nly sick people don't enjoy eating. It's the only biologically mandated, essential activity that we must do on a regular basis that is actually pleasurable. You see it everywhere - the Asian family who open a Thai restaurant ... in smalltown, U.S.A.; the street vendor selling chili-enhanced slices of mango and papaya on a busy street intersection ... in any Mexican community; and the mountain guide flipping "Denali burgers" for clients on an Alaskan glacier.

Without sufficient calories you obviously lose weight. That may be O.K. while working 9 to 5 at a desk job, and may even be preferable for one's long term health.

However

High altitude tends to diminish appetite. In addition fats are poorly tolerated at seriously high elevation. Hence it is well to plan meals accordingly, with an increasingly larger fraction of total calories as carbohyrate rather than fat and/or protein. The resulting diet can become monotonous. In contrast, I found that on our expedtion every meal had an acceptable balance of these items.

ven more important than food is water. One can do without sustenance for several days - even weeks for a person with sufficient "reserves". However without H₂O you perish in a few short days. Dying by thirst is horrible as it's so slow and insidious. Better to go quickly.

At Mount McKinley dehyration is an omnipresent threat, lurking silently in the background and compromising the climber who fails to recall that he must drink more than he "feels like". High altitude and cold dry the air, robbing it of almost all moisture content. Hence just the act of breathing releases more water vapor than can be taken in - and the effect increases as you climb higher.

Inside the kitchen tent at 9,600 feet. (DC)

Perhaps one gallon daily suffices, including all fluid naturally contained in food. Regardless, our two one-liter water bottles are generally topped-off before leaving camp since then there is no opportunity for melting snow, to replenish supplies, until either returning there or establishment of a new one.

Unfortunately water is pretty much tasteless. It's one of G-d's mistakes, failing to flavor the water molecule. Citing its smallness is not an excuse since table salt, NaCl, is equally tiny yet is hugely tasty.

To render water palatable one uses powdered drink mixes. I bring enough of this sugar-free stuff to flavor 40 quarts, corresponding to 2 quarts daily over a 20 day expedition. The balance of my hydration requirement comes in-camp as more enjoyable alternatives - hot chocolate, oatmeal for some breakfasts, soup at most dinners and pasta (which is roughly 80% water by weight after cooking).

Parenthetically I note that pasta has advantages over pizza, sandwiches and enchiladas at suppertime on the glacier -

• It provides hydration as noted.

• It takes much longer to get cold owing to its bulk.
  Once food is cold it's no longer enjoyable (at least for my sake).
  The desire for second portions is thereby diminished.

This has immediate implications for how long it takes to cook (and sterilize) food. Would the additional weight of a pressure cooker be offset by a corresponding savings in fuel requirement? Likely not. However it would be beneficial anywhere animal power carries the burden - such as Aconcagua's Plaza de Mulas (14,200 feet) and Everest Base Camp (17,500 feet).

t home I eat a large lunch, a habit aligned with much of the world, and contrasting with the unhealthy American habit of sitting down to a large evening meal. Unfortunately a formal meal in the middle of a climbing day is inconvenient (except on "rest" days). Thus on an expedition the trend is to eat a hot breakfast and a hot dinner, relegating "lunch" to a day-long snacking affair that begins in the morning and continues through supper and beyond.

The following is a compendium of what is eaten on the expedition.
Mouse-click on any of the photographs to stimulate YOUR appetite!

Breakfasts

ttention to variety is never keen with breakfast, be it here or in the typical home. In part this arises because, let's face it, standard breakfast fare is inherently not as varied as lunch or dinner.

On this expedition all hot meals are group affairs as this proves efficient for planning and preparation. However on a private climb it is quite sensible to have individual tastes accomodated.

Regardless of this dichotomy,

VARY THE MENU TO STIMULATE THE APPETITE.

Here are the breakfasts we ate, including my recommendations for potential improvement where it exists. Moving days result in quicker affairs, obviating pancakes which are individually cooked on the griddle.

