Denali Menu Planning

Everyone loves to make posts about gear for Denali, but I'm here to chat about something that is every bit as important... FOOD! 

This season will be my 5th trip into the range but my first going up Denali. I've come up with some pretty great ideas in the past but my trips have been basecamp focused and so this year I'm modifying some things. I'm curious what other people are doing/have done for their meal plans. People frequently say "real food" and other generic advice but I'm interested in what meals you've put together that were winners you would take again. 

My plan is to put together 15 days of food that are "active days." These days will be a little more simple to prepare and have a selection of 5 breakfasts, 5 dinners, and 5 lunch/snack combos that will be repeated 3x during the trip to cover those 15 days. I'm planning an additional 5-7 "down days" of food that will be more complex and entertaining to cook both to take up time during the tent-bound days, as well as to add in some extra calories to ensure proper recovery during these more restful days where digestion will be easier. 

What meals have worked for you? What were your favorite lunches for your days moving on the mountain? What creative sources of protein did you come up with so that you weren't eating sausages the whole time? Extra points for spreadsheets showing breakdowns for whole trips!!!

My most important takeaways after guidebook NH the West Butt a dozen times:

Butter ration about 1/4 stick p/person/day. Put it in everything. My favorite is hot cocoa with butter.

Pre-cooked bacon. Bring twice as much as you think you can eat. It goes in almost everything. Whatever you don’t eat, you can trade for whatever you might want at 14 camp (think: gas, grass, etc…).

Smoked salmon. A lot of it.

Crack fresh eggs into a few 20oz plastic Coke bottles. They’ll keep nicely for the first week.

Pre-cut cheese into 1” cubes for cheese recipes. It’s way easier then cutting frozen blocks. And wear gloves when you handle cheese before packing. It will get moldy up on the mountain.

A couple cans of sweetened condensed milk for special occasions.

A bottle of makers mark in your cache at the airstrip. 

A lot depends on the route you are attempting. If the West Butt. basecamp food works for everything up to and including 14K. 

And if you need a spreadsheet for it you shouldn't be on the hill.

Allen Sanderson wrote:

A lot depends on the route you are attempting. If the West Butt. basecamp food works for everything up to and including 14K. 

And if you need a spreadsheet for it you shouldn't be on the hill.

Thanks for contribution. Really a lot to unpack there. Not sure what to do with all that info...

There are a lot of ways to organize. Spreadsheets are one of them and ensure quick and easy grocery shopping.

If you read the original post, I'm looking for meals that people enjoyed. The idea being that I'm hoping to broaden the menu on this trip and looking for some menu inspiration from other sources. Do you have anything to add? I've tried eating snark, but it's not very filling and the flavor of yours is stale. 

Allen Sanderson wrote:

And if you need a spreadsheet for it you shouldn't be on the hill.

Completely untrue + unnecessary comment

I take a backpacking oven.  It opens up the possibilities. Pizza, bread and other baked goods. I really like hot dogs they last and pack well.  Ham fried rice and egg or spring rolls. Shepards pie.  Chili and corn bread.  Lots of soups.  Fondue.  Ova eggs are awesome and taste good- so you can do omelets and other egg dishes. Spam  I think any type of meat can really boost morale and makes a meal.  As above precooked bacon.  Mashed potatoes and gravy. Or stuffing. Another fun one is jello. You can set it or drink it hot   That’s just a start .  

Sunny-D wrote:

I take a backpacking oven.  It opens up the possibilities. Pizza, bread and other baked goods. I really like hot dogs they last and pack well.  Ham fried rice and egg or spring rolls. Shepards pie.  Chili and corn bread.  Lots of soups.  Fondue.  Ova eggs are awesome and taste good- so you can do omelets and other egg dishes. Spam  I think any type of meat can really boost morale and makes a meal.  As above precooked bacon.  Mashed potatoes and gravy. Or stuffing. Another fun one is jello. You can set it or drink it hot   That’s just a start .  

I dig the fondue idea. That's a new one!

Tell me more about the Ova eggs. Are they freeze dried? I've never had them before and have been looking for a way to add eggs to breakfasts on the down days. I haven't had great luck with taking fresh eggs. 

Ova eggs are a brand of freeze dried eggs. Most freeze dried eggs are awful.  Ova eggs taste like eggs.  
you can get them in a five egg pack if you want to try them before committing to them on the mountain. I’ve fed them to a ton of people and had no complaints .

Being able to bake is awesome. We’re had great luck with the Fry-Bake pans. You can do pizza, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, even a birthday cake…

Check out https://frybake.com/products/

Allen Sanderson wrote:

And if you need a spreadsheet for it you shouldn't be on the hill.

This seems unnecessary.  We used a spreadsheet last year, successfully summited, and we had a great time.

Pizza was a big hit with our crew.  Pre made Boboli crusts, sauce in a squeeze bottle, pepperoni, and a big block of cheese.  A bit tricky to cook but works ok in a pot with a lid.

Quesadillas are easy and were also popular.

I’d be happy to share our very helpful spreadsheet with everything we brought to eat, shoot me a PM.

Sunny-D wrote:

I take a backpacking oven.  It opens up the possibilities. Pizza, bread and other baked goods. I really like hot dogs they last and pack well.  Ham fried rice and egg or spring rolls. Shepards pie.  Chili and corn bread.  Lots of soups.  Fondue.  Ova eggs are awesome and taste good- so you can do omelets and other egg dishes. Spam  I think any type of meat can really boost morale and makes a meal.  As above precooked bacon.  Mashed potatoes and gravy. Or stuffing. Another fun one is jello. You can set it or drink it hot   That’s just a start .  

Wow, you eat a far wider array of foods on Denali than i eat at home. Good work! 

Kyle Tarry wrote:

This seems unnecessary.  We used a spreadsheet last year, successfully summited, and we had a great time.

Pizza was a big hit with our crew.  Pre made Boboli crusts, sauce in a squeeze bottle, pepperoni, and a big block of cheese.  A bit tricky to cook but works ok in a pot with a lid.

I’d be happy to share our very helpful spreadsheet with everything we brought to eat, shoot me a PM.

PM sent. Thanks!

I 2nd the precooked bacon and cheese.

I've always gone with food that requires close to no cooking.  If I'm alone I'm very happy with it. If I'm in a group and have to watch people eat warm meals I get jealous and become unsatisfied with my own. 

Example of no cook stuff:

Tuna / salmon in bag packaging not cans. Mayo in squeeze tube. Relish in squeeze tube. Mustard, ketchup etc. Lots of Hard-boiled eggs. Cured meats. Protein powder. Peanut butter. Powdered Mash potatoes. Nuts, chocolate plus your normal outdoor snacks and bar things. Cured meats can get too hard in the cold depending on what you select. Carne seca works awesome because it is so thin. You can get at your local Mexican butcher (carniceria).

For long trips like Denali, I like to eat "real" food, so I find a pressure cooker indispensable.  Not only will you be able to cook things like beans, lentils, split peas, but the cooker will save more than its weight in fuel over the course of the trip.   for treats I carried a canned ham (lasts forever at Denali temps) and LOTS of chocolate.  In more recent years, I've become accustomed to using bodybuilders' weight gain supplements -- nothing like 1000+-calorie cup of cocoa!