My Hiking Energybar

One of the sources of energy I take with me on hikes is an energy bar I make myself. I learned this from a young caretaker at a lake on the AT/LT in Vermont. I arrived there calorie depleted and mentioning it to the care taker. He went right to his food bucket and broke off a generous chunk of this suspicious looking “stuff”. I took a bite of the fist size brown chunk and was an immediate convert. I was delicious. He also gave me the general recipe which I have modified to my own taste.  I do not know the long term effects on thru hikers that seem to live months on end on candy and junk food. This recipe not only provides me with more calories but also a sugar free yet sweet and healthy dessert. So this then is my personal recipe, very simple and easy to make in a food processor. It does not work well making it with a blender. Prep time: 30 min 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup hazelnuts, 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup Brazil nuts 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/2 cup coconut, either grated or flakes. 1/2 cup raw coco powder or coco nibs. 10 Medjong dates, take out the stones, 1/2 cup dried apricots, 1/2 cup dried cherries, 1/2 cup dried apple rings, 1/2 cup raisins, 2 tbsp coconut oil. Put all into a food processor and run until it clumps up. I taste it for the desired consistency. All the ingredients I use are organic, no sugar added in the dried fruit. I once put too much of the coconut oil and in the warm weather it made quite a mess.  The coconut oil adds calories, and calories from healthy oils  gives long distance stamina without the usual sugar and single carbohydrate crash after an hour or two of hiking. This recipe can be modified to suit ones personal tastes. This one is not particularly sweet. For sweeter taste add more raisins. Add more coco powder for more chocolate taste. Find your own! Oats would be a possible ingredient. The possibilities are endless. Start with a small batch to find your flavor.  I push the processed mix into a square Pyrex pan and refrigerate it. This recipe makes a 3/4 inch cake in a 7" x 9" pan. Divide and cut up to desired size pieces, mine are usually about 1.5' x 2". This batch makes about 18 pieces. Two a day makes a 9 day supply on the trail. Once cold and solid I like to package them up individually in wax paper which I put into a ziplock bag.  I carry one square per day send a bag of them to myself in a food package to a post office, usually at intervals of 5 days of hiking.