikePS]

Always a big break in winter-on the 16 side Wakefield diner hash carries me a long way!

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

I agree with Lumberzac... frequent small meals and snacks. Too much food in my stomach slows me downs and makes me feel like crap. Stomach behaves better when descending than ascending.