Spent the weekend thinking about the gear necessary for the climb.  Luckily our team members already have most the gear we need, but there are always some additions necessary for each trip.  As I was finishing up a tuna sandwich last night, I started thinking about food on the climb.  I’ll probably be one of the lightest, if not the lightest, climber on this trip.  At 150lbs, I don’t have much extra weight on these ol’ bones.  So gaining weight before the climb is going to be important for me. 

So too will be the task of keeping that weight on as long as possible while going up and down Everest.  Good news is that I like to eat.  Even at altitude I’ve been able to push food into my mouth and chew it just long enough to slide it into my belly.  However, Everest will be unlike my previous climbs.  Even w/ supplemental O2, getting the calories in up at altitude will be a great challenge.

Last night I decided to make some bulk purchases of my favorite mountain snacks.  No, I’m not talking about Hostess Ding Dongs (even if they were still being made, they don’t make my list for best all-round snacks… though they sure do taste good).  The purchase included three cases of Clif Bars.  These things have always satisfied my hunger and when cold/frozen, they give me something to gnaw on for a long time, like a cow chews its cud.  Flavor of choice: Chocolate Chip Mint (it’s called Cool Mint Chocolate or something like that, but you get the point).  The mint flavor keeps me from feeling like I’m eating slightly moist saw dust, as that is how m0st energy bars taste after you’ve been eating them for days straight.  Also bought some of the new Coconut Choclate Chip- haven’t tired ’em, but sounds good enough, and unlike any other flavor I’ll have on the mountain.  To round things off, I went with the ol’ standby: Crunchy Peanut Butter.  Been eating those since I was running cross country in high school.  Hard to beat.

I also grabbed two cases of Clif Shot Blocks.  These are essentially a cross between jello squares and gummy bears.  Once again, it’s another nice thing to chew on slowly.  I used to play a game while climbing 14er’s in Colorado- how long could I make a gummy bear last once I tossed it in my mouth?  When you are hiking tons of miles in a day, it’s nice to have something dumb and easy like that to entertain yourself.  I think I first tried a few different types of ‘energy blocks’ when climbing the Matterhorn in ’07.  I like the ones that have a sharp fruit flavor- they cut through the dry-mouth feeling and wake the back of your tongue’s tastebuds up.  These things don’t pack as much long-term energy as bar, but they go down easier.

Also decided to pick up a few containers of Nuun.  Ever heard of the stuff?  They are little discs that you throw into your water for electorlytes, vitamins and flavor.  The container they come in looks just like an Airborne container- white cylinder that holds 8-10 of the discs.  I first tried Noon when on McKinley and loved the cola flavor.  Plus, I dig ’em because they’re from Seattle… gotta keep my purchases in the 206 when able!

And don’t worry- this isn’t some plug for Clif and Nuun.  I wish we had gotten some free stuff from them!  But as it always seems to be, these tasty treats will be coming from the fine folks at Visa credit cards… my card specifically.  😉

Not sure what else I’ll take up there.  It’ll be several pounds of snacks in the end.  Maybe some trail mix, gummy bears/worms, little pieces of chocolate, and some nuts.  Hopefully some of the other climbers on the team will bring up different stuff and we can swap once we get bored with our own goodies.  Got any suggestions for what works for you on the mountain or while outdoors?

–Rob M