Can a Vegan or Vegetarian hike the Triple Crown?

[@robertturner1308]

I’m a vegan day hiker and I appreciate that you sought out the perspective of a vegan through hiker. You were also respectful and kind.

[@travishg928]

Harmony House is a vegan dehydrated food company that sells trail ready meals.

[@TiggerTellsTales]

I use these but remember to bring spices/veg bouillon or they are very plain. They are perfect for cold soaking with brown rice, extra lentils, nuts, millet, etc to boost calories. Their backpacker meals are very low in calories.

[@daveshaw5328]

As a Vegan and a backpacker, all I can say is powdered hummus and pita chips. Just add water for instant vegan trail goodness. The only real difference between a vegan and non vegan diet on the trail (if your not eating just pop tarts, candy bars, and Gorp) is swapping out packaged tuna, cured meats, and dry cheeses for more grains, nuts & seeds, and dehydrated vegetables. Look at the average diet of most long distance hikers. They're eating oatmeal, mashed potatoes, trail mix/bars and ramen noodles for 75% of their calories on the trail... That's all vegan. (Unless you have milk chocolate m&m's in your Gorp. Just get the dark chocolate ones, lol.)

[@martinmillerpoynter]

Unfortunately, dark chocolate m&ms are still made with milk : (

[@Kris10Valle]

This video was super helpful for me! I'm a vegan and my dream for the longest time has been to hike the AT, I'm glad to know it's possible with a restricted diet! Thanks for the upload!

[@findalefinnie]

I wouldn't consider our diet "restricted" but I think I know where you're getting at. Vegan is the most nutrient dense diet when done correctly.

[@Kris10Valle]

Truuu ^^^

[@GorgieClarissa]

❤❤❤

[@williambrennan7794]

@@findalefinnie definitely wrong. All vegans are deficient in b vitamins, iron, calcium, iodine. 2 bites of liver crushes any weird vegan concoction.

[@kat3rinaaa72]

This is awesome to see. I just watched through all your Appalachian Trail vlogs yesterday, and have started planning my 2018 through hike. I'm vegan so this is really helpful.

[@deadheadhoodie]

well mid feb of 2018 is the time i'm taking off going NOBO solo hiking... maybe we will cross paths

[@4HI-4LOW]

While not Vegan I am a picky vegetarian, I'm two steps away from it..lol I to will be NOBO 2018. If you see a dude with a big red beard an a Amethsyt necklace on, hopefully if I can find one a Purple Pack, its probably me. Man I'm getting excited!

[@itchypandaa]

My husband and I are also vegans and want to hike NOBO 2018, but may switch to sobo, so either way I hope to run into you guys! If you see two young hikers and a black and white Pitbull named Rasl, that's us! ^_^

[@TiggerTellsTales]

Love this! As someone with a dairy allergy and eats mostly plants, this was so helpful. It’s what I’m most worried about on my AT thru hike this year. 🙏🥾👍

[@stanthemanhikes2965]

That was a great interview thanks for having it. I don't know how they do it on the trail. I need my burgers, pizza, ice cream when in town LOL. I'm anxious to see how "Raw Alignment" makes out on her AT thru hike this year with her diet. Dixie the only thing I'm nervous about you on the PCT is your timing reaching Washington State. If you get too late into October I've seen it dump snow up in the Cascades at that time with little or no warning. I know you'll be careful and smart though. Looking forward to your start!

[@iamaliseya]

So glad I found this! I'm a vegetarian and I'm planning on thru hiking the AT next year! I'm super late watching this of course, but thanks for the helpful info!!

[@kat3rinaaa72]

Do the towns typically have Papa John's or Domino's? Some of their crusts are vegan and pizza without cheese is still delicious!

[@martinmillerpoynter]

Was thinking the same thing!

[@tubesockets120v]

More uses on the trail for empty peanut butter jar? Post ideas below.

