Camp Cooking

I have always had a love for the wild, in more ways than one.  But in this instance, I am referring to a love for the wild in “wilderness”.  I find peace and contentment while communing with mother nature.  Thus, I love to go camping. 

As a child,  my parents owned a camper.  Then they moved on to a motor home while I was in my teens.  But since leaving home, I haven’t been able to afford either luxury.  So I have had to perfect the art of outdoor cooking, arming myself with only a camp stove and ice chest. 

I was barely twenty, sitting in a Sacrament meeting and thinking about the next day.  It was to be Memorial Day, and most everyone I knew had it off.  I leaned over and whispered to my best friend Sheila “Do you trust me?”  Of course her reply was a suspicious “Why?”

After some deliberation, she relented to trust me.  I followed her home from church and told her grab her jeans and a sleeping bag. We were going on our first outdoor adventure together.  We took my Camero up the mountain to Big Bear, California. 

It was dark by the time we arrived and the campgrounds were full.  We decided to just hike into the woods and sleep under the stars.  I found a wide spot in the shoulder of the road and parked.  Sheila and I grabbed our bags and hiked a little ways into the trees.  It was quite comfortable and I remember sleeping in a pile of leaves.

The next morning, I awakened with a start.  Something was sniffing my sleeping bag.  I cautiously opened my eyes and slowly rolled over to see who was the culprit.  Luckily, it was only a very large, well mannered dog.  Upon further investigation, I discovered we had slept just on the outer edge of someone’s backyard.  They had let their two dogs out to roam for the morning.  I woke Sheila, and we snuck off the hill as quickly and quietly as possible.

Needless to say, we didn’t pull out the camp stove that morning.  We stopped at the nearest doughnut shop for breakfast instead.  Since then, I have always hiked in the day light to be sure I was sleeping truly in the wilderness, and not trespassing.

Other than that one night in my early twenties, I have had the pleasure of cooking my meals outdoors while camping.  The only part of an outdoor meal I do not relish is the clean up.  Oh well, there is opposition in all things.

 Following is a collection of some old standards I have enjoyed over the years.