All mornings include a hot beverage, the choice depending on what you selected in Anchorage and/or brought from home. Coffee in some form is generally available.

Pancakes with dried blueberries plus cooked bacon. Maple syrup is available. However it's ice-cold, instantly turning cold any pancake portion that it flows onto. Eventually I did without for this reason alone. Butter expressly for melting atop (rather than just for cooking) would have been nice. Assorted varieties of oatmeal in the familiar individual packets. Examples include apple cinnamon, brown sugar cinnamon and cinnamon spice. Nuts and available for mixing-in. Dry milk powder would have been nice, and also the "Fruit and Cream" varieties commonly found nowadays. Cheesy hash browns plus cooked bacon. This cardiologist's nightmare is full of calories, and is preferably served on stay-at-home days owing to its fat content which is difficult to digest compared with carbohydrates. One morning ketchup is available! "Denali burgers" - a two ounce sausage patty inside a toasted sesame bun, served with a 1 ounce cream cheese packet. Flavor is lacking, and the cream cheese can never be melted in time (by squeezing it inside the sandwich) to "save the day" as the sandwich rapidly cools. A flavor boost is achievable with dehydrated onions and added salt. Salt was not available in the group spices even though it was requested by clients several times. I cannot assist with my own spice kit since it contains only potassium chloride salt which is bitter-tasting. A fascinating savory combination of cooked grits with bacon bits and parmesan cheese. I've never had this item previously, never ever. I will definitely be reproducing this at home - and improving upon it with melted butter. One morning we enjoy toasted English muffins with melted cheddar cheese and bacon. It is delicious! A variant is available, I believe, with AMS (Alaska Mountaineering School) expeditions - toasted muffins with cream cheese and jam. In the best of all worlds both toppings could be available for variety's sake. One morning we have cinnamon raisin toast cooked in butter! I think somebody calls it "French toast", yet unless it came that way from the freezer aisle I fail to see how that's possible without fresh eggs to make batter. Regardless it's delicious, and served with cooked bacon. The cold maple syrup again disappoints, I'd love to see melted butter to spread atop the toast. Given our circumstances, expecting warm maple syrup and butter is certainly excessive.

Pancakes with blueberries, crisp bacon and maple syrup. Cheesy hash brown potatoes with bacon. Toasted English muffin with cream cheese & jelly.

We could have enjoyed scrambled eggs at breakfast. A cheesy omelet would be better still! However I have found that powdered eggs taste bad upon rehydration. Furthermore, they provide no carbohydrate as required for performance enhancement. To bring real eggs up the mountain courts disaster should they break. They also have a lower than ideal calorie / weight ratio.

Hot Lunches

here are a pair of hot lunches enjoyed at Advance Base Camp on days
we wait for diminished winds higher up the route.

Grilled cheese sandwiches, 3 halves per person. "American" (cheddar) cheese is used. Hot peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches. Somehow I get two entire sandwices, the second one literally dripping with jelly.

Toasted peanut butter & jelly - served HOT.

It is about then, at ABC, that my lower lip becomes blistered enough to adversely impact eating. I can no longer spice food, not even add salt, with considerable pain passing it through my lips. Pieces of each sandwich are first torn off with fingers, the individual bites carefully inserted. By the time I leave ABC this issue has self-resolved, presumably for having taken a pair of courses in Valtrex - an anti-herpes medication.

Dinners

am thoroughly pleased with the variety and quantity of food available for the day's main meal. A soup course often preceeds the entrée, while a dessert sometimes follows it. The soup provides needed hydration, the dessert tops-off calories. I could live on dessert alone with vitamin pills!

The following items are enjoyed, along with recommendations for possible improvement. The only item truly lacking and which should be addressed is provision of salt within the group spice kit.

Any complaints noted are peculiar to myself, I don't believe that others are quite as nitpicky - these should be considered the opinions of a foodie and definitely not indicative of normality.

