food help on first trip

[h2ogo!]

So i am planning my first trip to the island and i'm trying to figure out how much food to bring. Like how many dinners for 2 people, and if the serving size on the mountain houses that are for 2 are really large enough for 2. Should i plan on bringing dinners for the nights i stay at Rock Harbor or is there somewhere to eat there? here is my trip itinerary if it will help. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Steve

day 1 - arrive at rock harbor and stay there
day2 - catch the voyager for a ride to chippewa harbor, hike to lake richie
day3 - hike from lake richie to mcCargoe cove
day4 - hike from McCargoe to daisy farm
day 5 - hike from daisy farm to Rock harbor
day6 - isle royale queen back to mainland

[johnhens]

Steve, you can get food in RH, but things start closing down after Labor Day, when are you going?
Whether the MH pouches will really feed 2 depends on your appetite, if you are young and eat like a horse for instance.

[Less Paul]

If you're unfamiliar with the serving sizes, maybe try one out ahead of time?

[fonixmunkee]

Morning Steve,

You've got a good itinerary going there...I like it. You'll be hitting some of my favorite spots on the island...including McCargoe and Daisy Farm.

Regarding food, I find that Mountain House and some misc. snacks can satisfy two people just fine. We've actually been using the Backpacker's Pantry freeze-dried food instead. It's a bit more tasty, more exotic, and when it says two servings, it means two servings.

For two guys, you'll probably be looking at 14-16oz servings per dinner. We usually eat lunch, we just snack or have something simple like raman noodles. Same with breakfast...usually Power Bars or granola bars...rarely do we have a meal for it.

As far as food in RH, there is the store which sells snacks, and there's also the restaurant attached to the resort there ($$$).

Hopefully our diet will help you

[Keweenaw]

Hi Steve,

I find that the Mountain House 2-serving are really more like 1 1/2 servings of entree only. A bit like going to a restaurant and getting lasagna with no salad, garlic bread, etc.

The lodge restaurant has dinner for around $30/per person, mainly because of the NPS surcharge for utilities, etc.

You might want to have a look around your local supermarket as well. Couscous requires only boiling water to make - add a packet of tuna for a meal. Mac & cheese only needs to boil less than 10 minutes. Ditto for rice-a-roni. We take dehydrated refried beans along with tortillas, garlic, and some hot sauce packets from Taco Bell. Instant dried soups only require boiling water (make sure you read the package and don't get the kind that need to simmer).

Breakfast for us is usually instant oatmeal or cream of wheat. trail lunch of jerky, granola bars, etc.

[Kevinl]

Great ideas, Keweenaw.

There's also some great info for easy meals at http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/

For the MountainHouse meals, I like their Propacks. They're a bit smaller, but they seem to fit in a pack a lot easier too. I might bring one or two of those double serve meals for the higher mileage days as well. All of these mean I don't have to worry about the weight of plates because I'll just eat out of the bag.

[den_tyne]

We just got back on Sunday from our week on the isle. I took 18 pounds (for two of us to share) of mostly homemade dehydrated foods that I had been working on all winter. Here are some idea's about things that I purchased and put together that weren't too labor intensive.
Hormel Bacon picnic pieces and instant mashed potato's
Stovetop Stuffing, chicken gravy packet, and chicken bag
Hot breakfast of Cinnamon Almond Slice Couscous with powdered milk
(all three recipes came from that Freezer Bag book referenced above, a good book to have if you'd like to save money and do things yourself).
The dehydrated Pinto Beans and Salsa was a good one to rehydrate in the morning and eat on the trail for lunch.
Bagel with Cream Cheese (small 3 oz double wrapper package will keep okay for a few days)
(note: don't leave your bagel unattended, our friends saw a fox running from camp down the trail with a bagel in its mouth!)
Hardboiled eggs
Laughing Cow mini-cheese wheels that are wrapped in red wax.
The only two Mountain House Meals I would even consider ( i've tried them all) is the Pro-Pak Beef Stroganoff with Noodles ( my favorite) and also the Pasta Primavera ( I add a bag of chicken to it).
The rest aren't that great, expensive and frankly disappointing.
Other food idea's we enjoyed were: The whole 14 oz bag of peanut M & M's divided into little snack baggies to last the whole week as an evening treat with a mug of Hot Chocolate.
Salted Almonds and Cashews
Craisins dried fruit cranberries
Brazilian Nuts with dark chocolate morsels in snack baggies
We are coffee drinkers and enjoyed Suisse Mocha General Foods international coffee powder each morning.
The Rock Harbor restaurant was too pricey for us with the 27% tax. We passed on that. Our friends did eat at the Greenstone Grill last Saturday and said the expensive Hamburger was under cooked and not enough waiter staff to service properly.
We just cached (put in paid storage) some heavier food treats for our return to Rock Harbor to guarantee a good meal after our fifty mile week. I could have eatten a MOOSE by then!
julia and dave

[Kevinl]

den_tyne, you're right about the taste of the astronaut food. I couldn't even think about eating one in the comfort of my home, but after a hard day of packing, that chicken and rice Propack tastes just as good (not better) than Grandma used to make it. I guess it's all relative.

