Eat and drink on the way to your climb

When you’re driving to the trailhead, especially in the early morning hours, make a point to eat and drink in the car. 

Tasty and fast to prepare eat-in-car foods include pre-peeled hard-boiled eggs in a baggie, bran muffins (gotta love the 24 hour Starbucks) bananas, a canned protein drink, and cereal bars - try the "this apple walks into a bar" bars from Trader Joes.

Many people find that having a fairly high protein meal before a big climb day really helps performance. (Personally, I bonk in an hour or so if I just have instant oatmeal, but if I stir in some protein powder it keeps me going for much longer.)

Some of the high protein and drinks/shakes are a good way to easily get this into your body in the early morning. Check out the protein shakes from Costco - tasty flavors, reasonably priced and a full 30 grams of protein.

For hot drinks, a thermos of tea or instant miso soup can hit the spot as well. Go easy on the coffee - it can mess with your lower GI tract in some Less Than Ideal ways, especially the nasty brew you're likely to find at a 24 hour minimart at 3:00am. 

For water, try to down at least 20 ounces of water in the hour or so before you start your climb. Conveniently, a 20 oz. plastic Gatorade bottle is the perfect sized container for car water consumption (20 oz. is about the amount of fluid you can typically absorb in an hour.) Be sure your car nibbles and water can be accessed from your seat, and not buried in your pack in the trunk.