Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Once you’re out of alcohol bacon and tang, there’s another factor to consider. Ease and packaging.
Things are going to be more flexible on a personal trip. Saving $6 or 8 a breakfast going with store-bought granola or oats with powdered milk and on personal trips, I can’t argue that’s not a reasonable concern. But when you have two or three groups in spike camps, everything is getting rained on at the staging dock, and you’re flying in tight weather windows there’s a lot to be said for ease and resilient packaging. There’s also the presentation, when you’re handing a client a ready to go pouch rather than grandma’s homemade granola mix in a ziploc and breaking up clumps of powdered milk with a spork.
Nuts were a big part of the supplementing for us, most of the peripherals and flavour came from Costco. Tamari Almonds were popular and brought protein and fibre, then any kind of nuts in dark chocolate and the Kirkland nuts and dark chocolate bars kept guys moving uphill towards goats. Moon cheese (freeze dried cheese available at Safeway) became popular in the later years, not sure if it wasn’t commonly available prior or if we just didn’t know about it. Dried figs are great for fibre and sugar boosts, some brands are way drier and lighter than others. Quite a few guys went in saying they don’t like figs, or don’t know what they are, and came out appreciating them.
Overall, a ten day goat hunt was an attrition exercise for four to five days at a time, with one bigger meal in the middle. You spiked out with 5 days of freeze dried and snacks, resupplied and regrouped mid hunt if necessary. On a personal trip or exploratory hunt, we packed for the whole ten as one shot, and that’s how I do my own trips hunting, photo, or paddling. The diet hasn’t changed, and I can tell who hasn’t tried modern freeze dried meals, there’s a lot more than the old mountain house these days. They’re extremely light, convenient, and cheap compared to what we spend on guns, glass, and ammo just to stave off boredom.
Things are going to be more flexible on a personal trip. Saving $6 or 8 a breakfast going with store-bought granola or oats with powdered milk and on personal trips, I can’t argue that’s not a reasonable concern. But when you have two or three groups in spike camps, everything is getting rained on at the staging dock, and you’re flying in tight weather windows there’s a lot to be said for ease and resilient packaging. There’s also the presentation, when you’re handing a client a ready to go pouch rather than grandma’s homemade granola mix in a ziploc and breaking up clumps of powdered milk with a spork.
Nuts were a big part of the supplementing for us, most of the peripherals and flavour came from Costco. Tamari Almonds were popular and brought protein and fibre, then any kind of nuts in dark chocolate and the Kirkland nuts and dark chocolate bars kept guys moving uphill towards goats. Moon cheese (freeze dried cheese available at Safeway) became popular in the later years, not sure if it wasn’t commonly available prior or if we just didn’t know about it. Dried figs are great for fibre and sugar boosts, some brands are way drier and lighter than others. Quite a few guys went in saying they don’t like figs, or don’t know what they are, and came out appreciating them.
Overall, a ten day goat hunt was an attrition exercise for four to five days at a time, with one bigger meal in the middle. You spiked out with 5 days of freeze dried and snacks, resupplied and regrouped mid hunt if necessary. On a personal trip or exploratory hunt, we packed for the whole ten as one shot, and that’s how I do my own trips hunting, photo, or paddling. The diet hasn’t changed, and I can tell who hasn’t tried modern freeze dried meals, there’s a lot more than the old mountain house these days. They’re extremely light, convenient, and cheap compared to what we spend on guns, glass, and ammo just to stave off boredom.