Vittles for the Routeburn Track...

 Preparing for the Routeburn Track: Food

I am off to walk the Routeburn Track in two weeks time and I am starting my final preparations for the trip. I have walked sections of the track in the past but on both occasions big rain events (not uncommon in Fiordland) have scuppered me before I could finish the whole route. 

I made it as far as Howden Hut (1980's-2020) in 2019

I thought it would useful to write a series of blogs about the preparation I undertake before walking a specific Great Walk so this is the first dealing with the food I will be taking on the Routeburn. You burn a lot of calories tramping so hopefully this will be enough to keep me going. 

Conditions the last time I visited the Routeburn Track...

I also intend to write a post about the gear I will taking with me and a brief description of the convoluted transport plan I used to walk the track during Covid.

Food for the Routeburn Track:

I'm walking the Routeburn over three nights/four days which is longer than usual as I am staying one night at Routeburn Flats Hut. All of the main Great Walk huts on this track have gas cookers in them but no pots/pans etc. so you have to take these with you. I have planned a menu that will be quick and easy to prepare so most of the time I will just need hot water. 

Most Great Walk huts have cookers...Perry Saddle Hut

 I will be spending a night at Routeburn Flats, Routeburn Falls and Lake MacKenzie Huts so I will be taking three dinner meals. I will also require breakfast for days 2-4 and lunch and snacks for all four days. All up this comes to about 2.4 kilograms of food which is certainly not lite but also reasonable for 4 days. 

My food rations for the Routeburn Track

I pack my tramping food into 24 hour rations i.e. the way the military receive their rations. Everything I need to survive for 24 hours is packed into a zip-loc bag and the contents are all I have for that period. The advantage of this system is you have an easy to control amount of food for each day, it packs smaller and it is often a lighter option than carrying a big olde sack of loose food. 

A 24 hour ration I used on the Kepler Track in 2021

As this is a multi day trip in Fiordland known for random and extreme changes of weather I will also be taking a days worth of spare food. This is not a full days ration but just some items to cover breakfast and dinner in case I find myself stuck in a hut due to track closures or adverse weather. 

Emergency foods I have used in the past...

I have been lucky so far and never needed to use my emergency food but I would never undertake any trip longer that a day without carrying some. 

Now let us turn to what I will actually be eating each day...

Day one: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats:

The first day is short with a 2-3 hour walk from the start of the track at Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Flats Hut. I am starting in Te Anau and using a shuttle bus to get to the Queenstown end of the Routeburn Track. This is so I can leave my car in Te Anau for homeward transport after the tramp.

I am using the Tracknet shuttle to get to Routeburn Shelter

 I will be starting the actual walk some time at 1.30 pm so this has me arriving at the hut around 4-5 pm. If I continued on to Routeburn Falls Hut (as most people do) I would be arriving sometime between 5 and 7 pm as it is another 1.5 hours up the track. I decided in the planning stage that this would be cutting things a little fine...

Day One: Roast Lamb and Vegetables BBC

On the first night I will be having a Backcountry freeze dried meal...in this case the tasty Roast Lamb and Vegetables. I only use single serve freeze dried meals now as I found a larger two person meal was just too much for one person. Added to this is a simmer soup, drinks and chocolate for that day and some snacks and a breakfast meal for the next day. 

I have Instant Grits for breakfast on day two...

Contents of the day one ration are as follows:

BCC Roast Lamb and Vegetables, Trident Chicken Noodle simmer soup, Instant Grits with powdered cheese (breakfast for day two), Snacks for day two (Le Snak, muesli bar, steak bar), Jack Links beef stick, Whitakers Sante bar, Vitafresh (Orange), sugar sachet x 4, salt, pepper, Aquatabs, chux cloth

Weight:790 gm's 

Crackers and tuna fish for lunch on this tramp!!!

