Calories per day for 5 day winter snowshoeing backpack trip?

[hikingfish]

Hi!
The title is pretty self-explanatory, but to give you a bit of background, we're going in the Chic-Chocs (Mt Logan, 5 day trip, me and the girlfriend) between Christmas and the new year. I'll be wearing a pack and pulling a sled, my girlfriend will only have her backpack. We'll be staying in huts.

Day 1: 12km (10km is on mostly flat terrain, with +280m elevation in 2km)
Day 2: 14 km (+431m)
Day 3: 6.6 (climb 100m over 3.3km to Mt Logan, then come down to starting point of day 3)
Day 4: 8km (-231m)
Day 5: 20km (-480m, 10km is on flat terrain)

I'm anticipating day 2 and 5 to be the longuest of the trip, with day 2 probably being the most taxing (we're hauling all our stuff for the rest of the trip still). The temperatures will be between -15C and -30C.

I was planning approx. 5000-6000 calories per day. Our exercise time will vary between 6 to 12 hours per day. I read here that cals needed per hour of snowshoeing would be between 250 and 1000 cal/h. If we're getting closer to the upper limit, at 6000 cal/day we'd be operating on "fumes".

What do you guys (and gals) think?

Fish

 

[weatherman]

A few thoughts:
1. Your calculation seems right. Do the best you can- it's really hard to eat >6000 cal/day.
2. Will the huts be heated or not? You can easily burn 2000 cal/day just keeping your body warm in those temps. Heat or insulation at night can cut your requirements some. You may need to eat a small meal in the middle of the night if you get cold. If the huts are heated, you may very well get away with 4000 cal/day though.
3. You may not be able to "break even" calorie-wise over 5-6 days if in unheated huts. You may need to use stored fuel (your own fat). So stock up ahead of time, and enjoy your enormous appetite after!

Sounds like a great time.

Weatherman

 

[DougPaul]

You may find that it will take some time before your bodies are ready to let you eat 6000 cal/day.

Doug

 

[hikingfish]

So stock up ahead of time, and enjoy your enormous appetite after!

Weatherman

I'm waaaayyyy ahead of you there! To answer your questions though, the huts have a wood stove. I remember getting into -15C huts though...they slowly warm up and then cool down a bit at night since no one is feeding the fire (until the person with the worst sleeping bag finally can't take it and gets up to put another log in the fire! haha).

Fish

 

[whcobbs]

calories per day, Chic Chocs

Seems to me the major issue might be whether you will be in condition to snowshoe backpack 6-12 h/d that early in the season. Do you have a way to assess your endurance beforehand? I get by on 2lb/d dried food, mostly carbs, winter backpacking. Anyway, I'm dying of envy.

Walt

 

[weatherman]

You probably know this, but about 2-3 lb/person/day is about right if it's dried. 2 lbs=900 grams=3600 calories if it's all carbohydrates. If it's 1/4 fat by weight, then more like 4700. Carbs=4 cal/gram, fat=9 cal/gram. 1 stick butter=110 grams fat=990 calories. Yum!
...at least until you get to DougPaul's point about how much your body will let you eat... I'll spare the gross details.

Weatherman

 

[Neil]

On a trip of that duration you don't have to worry too much about a calorie deficit. You will be keeping your pace down at the fat burning level and you will simply be consuming body fat for fuel. Anyway, most people like the idea of pigging out for 5 days, coming home and discovering they have lost weight!

If you really want to consume as much as you burn then:

In the morning eat a big bowl of oatmeal with nuts and tons of Brown Sugar and lots of bacon.

Nibble nuts and sausage meat with dried fruit and chocolate all day long.

Knock back a humungous portion of lamb or beef in a creamy sauce with butter for dinner and then snack on chocolate. A bottle of wine each should round off your calorie intake. At that rate you'll need a sled each to carry everything.

 

[weatherman]

I LOVE that diet. Better go load up the sled right now!