But I'm still hungry...

After spending the summer in the backcountry, we know what it means to be hungry and to crave food. We're used to packing snacks and food for journeys and how to stay healthy and nourished. We know what fills us up, the kinds of quantities we'll need and the flavors we like. We're also adults who don't typically indulge in all varieties of convenience store junk food and candy.

And then day number three came around. Suddenly, my granola bar and trail mix just weren't hitting the spot. One banana wasn't enough. Oatmeal just wasn't doing the trick- it certainly wasn't sticking to my ribs, and it was barely enough to keep me going long enough to pack my panniers. One snack before lunch felt like I was on an extreme weight-loss diet. Out of nowhere we needed to stop every hour to stay on top of our calories. I craved salt, Emily needed butter, Flynn wanted protein. We all needed more. And so it was that before 9:30 in the morning I had scarfed down sun chips, chocolate chip cookies, a lara bar, donuts, an egg and cheese sandwich, a banana, hot chocolate, and trail mix, but I was still hungry.

I began to become aggressive in stores. Was that shopper really going to just stand there and look at those Baby Ruth's, all in my way? Didn't they know that I needed that candy bar, that they were completely rude and evil to deny me that peanut-y caramel goodness? Hoarding tendencies began. When my dried fruit and nut mixes ran out, I started to feel panicked. Emily and Flynn kept assuring me they had enough snacks and food. But I couldn't let it rest. What, exactly, did they have, and how much? I needed lists, and I practically insisted they tear out the food and prove it! They had to repeat themselves several times until I was satisfied. That is, until half an hour later when it was snack time again. Four muffins wasn't enough. A box of granola bars wasn't going to do it. I was almost shocked at myself, but I was too hungry to notice. Since when did I consider Nut Rolls a nutritional snack? Is it normal for Odwalla bars to be a mere vessel for mounds of crunchy peanut butter? Should I be elbowing small children to have first dibs over fruit snacks? I was worried that other people could seem me salivating over the sight of the knife and fork symbol on road signs. I scoffed at the "reduced fat" labels on bags of chips and snacks. Calories, more calories! Is that fruit leather really worth the chewing effort? I mean, it only has 50 calories...

We've had some truly delicious meals, including breakfast at the Austin's, tuna melts, french fries, Dairy Queen blizzards (note that I consider them all meals). But, somehow, I'm still hungry. I eat as much as I possibly can of mac'n cheese for dinner, but the next morning? I'm still hungry! How do I get up hills and make it to snack time? I chant. Not the normal, meditative, good for the body and soul kind of chanting, mind you. My favorite (it went best with my cycling cadence) was "Salmon -pedal pedal- bagels- pedal pedal- salmon, bagels, creeeeam cheeeeeese". The afternoon after we left Chip and Carol's place in Idaho, we finally arrived in Craigmont. Needless to say, we were hungry. Except this time we hadn't had a real meal in at least 24 hours. We were nibbling grains of wheat we found in the fields along the road. I sucked down a Hammer gel as if it contained world peace, we greedily picked apples from trees lining the road. Conversation? You guessed it! It was all about food, food, food. Our favorite kinds, what we wanted most, what would taste the best.

There are times for humor, and times to be serious. This is the serious part. Our trip hasn't been easy, far from actually. We've learned a lot, practically lived on top of each other, struggled up hills and against headwinds and dealt with issues (like hunger). But what was it that brought tears to my eyes? Five very simple words spoken by a true friend. When we arrived in Craigmont and found the Prairie Cafe, Flynn spoke a very simple sentence that nearly broke my resolve. "They serve breakfast all day." Its true, my eyes turned red, I sniffled a bit, and then the three of us became the day's clean plate club all-stars. It was everything we dreamed of, and I couldn't help but finish it off with an ice cream and a peppermint patty. The only problem? An hour later, I was still hungry.

Back when we still ate vegetables

Lunch time at last! Ever seen smiles that big?

Yup, its 6:30. AM, that is.

Rain? Sore legs? Doesn't matter as long as there's snacks!

You'll often find us in spots just like this digging for snacks.

-Carolyn