Each of these rations includes an accessories pack with a number of universal items including Raro/Vitafresh powder, 3 in 1 coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, Aquatabs (water purification), scrub pad and two freezer bags. 

My meal accessory bag included in every 24 hour ration

These are the standard accessories I include with every ration I make. 

Day Two: Routeburn Flats to Routeburn Falls:

Day two of my Routeburn tramp is a very short day...the track between Routeburn Flat & Routeburn Falls is only 1.5 hours. I will spend a goodly amount of the day exploring around the hut with a trip up to the nearby falls. I should have my pick of bunks for the night as I will probably be the first person there...

Day two: Beef Stroganoff BBC

Contents of the day two ration are as follows:

BCC Beef Stroganoff, Knorr Corn and Chicken simmer soup, porridge with milk powder/fruit/nuts (breakfast for day three), Snacks for day three (Le Snak, Nougat bar, nut mix), Jack Links beef stick, Whitakers Sante bar, Vitafresh (Orange), sugar sachet x 4, salt, pepper, aquatabs, chux cloth

Weight:760 gm's 

My food rations for the second day...

I have the Jack Links beef stick with breakfast to up my intake of protein in the morning. Porridge, bread, cereal and grits have plenty of carbohydrates and sugars but bugger all protein so you need to supplement it. Protein is the long release source of energy in your diet and you will not perform well if you are lacking in it. 

Day three: Routeburn Falls to Lake Mackenzie:

Day three is the longest on this trip and is a 5-6 hour walk up and over Harris Saddle, along the Hollyford Face and down to the hut at Lake MacKenzie. It is through some rugged alpine terrain and is the most picturesque section of this track. I will probably have lunch at Harris Saddle Shelter which is about 2-2.5 hours into the walk. 

Day three: Mediterranean Cous-Cous for diner

I have Mediterranean Cous-Cous for dinner that night...a flavored cous-cous packet with some dried vegetables, tuna fish and herbs and spices added. Cous-cous is a fantastic tramping food...lite, compact, easy to prepare but you do get sick of it after a while. The key is to give it a flavor kick with soup powder, stock cubes, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

...a BBC Muesli and Yogurt for breakfast...

Contents of the day three ration are as follows:

Mediterranean Cous-Cous, tuna sachet (for Cous-Cous), dried vegetables, Knorr Chicken Noodle soup, BCC Muesli with Yoghurt (breakfast for day four), Snacks for day four (Le Snak, muesli bar, nut mix), Haneff pate (lunch day four), Jack Links steak bar, Whitakers Sante bar, Vitafresh (Passionfruit), sugar sachet x 4, salt, pepper, aquatabs, chux cloth, scrubbing pad

Weight:410 gm's 

Day four: Lake Mackenzie to the Divide Shelter:

The last day is another big one with the climb up out of Lake MacKenzie and the trip to Lake Howden and then out to the Milford Highway. In the past you could have shortened the day with a stay at Howden Hut but alas it is no more. A landslip took it out back in early 2020...it is a damn shame as it was an awesome wee hut. DOC have no plans to replace it as there is no safe land in the immediate vicinity to build a new hut. 

Interior of the now removed Howden Hut back in 2019

I have a Backcountry muesli and yogurt pack for breakfast on the last day and will stop for lunch at the temporary shelter DOC have installed near the old Howden Hut site. I have some pate and crackers set aside for this meal and a instant soup.

My snacks for the last day of the Routeburn tramp

If I am able to get to Lake Howden then I will be able to walk off the Routeburn under my own steam. I can tuck into my emergency rations while I am waiting for the shuttle to arrive at the Divide Shelter. There are multiple seating areas, water and toilets available there.  

Emergency Rations:

So as mention previously I will be carrying some emergency rations on this tramp...partially as it is in storm prone Fiordland but also I have prior experience of the vagaries of tramping down south. Stuff happens that can make forward progress impossible. It is not a lot of food...just enough to relieve the misery of being stuck in a hut for an additional day. 