[JonG]

To each their own,but I kinda like MH meals.My favorites:Chili Mac,with a packet of dried hot peppers from little Caesar's or Pizza Hut thrown in,Chicken ala King,Chicken and Noodles,Beef Stroganoff.

[DSKlos]

You're all crazy!!!!

My very first (real) camping trip was to the Yukon three years ago for a 6 day trip. The first two days I ate only Raman noodles and like an apple or something, I don't recall exactly. By the end of that second day, I felt ABSOLUTELY drained. I couldn't believe how terrible I felt. I don't know how people use Raman as any portion of their dietary plan.

What I usually use are military issued MRE's (Meal Ready to Eat). The U.S. military issues these meals to the troops in combat zones for their dietary needs, and lord knows those guys need all the energy/nutrition they can get. Every meal is designed to provide 1,000 calories, so two provide the minimum desired energy for extensive physical activity. Each meal is fortified to provide all the vitamins and minerals you need to keep a sharp mind and a peppy body. Each meal typically comes with an entree, one or two snacks, some sort of a dessert, and a bunch of other crap you don't really need like a spoon, napkins/wet-wipes, matches, salt, instant coffee, and even a little (glass) bottle of Tabasco sauce. While it does come in a somewhat large package to house all of the above, you can strip it down to be pretty lean. They even come with their own flameless heaters! Just add a little bit of water, and you've got a warm meal. And to top it all off, most of them are quite good! Real meat! Real rice, real beans... real everything, and a wide variety of menues. Nothing is freeze-dried, other than possibly the coffee. And as for weight - they may way just a little more than freeze dried food, but I promise they are well worth it. Price is generally around $7.00 per meal, though I attained less than this with my last purchase--- and they keep for years if properly stored.

On the third morning in the Yukon, I dug into my MRE supply, and the rest of that trip I felt like a million dollars. I saved two (expensive) Mountain House freeze dried meals for the last day, assuming those would be the best. I was so pissed after I began eating them - tasted like spicey garbage, and was probably about as nutritious. Never again! Last year I hiked 42 miles in 72 hours with ~70lbs on my back (yes, far too much weight), and there's no way it would have been doable without the MRE's fueling me.

Here is an extremely helpful and interesting website on MRE's. Read up!
http://www.mreinfo.com/

Hope you have found this info helpful!

-
Dan

[h2ogo!]

great suggestions, thanks for all your help!

[mihiker]

The Rock Harbor restaurant was too pricey for us with the 27% tax. We passed on that. Our friends did eat at the Greenstone Grill last Saturday and said the expensive Hamburger was under cooked and not enough waiter staff to service properly.

Just how pricey are meals at Rock Harbor? Say for a hamburger?

[SummerOfChad]

The heck with all that crud that REI and company sells as backpacking "food". Some is good, some are about as equivalent as 4th degree dog food (ex: Scrambled Eggs n' Bacon = vomit!).

THIS IS WHERE EVERYONE SHOULD BE GETTING THEIR FOOD, TRUST ME:) They are based out of Marietta, OH and their headquarters are right next to a gourmet pasta company to boot. I believe (I could be wrong) they are in collaboration with one another, which tells you first hand that this food is Quality with a capital "Q". If they aren't partners, they'd be silly not to be. They would never have to worry about fuel surcharges with gas prices all jacked-up, they are right next door to each other...

http://www.trailfoods.com/

Some local outfitters sell it, but I've only found it at one shop near Cleveland, OH (actually Peninsula/Boston Mills, OH - just south of Cleveland about 35 miles; Appalachian Outfitters!)

The Chili is SOOOO good I've actually considered using it as a meal at HOME

The only downside is that they are a bit more pricey and do take a bit more H20 to re-hydrate, but well worth it. 2 single serving packs of chili was MORE THAN ENOUGH for 3 HUNGRY (200lb+) burly canoe-goers.

Seriously, if you have any time to order this stuff, DO IT! I wanted to try the powdered eggs and yummy vegies (serves 4 for 15 bucks, same price for the chili...).

Let me know what's up everyone (you too fonix, boks, etc...)

-Chad-

P.S. People have also raved about adding canned meat (chicken, tuna, etc...) to some of their veggie entrees and the likes. The chili didn't even need it though, it was THAT good

[Less Paul]

Just one word about food:

MEPPS!

[SummerOfChad]

You're dahm skippy Les Paul. Where you're going, you won't NEED food. Food is plentiful so long as you gotsda' Mepps #4 Silver or Gold lure. I cried when I lost my gold one fishing off the Duncan Bay campsite. If anyone is interested in free Mepps lure...

Directions:

From the shelter on Duncan that sits closest to the boat dock, head straight down to where you'll most likely obtain your water via filter. Put on a pair of swim goggles and doggy-paddle out about 15-20 feet. You should see a #4 Silver Mepps lure all snagged to heck around some freakin' reeds no more than 10 feet below the surface. Use as necessary, and it's free of charge.

-Chad-

P.S. I'm still dealing with PMS (Post Mepps Syndrome)