Winter backpacking is a very different beast from warmer seasons. Alcohol and canister stoves are out for me- rather, I take a seriously high-output white gas stove that will function down at temperatures in the -30° F range (I've tested this on more than one occasion). I also get to take more perishables because the world becomes my refrigerator.
On this trip, since I'll be using a pulk (sled) to carry most of my gear, I'm also not worrying about food weight. So I'll bring a lot of extra food, including some dinners that are a lot fancier than what I normally backpack with. The daytime snacks are the usual-- trail mix, Lara Bar, Snickers, fig bars, chocolate, etc.
Dinners on my menu for this trip include:
- Tortellini with pesto & summer sausage
- Pasta with crushed tomatoes & bacon
- Tuna mac with peas & corn
- Asian noodles with peanut sauce.
Yeah, all pasta, but a bit nicer than my usual "just add boiling water" meals.
