THE HAPPY CAMPER: MENU PLANNING 101-Kevin Callan

Rating: ** During extended wilderness hiking trips, the skill of meal planning is often overlooked. This skill is beneficial to have towards the entire group while planning a trip as eating proper foods is essential to a good trip. Not only does the food have to be nutritious, but it must be quite compact as to save room, and it must be easy to cook in order to save fuel for the entire trip. This article is written by an outdoor education teacher whose goal is to teach students and new hikers about the essentials of menu planning. He states in the article that he has noticed his own students have trouble with planning proper meals while maintaining the need of compact foods. In this article, the importance of proper nutrition on a hiking trip is emphasized as many calories must be eaten to ensure hikers have enough energy. Foods that are all quick to cook, easy to carry, and nutritious are the most beneficial for anyone on a hiking trip as they won't cause much trouble but still provide much needed nutrition. Some foods that are mentioned in this article are: rice (can cook quickly and is easy to pack), pasta (healthy when whole grain and provides carbohydrates for energy), beans (high in protein and are quickly cooked if pre-soaked a day in advance), soy grits (a much quicker and easier meal, also very high in protein) and a few more. I believe the author of this article has achieved his goal in educating new hikers the essentials of proper meal planning as it has made me begin thinking about foods I will want to pack for our canoe trip. I understand that proper nutrition is essential for a good trip, but this article has already given me ideas towards what I may need to bring to achieve this proper nutrition. Citation: Callan, Kevin. 'The Happy Camper: Menu Planning 101'. Explore Magazine. N.p., 2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.