Re: [pct-l] Winter thruhike, electolyte balance, changes in food preferences and need

[Brick <brick@fastpack.com>]

 "Joanne Lennox" <goforth@cio.net> wrote:
> Has anybody done a
>thruhike of the PCT in Winter, say somewhere from October to April?

I understand that the JMT section has been skied in winter. I do a lot of
ski mountaineering in the Sierra, and I wouldn't normally consider a trip
like this till mid-spring when the snow had stabilized. Besides the
avalanches, breaking tracks in fresh snow is slow and difficult. I've done
a few of trans-sierra trips and they are fun, but anything over 4-5 days in
a tent stops being fun as my sleeping bag gains weight from condensation,
and I get colder and colder at night. I hate Vapor Barrier Liners. A hut
every couple of days where things can dry out makes things nice. I'm a
wimp, what can I say?

Also the pack weight gos WAY up. First off, you need to melt water, so you
need to have 2 stoves per party (a stove failure = no water = death). Then
a winter sleeping bag and all the clothes, and all that food because you
will be moving slowly. A thicker pad. Lots of fuel.............

No thanks.

>what happens to my electolytes? 
>the Ultra people talk about feet swelling due to the increased activity.  I
>know this isn't a marathon, but 20 miles per day is close, and it is
>sustained day after day.  Salt pills anyone?

Answer: Gaitoraide, Cytomax, Oral Rehydration Solution, or one of a dozen
other electrolyte drink mixes. The flavor in them will make the hot,
plastic flavored water in the desert sections much more drinkable too.

Your feet swell from too little electrolytes (hyponatremia) because exess
water is shunted out to the extremities to try and keep the core fluids in
the right ballance. 

>Also, It seems that most people up their caloric intake after a few weeks
>on the trail.  One person mentioned going from 3000 calories per day to
>5000.  

I planned on 5000 calories a day. I did OK on that for 6 weeks (30 miles a
day), then it wasn't nearly enough. When Ieft Campo I weighed 175lbs. When
I got to Ashland OR eight weeks later, I weighed 150lbs. (I'm 6 foot even).
Interestingly, when I got home and tried on my jeans, I couldn't get them
over my quads.......

> I have been working on pearl barley,
>which unlike rice, potatoes, and crackers, has a low glycemic index and
>does not raise blood glucose so drastically.  Barley sushi anyone?

Unless you are diabetic, then the glycemic index won't matter to you on the
trail.

For daytime food, a high glycemic index is GOOD, becasue you are using your
blood sugar, and wont get the insulin dump you do when your sedentary.
Foods with a low glycemic index like fructose can even cause gastric
problems during physical activity due to the slow absorbtion.

At night, liver glycogen is best replenished by eating fructose and complex
carbs, just the opposite of daytime stuff.

In reality, you will just eat a lot, no matter what it is. In town, you
will be on the "See-Food" diet: You will See Food, you will Eat It.

Personally I have had great luck with starting each day with a weight
lifters suppliment powder. I like Champion Nutrition "Heavy Weight Gainer
900" I start the day by mixing up a liter of the stuff, which gives me a
quick cold breakfast with 1000 calories and lots of protien and supliments. 

Hope this helps
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