On Food 2

My plan to hike on a mathematically optimized 70% fat diet failed miserably and almost ended my trip.

I had used the diet before and during practice hikes, but always had a nice hot restaurant meal afterwards. This was often either a burrito with rice and beans or a big bowl of ramen.

In the first three days, I had occasionally lost circulation in my left arm. This is not particularly surprising, I've always had poor circulation. I managed it by taking a break until it worked itself out. But it kept getting worse; by the summit of Blood Mountain in day four, it was accompanied by feeling of lightheadedness.

Combined with lack of sleep and the stress of getting accomodations in Blairsville, anxiety was ramping up. I felt like I was dying. Keeling over on the trail would be a pretty big buzzkill for other hikers, so the next morning I walked to a clinic in town.

The rural Georgia clinic experience was new. The receptionist didn't know what a physical was, and refused to accept my insurance because I didn't have a printed card on hand. But the practitioner was very professional and helped me gain confidence that I am not damaging myself by attempting this hike.

I recovered my condition by following my food cravings while in town. It seems like oatmeal fixes almost everything. Collards and grits fix the rest. Blairsville had all of the above in spades.

My next resupply at Ingles was much different from the initial load out. Flour tortillas, goldfish crackers, freeze dried fruit, oatmeal cups, and turkey sticks to combine with the above to improve protein ratios.

The next leg went much better. No congestion or anxiety. Slightly better sleep, after figuring out how to function in the cold.

By Franklin I'm still following my cravings and feeling good about it. About a third of my original 24 Kind bars are still crammed down in the bottom of my food canister. The moral of the story is that math doesn't know what works for you, you just have to follow your intuition.