Pack four: emergency food for the Routeburn

I pack these emergency rations using the same method as the main ones but at least these fit in a medium zip-loc bag. I would also have some teabags and any other left over food to supplement this...

...my emergency rations for the Routeburn Track...

My emergency rations will be:

BCC Cheesy Chicken Mash, Instant oats, Trident Thai Noodle soup, Vitafresh (Orange)

Weight: 410 gm's

All of my food is carried in a yellow 13 liter sil-nylon dry bag...yellow is my color code for food items. Keeping your food in a larger bag makes it easier to find, easier to store and can protect the rest of your gear from accidental spillages. 

My 13 liter food bag from Sea to Summit...

I carry a 30 cm long piece of para cord in the bottom of this bag in case I need to hang my food bag in a hut with a rodent problem. If you are in a hut with rodents you have to remove all food from your pack or they will eat right through it to get to the goodies. 

Not an urban myth...I have seen it happen before!!!

Breakdown of some food accessories...

I carry a few additions to the basic ration load out so lets take a look at these.

 First up are the snacks I have for the first day of the track i.e. walking into Routeburn Flats. They are packed in a separate bag and will be easily accessible in my pack lid. I take 2-4 snacks per day on all my tramps...I try to keep these lite and packed with energy so cheese, muesli bars, jerky, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. 

Day one snack's: muesli bar, Le Snak, nut mix...

I have a 3 in 1 coffee with my breakfast but the rest of the time I drink Earl Grey tea as a hot beverage. My favorite brand is Chanui and I will carry at least 3 teabags for each of the days I am tramping plus some spares. I do take other teas on occasion but Chanui is the one I like the most. 

Chanui Earl Grey for me thanks!!!

I also carry some Aquatabs for water purification...water at Great Walk huts is normally fine to drink from the taps BUT caution is always good. Additionally I might refill a water bottle from a stream or lake enroute and it needs to be treated before I drink it. I have a water filter but it is easily damaged by cold conditions so not good for an alpine area like this. 

I carry Chanui Earl Grey Tea and Aquatabs

I like soup before dinner and have taken to carrying packets of simmer soup for this purpose. My go to brands are Trident, Knorr and Continental. I usually enjoy these about an hour before my main meal to add some extra calories, salt and warming liquids to my tramping diet. Soup will beef up your nutritional intake for little extra weight or bulk. 

Simmer soups brands I will be carrying...Knorr and Trident

 I also carry packets of instant soup (Cup-O-Soup) with me for lunch breaks, rest breaks or as a pick me up on a cold day. They are easy to make...you just add boiled water and sipping one will make your lunch breaks more enjoyable. They are also excellent as emergency food as they are lite and take up little space. 

The mixed instant soup kit I carry...multiple flavors

I carry these soups in a separate bag which sits in the lid of my pack where they are easy to get to if required...

My cook kit on this trip...

I will be taking a lighter version of my standard cooking kit with me on the tramp including my Toaks cooking pot and Firemaple stove. All the main huts on the Routeburn have gas cookers but I like to carry my cooking kit for emergencies and for on trail tea/soup breaks. 

My standard cook kit...Great Walk edition

My cook kit will have the follow items in it:

Toaks 1.3 liter titanium pot, Firemaple TI stove, plastic Sea to Summit Delta mug, TI fork and spoon, Victorinox folding knife, 110gm gas cannister, lighter, carry bags

If I have enough water I will brew up for lunch at Harris Saddle Shelter, Lake Howden Shelter and at the end of the track. I only need a small 110 gm gas cannister for these occasions. 

I finish at the Divide Shelter on the Milford Highway

So that is the food I will be taking with me on the Routeburn Track. I may swap out one of the Backcountry meals for some Mac and Cheese as that is another meal I really like on trail. Apart from that this is the menu I will run with...

You Tube Link: Food for the Routeburn Track

Rations for walking the Kepler Track...

