I Finally Made A Bucket List

 It actually turned out to be exactly five buckets, 20 gallon each. I hope I'm doing this right...

Planning the types and quantity of food was relatively easy as I could draw from my experiences preparing for and completing the Pacific Crest Trail and the Arizona Trail. I estimate the Hayduke to take about two months. Unlike for the much longer PCT, I decided not to do any cooking and dehydrating and will rely on commercially available foods only.

The Buckets And The Stuff That Goes Into Them

My breakfasts will be based on overnight oats, just like during my previous thru-hikes. I add chia seeds, different kinds of nuts as well as dried cranberries or raisins to create variety. The mix goes into individual ziplock bags that I will also use for overnight soaking. The moistened mix is a favorite for rodents, so the bag goes into my cooking pot during the night and will be firmly secured with a metal lid. I eat directly out of the ziplock bag, eliminating the need for cleaning any dishes. Once empty, the bag becomes the receptacle for the trash I generate during the day, wrappers of power bars, dinner packaging, and also the used toilet paper. Safely sealed, the mini trash bags travel with me until I get to my next resupply point. There they go either in the trash or in the empty supply bucket which I will collect after completing my hike.

Breakfast Preparation

Many of my dinner options are inspired by a trip to South Korea last year. I was amazed by the variety of very yummy instant ramen (or ramyun). Most of these are lightweight and calorie-dense. They also contain plenty of sodium, which is not great under normal circumstances, but quite beneficial while hiking in the desert as I expect to sweat much more than during hikes here in the Pacific Northwest. I usually add some couscous and textured vegetable protein to increase calories and protein content.

Asia Family Mart 

Last year I added dried sweet potatoes to my lunch and snack repertoire, after my friend Yahan's mom provided me with a sample. I was an instant fan of the healthy, calorie dense and delicious treat. I also use hard cheese, salami as well as Nutella (I am German after all) with tortillas (I used to live in Mexico after all), and an assortment of power bars and trail mixes.

The new challenge for me is safely storing food together with drinking water, coffee, tea, toilet paper and an assortment of other necessities in the desert. First I had to find a sufficiently large rodent proof container. During the PCT I had regularly encountered holes in gallon jugs of water left by trail angels. Presumably rodents had bitten through the thin plastic. I can't risk losing my drinking water on the Hayduke, so the gallon jugs need to go into the container too. After some experimenting I settled on the already mentioned 20 gallon buckets available at the local hardware store. They come with tight fitting lids and seem robust enough to withstand a rodent attack. 

Half Full Or Half Empty?

 The longest stretch without a trail town is from Canyonlands to Bryce National Park and will roughly take a month to hike. That means I will fully depend on the content of a succession of four supply buckets. I must not forget to add enough toilet paper...

Where Is My Bucket??