Choosing what to eat on the trail normally ends in Snickers, ramen noodles, or pasta and rice sides. While these certainly give you instant energy, the long- and even some of the short-term effects aren't exactly optimal. What if you had a healthy alternative that gave you more and longer-lasting energy, weighed less, and gave you a sense of well-being, rather than a bunch of highs and lows?

Jessie Greger believes that she has found that alternative. Jessie was living on a ketogenic diet and found that it suited her so well that she decided to hike the PCT on that diet. While she knew that it would be difficult to do it logistically, she enlisted her boyfriend as her supply buddy and set out.

It worked like a dream. Apart from an irresistible pancake challenge, her keto diet proved to be not only possible but in many ways preferable. She didn't experience those sugar rushes and lows and she found that her energy lasted longer than most other hikers. She probably needed it when she ran into scenes like the one below.

On her return home, she started Next Mile Meals, which provides some of the meals that she took with her, as well as information and recipes for keto eating. You can check out her website at http://nextmilemeals.com/ while she can be found on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nextmilemeals/

If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of hiking on this diet, read her blog post on the subject https://www.nextmilemeals.com/blog/keto-and-ultralight-backpacking

The latest member of the Mighty Blue Class of 2019 is Katy Amphlett. Katy has quit her job as a kindergarten teacher and has been preparing carefully for her journey. We wish her the best of luck.

Last, let's finish with Jessie and the contrasting pictures of her at the beginning and the end of her PCT journey.