 

...Vitamins for Victory...

I'm off soon to tramp the Kepler Track in Fiordland National Park from the 22nd-25th of March (in two weeks time). I've been finalising the preparation for what will be my last of the Great Walk including the food I intend to take with me. The track is three nights and four days so I have prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner meals for the duration of the tramp. 

Looking towards Mt Luxmore from the Te Anau foreshore...

I thought it might be informative for you to see what I am taking with me to fuel me through this adventure. I am following my golden rule of 500-700gms of food per day with a mix of carbohydrates, protein, fat and sugar to sustain me. 

My daily rations for the Kepler Track in late March

BTW...I always find my blog posts about tramping food (i.e. food porn.....and now we add the cream fraise...) are the most popular ones. You dirty beggars...you just want to peep at me vittles !!!!

My food rations for a three night Great Walk...

I have talked about my tramping menus a number of times now so I will not go into too much detail. Basically my method is to pack homemade daily rations in a zip lock plastic bag with all the food I will be eating on that day. This actually helps to control your daily food weight and makes it easier to avoid eating all your food in the first couple of days.

 

All my Kepler Track rations set out on the table...

These rations go into a lite weight sil-nylon bag I use for my food and only get taken out when I arrive at my destination for that night. The bag keeps everything together while also providing some protection from moisture seeping into or out of the food. 

My 13 litre sil-nylon bag can hold 7 days of food...

I have been using this same bag for my on track food storage for over five years now....it is still going strong.

Day 1: Te Anau to Luxmore:

The first day features a long walk and a big climb right at the end.. when I get to the hut I will be tired and hungry so something easy to prepare seems in order. Instant Mac n' Cheese can be cooked in under five minutes and it is always one of my trail favorites. I will add some chunks of Baby-bel cheese and a sliced up bierstick for more flavor. 

Ration Pack One.....Mac n' Cheese main

Ration contents: 645 gms (total weight)

Dinner: Kraft Mac n'Cheese, Chicken Cup-o-Soup, Hansells Peach Iced Tea mix, Whitakers Sante Bar

Breakfast (for next morning): Cream of Wheat (sugar, milk powder and dried fruit), 3 in 1 Nescafe coffee with sugar, Jack Links steak bar

Daily snacks: Raisins, peanut brittle bar, Snickers (not seen), Pure hydration drink mix

Accessories: Salt, pepper, Aquatabs, sugar sticks, Chux Cloth, thin plastic freezer bag, pot scrubber, 

Each of my ration packs hold a snack sized zip-lock bag with a range of condiments inside...salt, pepper, sugar and a 3 in 1 coffee for the next morning. I am not a big coffee drinker but I do like some with my breakfast in the morning. Not that my lovely partner Karen would call it coffee...more like muck and rakings off the floor!

Hey...it's hot...it's brown...it's sweet...I'm good to go!!!

The condiments pack in this homemade ration...

 I also include Aquatab water purification tablets as a back up if my Sawyer Squeeze water filter gets broken. This is just about the only redundant item I carry...the only other item is several fire-starting methods...a lighter, matches and a ferro-rod. 

Day 2: Luxmore to Iris Burn:

Day two is a six hour trip across the tops with two emergency shelters along the way so I will be able to stop at one of them for some food, a drink and respite from the elements. I am carrying freeze dried meals for the second and third nights of my trip. 

I have my favorite Backcountry meal Beef Stroganoff for dinner on day two. 

