Early morning nutrition?
Forum rules
- This is a mountaineering forum, so please keep your posts on-topic. Posts do not all have to be related to the 14ers but should at least be mountaineering-related.
- Personal attacks and confrontational behavior will result in removal from the forum at the discretion of the administrators.
- Do not use this forum to advertise, sell photos or other products or promote a commercial website.
- Posts will be removed at the discretion of the site administrator or moderator(s), including: Troll posts, posts pushing political views or religious beliefs, and posts with the purpose of instigating conflict within the forum.
-
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 3/9/2025
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
ive been using oat flakes and whey protein every single morning for the past 6 years and it is working amazingly. it gives me all the energy i need even for long workouts... fire blood supplement
Last edited by dylaner on Mon Mar 17, 2025 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 166
- Joined: 5/5/2022
- 14ers: 49 1
- 13ers: 45 5
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
Usually a yogurt while I’m getting ready in the car. Then a banana maybe an hour into the hike. I’ll also eat a caffeinated clif gel, then another about every hour
-
- Posts: 3368
- Joined: 12/5/2007
- 14ers: 58
- 13ers: 25
- Trip Reports (69)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
Depends how early and how long the projected day is and what max altitude is;
The earlier and higher, the less normal food I can eat and its usually gels, bananas, raisins, select bars maybe cereal (so alpine starts to a 13er or higher)
Hikes on the east coast, due to lower altitudes, I can eat just about anything starting reasonable times (5am or later). If earlier, like 2-4am then more bland and or lighter.
The earlier and higher, the less normal food I can eat and its usually gels, bananas, raisins, select bars maybe cereal (so alpine starts to a 13er or higher)
Hikes on the east coast, due to lower altitudes, I can eat just about anything starting reasonable times (5am or later). If earlier, like 2-4am then more bland and or lighter.
Re: Early morning nutrition?
You know a muffin can be very filling.
-
- Posts: 337
- Joined: 12/2/2017
- 14ers: 47 15
- 13ers: 94 5
- Trip Reports (2)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
That's a go-to for me if car camping. 1-2 muffins gets me started fine (and larger ones are several hundred calories each). When backpacking I usually have a couple packets of oatmeal first thing. If I'm day-tripping from home, I scramble up 3 eggs with cheese, supplement with a banana as I'm heading out to hit the road. I'm a breakfast person in daily life - I have to eat something every morning not too long after I get up. I know plenty of folks for whom coffee is their breakfast.
-
- Posts: 29
- Joined: 10/20/2022
- 14ers: 58 3
- 13ers: 35 1
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
The meat / cheese / cracker packets you find at gas stations for about $5 give or take. Or small bag of cashews (salted or brown sugar)..also found at gas stations. Worked for me for the past 2+ years starting around 4am almost every time. Regarding the poptarts suggestion, I've lived off those during a 2.5 month bike tour...so they must be good for something too.
-
- Posts: 34
- Joined: 10/17/2017
- 14ers: 11
- Trip Reports (1)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
Someone might have already said this, but I can eat leftover/cold pizza any time of the day or night (or very early morning).
-
- Posts: 3368
- Joined: 12/5/2007
- 14ers: 58
- 13ers: 25
- Trip Reports (69)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
Superstition or not, pizza has found its way into my night-befote pre-climb dinner routine to some good success the next day on the mountain.
Re: Early morning nutrition?
cold pizza for dinner the night before a climb was how i learned to always keep pepto bismol in my vehicle.
lost a night of sleep to some insane heartburn one night in the sawatch
fail forward amirite
lost a night of sleep to some insane heartburn one night in the sawatch

“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
-
- Posts: 2056
- Joined: 10/3/2012
- 14ers: 52 1
- 13ers: 2
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
Oh yeah. These days I’ve learned to have omeprazole, or at least tums, on trips. Sucks on a long descent, or any time, with heart burn flaringtwo lunches wrote: ↑Fri Mar 14, 2025 3:19 pm cold pizza for dinner the night before a climb was how i learned to always keep pepto bismol in my vehicle.
lost a night of sleep to some insane heartburn one night in the sawatchfail forward amirite
-
- Posts: 31
- Joined: 4/6/2012
- 14ers: 55 4
- 13ers: 40 3
- Trip Reports (0)
Re: Early morning nutrition?
I appreciate the Seinfeld reference…and definitely have started many early mornings from home with a Costco blueberry muffin, very filling!