Pasta primavera with chunk chicken is served at Kahiltna Base Camp. There is parmesan cheese to pass around. Steak and cheese sandwiches on French rolls, two per person, also at Kahiltna Base Camp. Onions, red and green peppers are included - plus an au jus gravy on the side * This is my number one vote for dinner food during our expedition. * Thai-inspired rice with cashews and chicken chunks. It's full of carbohydrate yet lacks the flavor one expects from southeast Asia. Surely this blandness is intentional - and is readily addressed with the group spice kit which includes tabasco sauce. I generally add my own spices brought from home, not wishing to "hog" my share of the group's allotment. These include hot Indian Vindaloo paste, chili flakes, Cajun-inspired spice mix, garlic salt and a regular salt / potassium chloride blend. Macaroni and cheese with cooked bacon on the side. Generally it needs "something", even if merely more salt. I am certain the other clients find it perfectly tasty as-is, my predilection for highly flavorful food showing itself. That tabasco sauce is a good addition. Recall that I eat this dish repeatedly while in Advance Base Camp with Zach. The usual nuclear orange cheese powder flavors this dish. I prefer real cheese here, and as employed for all manner of other cheese-based meals. Chicken burgers with swiss cheese. This one is quite the surprise! The patties are large indeed, and are accompanied by optional pineapple rings. Caitlin personally selected the expedition's menus - "THANK YOU". This one is a "winner" if and only because of the variety provided - chicken rather than red meat. How may one incorporate fish into our diet? I have this pound of salmon jerky among my assorted snack foods - and it's for that salmon I generally save the cream cheese packets noted in the breakfast section above. Pizza with Italian salami (one night) or pepperoni (another night). Each person gets two eight-inch Boboli pizza shells with plenty of melted cheese, the aforementioned sausage, and his choice of artichoke, black olive and pineapple tidbits. It's soooo good! For variety I add garlic salt - although it's honestly not needed. Quesadillas - with guacamole sauce optional. I forego the latter because, as with maple syrup at breakfast, it is stone cold. Normally that would be fine if the corresponding dish were piping hot - yet the quesadilla is only luke warm by the time it's half consumed. There is a surfeit of cheese dishes on our expedition, and as previously noted. I applaud this concept.

Steak and cheese roll with onions and au jus gravy. Macaroni and cheese with bacon. Pizza with salami, artichoke, black olives.

Once we have cheesecake adorned with dried blueberries.

Another time we have Oreo cookies spread liberally with cream cheese cake frosting.
I take my share and add a flavor dimension with jelly beans.

On several nights we split a pair of gourmet chocolate bars - one milk chocolate, the other dark chocolate. People are fair, and, knowing I love dessert (this was demonstrated at the Bear's Tooth in Anchorage), make certain that I get to enjoy the remaining squares. In fact, I quite often get served first if and only because I always demonstrate a huge enthusiasm for whatever is offered.

I also make certain to thank the specific guides who prepare my meal.

Post-expedition in Anchorage - from viewer's left we have Caitlin, Zach, Dan, James, Nickel and Yoshiko. (DC)

Snacks

ll food apart from breakfast and dinner is included here. We each bring snack food for personal consumption, the resulting items necessarily different between individuals.

The variety available is staggering, and is divided into two camps - savory and sweet. Among savory items we have salmon jerky, meat jerky (multiple varieties) peanut butter crackers, corn nuts, sticks of cheddar cheese and little wheels of "Laughing Cow" processed cheese (regular and low calorie), cashews, almonds, mixed nuts and "trail mix".

Sweet items include chocolate-based candy bars (Snickers, Butterfinger, Hershey's Almond, Kit-Kat, Caramelo, etc...); granola bars and so-called energy bars (some with up to 30 grams of protein); squishy gummy-bear-like chews, Jelly Belly jelly beans (49 flavors), Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, and my favorites - dried blueberries in dark chocolate plus almonds and coconut in dark chocolate.

There are also drink mixes available - cocoa (regular and sugar-free), instant coffee crystals, apple cider powder (surely just flavored sugar), and low calorie powders to flavor water.