[bacon_waffle]

A few weeks in to my first long trip, a mentor said in a grocery store in Franklin, North Carolina: "You'll become one of two kinds of hiker: you'll count calories per pound, or you'll count calories per dollar. Either way, you win with cake frosting".

[x43b]

Carbohydrates are 4 calories/gram. Fats are 9 calories/gram. Frosting does not win.

[gumby]

I believe frosting is mostly fat by weight. Nevertheless butter beats it, pretty much by definition.

[x43b]

https://www.pillsburybaking.com/products/creamy-supreme/clas...

Looks like a >4:1 carb:fat ratio by weight.

[fiblye]

But eating cake frosting by the spoonful is far easier and more pleasing than downing pure butter or olive oil.

(speaking from experience)

[DanBC]

And climbers already have an equivalent of cake frosting: kendal mint cake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendal_Mint_Cake

[gumby]

Thanks for looking this up!

[peterkshultz]

Appalachian Trail? I did it too!

Fritos and Nutty Buddies were my go-to. I added a few notes about my trip here: https://pkshultz.com/at/

[bacon_waffle]

Yep! Dropping out of high school to go backpacking on the AT was one of the better decisions I've made. It's been a decade and a half, and I'm still making connections through the trail network.

Since you're such a recent finisher; Springer Fever is a real thing, and I think it's best not to suppress it too much.

[gumby]

I struggle with his on through hikes bc as a diabetic I can’t eat a lot of the standard calorie dense foods. A lot of fats is really all that works for me :-(.