[@deadheadhoodie]

Well they weigh pretty much nothing.. So you could use it to take water from small puddles to full up a sawyer squeeze container if there isn't a big water source in the area... hydrate/rehydrate food well you are walking so you are ready to go when you get to camp.. just extra storage from things you don't want to get wet but have quick access to on the outside of your pack... if not in a rocky area and didn't bring a trowel or stakes.. the lid could be use to help dig a hole for business. if you don't want to leave you shelter in the middle of the night... and have to go number one... hahahhaha just going with things off the top of my head..

[@madalynclark7417]

I used to mix chocolate Carnation instant bfast with instant coffee on my AT thru hike & shook it up in a Gatorade bottle. It tasted like a delicious mocha!

[@Larry3043]

This live stream was great covering a subject that there is not many videos out there on. Dixie I love your videos and the content never fails to satisfy, you work hard at trying to cover a wide range and it shows....great job! Matt was amazing sharing his hiking stories and what he ate along his trail adventures being vegetarian, thank you Matt for doing this. Also did anyone else get the Sideshow Bob vibe off of his hair? Did I just give out a trail name and not even be on the trail?!?! Love the videos and the live stream...Keep Hiking and Happy Trails

[@jeremiahgillam3536]

Great interview and, a very important one for those who have either switch to being a vegetarian or a vegan, or who are considering it. Thanks Dixie!

[@corybeddington2934]

I feel like Im responsible for this video with all my vegan questions about the AT lol

[@denimacaz]

Great info for us aspiring thru-hikers that are also vegan. Thank you!

[@redtango76]

My main concern about being Vegan and doing the PCT next April is getting enough fresh fruit and vegetables. Did either of you see many farmers markets or good produce grocers when in town? I know it's not as practical to take it on the trail but I'd like to get as much as I can in towns.

[@zebunker]

People have that problem anyways in regular po-dunk midwest aka all the states the AT runs through lol.

[@jaqieackie]

Ze Bunker ... the AT doesn't run through the Midwest 😂 but I get what you're saying.

[@daveshaw5328]

Hiking for Sanity outside of towns with decent markets, on the trail you have to settle for dehydrated veggies and dried fruits.

[@itchypandaa]

*imagines buying a bag of spinach and downing it* 😂

[@cielrobinson]

its amazing how much veg backpacking food is legume/nut based. i can't eat them and i'm really nervous about food options

[@mattlewandowski73]

Trader Joe's Pound Plus half kilo (17.6oz) dark chocolate is on amazon, but currently costs like $15 per bar... weight falling off??? I am supposed to go to New York this summer to visit an old friend maybe I should hike it... I need to shed more than a few pounds I have picked up over the last decade :)

[@kirareoh1143]

I've been addicted to through hike videos lately and have been alarmed by all the junk food. Glad to hear that some are succeeding otherwise!

[@douglasvincent5409]

did you use a sprout sack

[@JM.5387]

Happy Cow app is so helpful!

[@mukkaar]

You could actually use dehydrator to make you own food meals. It lasts for a long time and you can get someone to send it to you. It takes a bit of prep but it is WAY better than any freeze dried or preserved foods. And it will preserve lot more of the nutrients than any kind of store bought stuff. Just dehydrate lot of produce mix it up as you prefer, add spices and bag it. For long hikes I would probably consider carrying some good olive oil or something like to add on food for extra calories. And especially for long hike like AT you would save a lot of money. Canning strips almost all of the nutrients from food and many freeze dried is full of sodium and preservatives, on top of being expensive. I haven't done long hikes, just some 2-3 day ones but as bit of a health nut I eat pretty healthy normally and when I eat those ready meals I feel the negative effects. But I bet in longer hikes you would see real difference. This is really good method for vegans and non-vegans alike. I would invest in good dehydrator, maybe even vacuum packer for good packaging and saving space. Only downside especially for long trip like AT would be that process take a long time and you need lot water to hydrate/cook the stuff. I'm planning on doing some longer hikes here at Europe and I'm bit of a health nut and almost vegan (sometimes eat out meat or something)so this is pretty much only option for me.

[@ToyRidgeDIY]

As a pure carnivore, I'd like to see you address long distance hiking with that lifestyle in mind.

[@HomemadeWanderlust]

I don't know anyone who has successfully thru-hiked a trail on that diet, but if you do, I'll be happy to speak with them about their experience!