Ration Pack two: FD Beef Stroganoff main

Ration contents: 645 gms (total weight)

Dinner: Backcountry FD Beef Stroganoff (sml), Trident chicken simmer soup, Vitafresh navel orange drink mix, Whitakers Sante Bar

Breakfast (for next morning): Instant Porridge (sugar, milk powder and dried fruit), 3 in 1 Nescafe coffee with sugar, Jack Links jerky bar

Daily snacks: Le Snak, muesli bar, fruit leather bar, Pure hydration drink mix

Accessories: Salt, pepper, Aquatabs, sugar sticks, Chux Cloth, thin plastic freezer bag, pot scrubber, 

I have started using one serve Backcountry meals as I found the two person serves too large to eat in one sitting. I tend to rotate my freeze dry companies...Radix is the best followed by Absolute Wilderness, Outdoor Gourmet and Backcountry. This time around I had Backcountry meals as I brought a few in the Hunting and Fishing summer sale. 

Condiments pack for this ration...

I am also using the Trident brand Asian simmer soup packets...they are great as they are light and full of flavor. I like the Thai Chicken Noodle and Tom Yum Goong flavors. You can actually just add these to a half pot of hot water and leave them to rehydrate as they contain rice noodles. No cook time is necessary...

Day 3: Iris Burn to Moturau:

Day three is a big walk down the valley of the Iris Burn River....16 kilometers of mostly flat travel over 5-6 hours. I am hoping to get to the hut early so I can do the 45 minute side walk down to Shallow Bay Hut on Lake Manapouri. I might just visit it on the way out to Rainbow Reach on the last day...I haven't decided yet. 

Ration Pack three: FD Sweet n' Sour Lamb

Ration contents: 597 gms (total weight)

Dinner: Backcountry FD Sweet and Sour Lamb, Tom Yum Goong simmer soup, Vitafresh Lemon Iced Tea drink mix, Whitakers Sante Bar

Breakfast for next morning: Instant Porridge (sugar, milk powder and dried fruit), 3 in 1 Nescafe coffee with sugar, Jack Links jerky bar

Daily snacks: Jack Links steak bar, cashew nuts, muesli bar, Vitafresh hydration drink mix

Accessories: Salt, pepper, Aquatabs, sugar sticks, Chux Cloth, thin plastic freezer bag, pot scrubber 

I have Backcountry Sweet and Sour Lamb for dinner this night and Trident Tom Yum Goong soup. This is the last night of my trip so if I am hungry I may eat my emergency food as the last day is a relatively easy 1-2 hour walk to the road end. I would be unlikely to need it after day three...

...condiment pack with this ration...

I like to have some protein for sustained energy with my breakfast...I used to eat cheese but now I usually have a Jack Links steak bar or jerky stick. I buy the 3 in 1 coffee sachets from Asian food markets and they always seem to have a range of flavors and brands. Oldtown and Nescafe both go down well, Oldtown tastes like coffee with condensed milk in it. 

Day 4: Moturau to Rainbow Reach:

The last day is a short one....only 1.5-2 hours of walking from Moturau Hut to the pick up point at Rainbow Reach. I will be carrying breakfast for this day and a couple of snacks but no food for a midday meal as I will hopefully be back in Te Anau before lunchtime. 

Day four: snack pack for the short day...

Ration contents: 160 gms (total weight):

Daily snacks: Raisins, peanuts, Jack Links steak bar, Cheez-it crackers

Accessories:  Aquatabs (4)

I like to rotate my snacks to stop food fatigue and favor a savoury mix over sweet. No trail mix...I cannot stand the stuff anymore and these yoghurt covered apricot muesli bars are just about the only I will eat. I will also eat any left over lunch items on the last day as I will want to use it rather than throw it away. 

...all the items in the snack pack for day four....

That is the main load-out of food I will be carrying on the Kepler Track but there are a number of supplemental items I will have with me on this trip. 

Supplementary items.....

I always carry a few supplementary items with me when I go out on a multi day tramp. There are items you don't really want to portion out or those that you may or may not use but still need to carry. 

 I usually pack my food bag in the bottom middle of my pack so it is not readily to hand unless you deep dive into your pack. You want to keep your pack contents dry so opening it on trail especially in a rainstorm is not something you want to do.  

My lunch will be crackers and Biersticks....or wraps..

