What We Ate In Aravaipa Canyon
While planning food for my Aravaipa Canyon backpacking trip, I wanted to try something different. On past backpacking trips I've taken mostly Cliff bars, Bloks, GUs, dehydrated meals. I got really tired of that food when I was in the Grand Canyon and I envied the snacks everyone else brought. This time, I decided, I'll do the complete opposite and not bring ANY bars or GUs or energy beans or anything like that. This time I would bring REAL food.
Except for a couple dehydrated meals, I still had to go for some convenience.
*This isn't all of the food we brought and shared, it's just the food I brought for the trip.
The Winners
Olives - we got individual packets from Trader Joe's and they were the perfect salty snack
Parmesean Cheese - great for salt and fat, hard cheese is good for backpacking because it can last longer out of refrigeration
Salami - again with the salt and fat, so tasty with the cheese and olives all together!
Pringles - I love chips, Pringles are great because of the packaging - your chips won't get smashed in your pack. Plus you can reuse the empty canister as a trash can.
Persian Cucumbers - It can be hard to take vegetables into the backcountry but these are great because they give you nutrients and help keep you hydrated. It's also nice that you can eat the whole thing and don't have to worry about carrying around a core or peels.
Hard Boiled Eggs - these were awesome on the first morning in a breakfast burrito with the bacon, avocado, and hot sauce.
Apples and Peanut Butter packets - great for a sweet crunch and the PB packets I got had 210 calories per packet, keeping me fueled.
Red Pepper - specifically roasted over the camp fire.
Peanut M&Ms - need I say more?
The Losers
Oatmeal - now, I love me some oatmeal but I made the mistake of getting the cheap instant oatmeal and tried making it better by adding chia seeds, almonds, and hemp seeds. It was not good. I did not finish it.
Almonds & Pistachio Mix - I didn't even eat any the whole trip.
Random Impulse Buy Win
Garlic Breadsticks - we grabbed these on a whim at Trader Joe's (blame the carbs) and they were actually great! We put them on a stick, put them over the fire, toasted them a bit and then put olive oil on top. That paired with the olives, salami, and cheese, we felt pretty fancy in the wilderness.
Pro Tip: stock up on salt, pepper, hot sauce, mayo, mustard, salsa, and other condiment packets at the gas station before you leave for your trip. Quik Trip here in Tucson has a great selection. You can also find individual packets of olive oil, ghee, peanut butter, almond butter, etc at Sprouts.
I really enjoyed challenging myself with new food choices for this trip and I'm glad I found some new favorites for future trips!