[@jovita9323]

Alyse from Raw Alighment is going to be the first through-hiker at AT on a raw vegan diet and she's starting veery soon. Someone is going with her to document everything. Even though I'm not vegan, I can't wait to see how it goes :))

[@deadheadhoodie]

Jovita Rutkauskaitė I could be wrong, but pretty she already changed her mind about doing it raw... and is doing cook food as well but still vegan

[@jovita9323]

The603Vegan really? How sad, I really believed she could do it

[@deadheadhoodie]

I'm pretty sure she wrote it in a comment if i find it i will let you know.. but she is gonna put out another video soon of what her meal plan is gonna be....

[@TacoMichelly]

She's not doing it raw anymore, but is definitely still doing it vegan. Her latest video shows a lot of her food she is taking.

[@jovita9323]

Thanks, just saw it :). It was really interesting, I recommend watching it for everyone reading this :).

[@modestadventurers]

Very useful info. Thanxs for sharing.

[@FranLinden]

GinasSoups.com makes family packages of dried soup mixes. Three of the four are vegan. If they were to make versions for the trail, what would you like to see? Keep the packages to 6 oz? This is my daughter in law that came up with these delicious recipes.

[@beccamanning2531]

Maybe foil lined pouches so you could just pour water in and also not too low on calories

[@JungBokLee]

thank you so much for this video which will help me who want to long thru hike pct,cdt,at.....

[@DarkShadowCustoms]

Just saw this video. I read Stopwatch's book The Trail LIfe. It is a great book. I agree with Optimist that the book shows a bit of the psychological part of the trail.

[@Loathomar]

Can people really reasonable do the PCT without any mail drops? I haven't don't the PCT so I don't know. The JMT without at least one drop is a pain. With Muir Trail Ranch which is basically drop only, you have 90+ miles with a lot of passed between resupplies, so you effectively need to have 5 days of food. Is that the worst part for non drop resupply points?

[@GorgieClarissa]

Cheryl strayed did it in the 90s and didn't have issues with mail drops.

[@iamloved223]

I've been a vegetarian for over 15 years and anytime I accidentally eat something with an animal protein in it (for instance a seasoning packet with chicken fat in it) my body does not know how to process it and I feel AWFUL.

[@mikepole8597]

Can rasta hike pct?

[@candiduscorvus]

"When they leave, I'm gonna eat that Cheeto..." When I was in the Marines I used to call that the five-minute rule. It would get to the point sometimes where if you even came across food that was on the dirt and you weren't even around to see who dropped it, you would pick it up and eat it.

[@findalefinnie]

Awesome! 🙂👍

[@Pwrcritter]

I like how u say Live, lol.

[@tubesockets120v]

#lovehummus

[@deadheadhoodie]

Thank You!!!!! i know i wrote to you about this topic.... Very helpful thank you

[@mikebrown9412]

I am mostly a vegan, I am at least a vegetarian an I am also hiking on the AT in about three weeks. I wonder why no one thought of some kind of superfood (ground up vegetables etc.). I will be using a high quality one because I really can't think of bringing raw vegetables. It would not last and it would be too heavy and balky. A vegan has to be more careful on variety or else they will be more deficient than those who eat meat.

[@johniev6082]

I have a new appreciation of cheetos

[@willanderson1983]

Honey is plant-based, and 80% of bee colonies perish annually without a beekeeper steward.

[@NostalgicLink]

Honey is an animal product.

[@FishWaterBrewery]

I have not watched at this point, I say NO way you can do the trail or 3 trails as a vegan. I have never seen a healthy vegan. Humans are carnivores, sorry!

[@GorgieClarissa]

ignorance alert!!

[@foamsoap41]

You must not see too many vegans then

[@kristaanderson6016]

Fleugar OutDoors humans are omnivores. Animals products are really "survival food". A way to make it through the winter in olden times. In today's life, we really need very little animal product and actually NONE if you take a supplement. Or just eat turkey at thanksgiving and Christmas!

[@daniellewaters9649]

Fleugar OutDoors b

[@GSXinTX]

You never will with that level of ignorance.