I will pack my lunch items in a separate plastic bag and store it at the top of my pack outside of the pack liner bag so I can access it when I need too. I haven't decided on wraps or crackers to go with my lunch time cheese and salami...I will let you know which.

...and some Babybel semisoft cheese...

Next is an emergency days worth of food in case I get stuck in a hut because of extreme weather or some other calamity. Not a full ration...this usually consists of a packet of oatmeal, a 3-1 coffee, some muesli bars and a freeze dried or lite main meal. I'm taking more than usual on this trip as there are often snow falls on the Kepler Track at this time of the year. 

My emergency rations for the Kepler Track

Emergency food: 380 gm's total weight

Breakfast: Instant porridge packet

Lunch: Cup-o-Soup, muesli bar, peanut brittle bar

Dinner: Backcountry FD Lamb Fettucine (sml)

The emergency ration is at the bottom...

I often use couscous, instant potato or polenta for emergency food as all of these are low bulk and low weight. Rice noodles and Ramen are also a good choice or you can take a small freeze dried meal. 

A variety of breakfast items I have used before...

Some items I have used for tramping mains in the past....

I always carry a brew kit with tea/coffee/sugar substitute for daytime drinks. I will be carrying my Firemaple Ti stove and a 100gm gas canister with me on the Kepler Track at a total of 145 gms...

My brew kit...Chanui Earl Grey is my tea of choice....

Jon's cook kit including the Ti stove and small gas canister...

I have also started to carry an assortment of instant soup packets for those colder days out on a track. I noticed one of the people doing this on the Paparoa Track...they had an assortment of flavors in a small bag so I am going to try it out. I have Tomato, Cream of Mushroom, Dutch Curry Rice and Pumpkin in this pack. 

Supplementary soup packets from Continental & Maggi....

...each daily ration also contains a simmer soup...

I am hoping for a successful trip and a fitting end to my Great Walk tramps after nearly 30 years of working through them. I may revisit a number of the tracks in the future but I think it might be time to start ticking off those other classics like the Greenstone-Caples, Rakuira Northwest Circuit, Hollyford, Richmond Alpine Track and Tararua Southern Crossing....

Postcript: the leftovers.....

Well my trip to Fiordland was a success with the Kepler Track finished and the final of the ten Great Walks ticked off my to do list. It was a great trip and I thought I would have a look at the food items I did not use on this trip. 

Soup, tea and crackers on arrival at Luxmore Hut, Kepler Track

There are always food items left after every trip...sometimes you over estimate how much food you will need or you didn't feel as hungry as you thought you might. Sometimes you are so tired you just cannot be buggered to eat everything. The Kepler Track is actually quite a hard track especially the first two days with huge climbs and descents over the day. I arrived at both Luxmore and Iris Burn Huts knackered so I wasn't all that hungry.

Tucking into a soup and freeze dried meal at Luxmore Hut, Kepler Track

If we look at the food left over from the trip it is basically my emergency rations and some drinks that were not used. I was expecting rainwater tanks at Forest Burn and Hanging Valley Shelters but there is no water at either of them. This meant I had to conserve water for drinking and not use it for hot or sweet drinks. I also ate less snacks on the track as the last day was a short one and I basically didn't have time to stop and eat them as I was in a race to catch the 10am shuttle. 

No water at Hanging Valley Shelter...

I ate all my freeze dried meals over the Mac n' Cheese...they are easier to prepare and do not require as much clean up. The extra Cup-o-Soup were a good idea and one I will continue from now...I used them in favor of the Trident simmer soup. Things I would have liked....I saw several people eating Mandarins on the track and they looked good...I might take some with me next time I venture out. 

The ration items I did not eat on the Kepler Track

As expected I think I more or less had the right amount of food with me...I have been at this lark for a while now so I think I'm getting good at planning menus.

Every track an adventure...every hut a palace...every meal a banquet...