My Near Zero Waste Backpacking Trip

Last month I hiked the Juan de Fuca Marine trail on Vancouver Island. A 47 km hike along the ocean, with a total of 1400 m of elevation gain through all the ups and downs across the trail.

Earlier this winter two of my cousins and I decided the hike this trail (none of us having previously done any backpacking trips). So, this summer I was determined to get into shape and do at least one test run. In June I hike up to Landslide Lake for 2 nights with a friend, which was a great intro.

One thing I discovered when I was preparing for these hikes was that, although there are a lot of dehydrated food options available, few of them were dairy-free, and any vegan options usually included beans, which I have a hard time with (and being on the trail was not a place to test my IBS).

So, I decided to challenge myself to make all of my own food for the trip. Some of my recipes turned out well, while others were a failure. But I learned a lot and I was able to keep my waste minimal which was important to me.

 For my first night I made this peanut stir-fry, which was a disaster. First, I packed leftover peanut sauce in a Nalgene container, which in hindsight was way too much weight to have carried 9km in my pack. I strategically ate this one first because I knew it was the heaviest meal. I then realized after I had started cooking that I had failed to pack my spork, - major fail. Luckily, my cousins graciously shared their sporks with me, having to stagger meals throughout the whole trip so we could all eat.

I made the mistake of adding in my dehydrated carrots, corn, and peas (which I bought at the farm this summer and dehydrated) into my hot water at the same time as my instant noodles, which was a rookie move, but once the noodles were cooked there was no going back. So, I ate half-rehydrated veggies with noodles and peanut sauce. It was not satisfying to say the least, but I got the calories in which is what mattered. If I make this again (or a version of it) I would find a way to make the sauce with powered peanut butter to cut down weight, and I would cook the veggies first.

My second dinner was pasta. The week before I made a pot of tomato sauce from the tomatoes that my dad and I had canned last summer and dehydrated the sauce into a fruit leather type thing. When it was time to cook it, I tore the leather into small pieces and poured some of the starchy water over it and started to stir. My cousin gave me a skeptical side-eye at this nasty looking mixture in disbelief, but eventually the sauce leather did reconstitute, and it was delicious. Considering this one a win and I will definitely make it again.

For the last night I saved my homemade dehydrated risotto for last, because I had made it before when I went to Landslide Lake, and I knew it would be good. This will continue to be my go-to on backpacking trips.

For breakfasts I brought granola with powdered coconut milk, which did not reconstitute well. I also made trusty oatmeal, which was delicious, and a dehydrated apple and peach crumble which was 10/10.

 We didn’t stop for lunches while we were hiking, and I overestimated how much I would eat on the trail. You would think that hiking 12-14km up and down hills in the mud and the heat all day would work up an appetite, but apparently it is common for this type of workout to suppress your appetite.

I made my own trail mix, because again finding a trail mix with dairy-free chocolate was a challenge, and I needed chocolate. I ended up buying these vegan smarties from the Vegan Supply shop in Vancouver (it would be great to get these in bulk somewhere), and I roasted by own hazelnuts, cashews, and almonds, and mixed in some raisins and some Shreddies cereal, and it was delicious.

I also made two different types of energy balls, one which I only ate a few, and would not bring again. They were too bulky and heavy, and they were not easy to eat while hiking. I have loved these on road trips and car camping trips but were not the right thing for backpacking. Then I also picked up some cured salami from my local butcher, brought some bulk sesame crackers, my own dehydrated mangos, apple slices, and fruit leathers, and some electrolytes and that is pretty much all I ate during the day.

I bought a bag of salt and vinegar chips which I left in the car for when we made it to the end of the trail, and they were glorious. The thought of those chips being there for us definitely got me through those last few grueling kilometers.

Before heading back to Victoria heading to the local pub for a much-needed real meal, where I ordered a burger with a salad because I needed something fresh after 4 days of dehydrated food. Then I made last one last stop back in Victoria for a vegan ice cream sandwich from one of my favourite shops, Cold Comfort.

 All in all, I learned a lot about portions and what worked and what didn’t. I have another backpacking trip planned in a couple of weekends and I will experiment with some more recipes. But I didn’t get sick, and I was able to keep my waste on the trail to just a few tea bags, wipes, and bandages.

All my garbage from 4 days on the trail