The celebration of the actual holiday in the outdoors adds to the revival of what truly matters about it- bonding with the people you love.We have heard many stories of Thanksgiving camping trips, and love spending it in our local wild areas ourselves. Even more exciting are the trips venturing deeper into the backcountry. In these cases, it is important to keep the logistics of food simple to allow you plenty of time to reach your destination and enjoy a relaxing time with your loved ones. Keep the meal confined to the essential dishes, and spread out the work among all the guests.

We thought through a few of our must-have dishes and adjusted to make them possible in the backcountry. Cranberry Bourbon Compote is simple and perfect to accompany any other Thanksgiving dishes. It is not as saucy as a standard cranberry sauce, but has the same flavor profile and is lightweight and non-perishable. It is delicious spooned over your other Thanksgiving dishes and would also be a great addition to a breakfast made out of leftovers.

When we go skiing, we usually bring a couple cans of beer with us. Last time, Wes got the bright idea to bury them in the snow so they’d get super cold for when we were ready to take a break. He found the perfect spot in the woods near the top of the mountain, and started digging a hole. Well, guess what he found- somebody else’s beer! I guess it was the perfect spot after all.

Later, when Wes decided it was time, he went to dig our beers back up. He chose his ski pole as the perfect digging tool, and ended up stabbing one of the cans. So of course, he had to shotgun it immediately (he’s a zero waste kinda guy).

In conclusion, beer is good, but having a hot cocktail like this Mexican Hot Cocoa is even better. If you are among the millions who received a Hydro Flask for Christmas, this is the perfect thing to use it on. These bottles do the best job I’ve seen of holding the heat in.

Mexican Hot Cocoa is warm and spicy, which is perfect for a cold day in the snow. You’ll get some necessary calories to keep you playing longer, and a jolt from the cocoa cafe flavored tequila. Take advantage of the winter if you’ve got it!

Have you ever tried Kombucha? It is supposed to be extremely healthy, (claiming to cure all sorts of illnesses and even reverse gray hair, according to it’s Wikipedia page), but it’s a rough one flavor-wise. It pretty much tastes like flavored vinegar to me.

So when Aimee suggested making a cocktail out of it over the holidays, I was skeptical. She left the job in the hands of our resident bartender, Wes, though, who made up this truly fabulous drink.

If you’ve ever had a shrub, this is very similar. It’s only slightly sweet, and a little sparkly. It’s a refreshing daytime type of drink. Perfect for an afternoon picnic or an afternoon relaxing in your hammock at camp. It’s a great drink to include in your January activities. You know- because January is when we’re all out there getting healthier.

Cheers! We’ll see you in 2016!

While trying to decide which overwhelmingly sweet flavored alcohol I was going to buy a whole bottle of, I realized they make airplane bottles of most of the flavors! I narrowed my experimentation down to five, and landed on vanilla vodka as the best choice for this cocktail. I expected to like the honey flavored whisky or orange vodka better, but vanilla warmed the whole thing up just one more level. It also made sense when I dolloped a scoop of freshly made mason-jar whipped cream on top.

We highly recommend using park rangers to your advantage when planning a backpacking trip. They always know the best places to go. The ranger sent us over to Yoho National Park onto the Iceline Trail, stopping at Yoho Lake for the night.

It was only a few kilometers (less than 5 miles American), but still deep enough into the woods to be surprised to see Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, and tent platforms when we arrived in camp. They don’t require bear canisters there because they’ve installed huge poles with cables for hanging bags. No need to worry that you may be doing it wrong. They do, however, require that you carry bear spray with you in many areas, and travel in groups of at least 4 (or sometimes 6!) to keep yourself safe from large mammal encounters. Yoho was one of the few places we went that wasn’t as strict with these rules, helping us feel more at ease.

The campground was right on the beautiful little glacial blue Yoho Lake. We threw our beers into the water (you can bring beer when it’s less than 5 miles) and the boys jumped in behind them. We ate jerky and licorice, and played cards until dinner. It started raining just as we started cooking, but we found a perfect little hideaway among a trio of douglas firs.

It really felt like summer by 9pm when there was plenty of daylight left. Even though it was raining, we decided to take a short little hike to look for wildlife. We found none, but it was good to play before bed.

The next day, we hiked up to Iceline Summit on the Iceline Trail. From here, you can see the icefields and glaciers that are completely hidden from the trailhead. It always feels so satisfying to see stunning views that you know you could never see without walking yourself there to see them. The trail continues to several other lakes and falls, but we headed back down to Takakkaw where we started to continue our adventure back in Banff the next day.

You don’t have to go far into the backcountry to experience the incredible sites that Banff National Park has to offer. Yoho Lake is a perfect destination for balancing easy access with getting a little off the beaten path.

This was our debut trip with our new friend Adan. It’s not easy to find someone that’s interested in the same type of outdoor activities as you, AND also ends up being fun to be around. We felt him out by letting him be in charge of planning the trip. He booked us a permit for Taboose Pass, because it was really the only place available to go in the Eastern Sierra on short notice. Wes and I looked at some trip reports to prepare ourselves for the hike, and everything we found sounded awful. Huge elevation gain on a long, grinding slog up through the desert. No scenery, full exposure to the elements. I actually read that Taboose Pass was on the list of “top 3 places in the Sierra not to see.” We were scared.

We arrived in Lone Pine at about 10pm on Friday night, and after 3 hours of sleep, drove down the rough dirt road to the trailhead. We figured the best way to deal with this awful trail was to get it over with as early as possible, so we got an alpine start (4:30am). These zucchini carrot walnut muffins were the first thing we ate. I used chia seeds and water as an egg substitute, because I didn’t have any eggs. I historically have hated vegan baking, but not this time. These muffins were the moistest baked goods I’ve ever had. They were dense but fresh, and perfect to nibble on as we began our hike.

As the sun rose, we realized that every step of the desert trail was covered in wildflowers. Just as we were getting warm, we hit a chunk of forest and crossed the rushing cool creek (after first seeing a mama bear and two cubs!). It was steep, for sure, and strenuous, but we kept waiting for the true suffer fest to start. Eventually we pulled away from the creek, but then we got a view of a lovely waterfall, more wildflowers, and started climbing through huge spires rising straight above our heads. By the time we hit the top of the pass, wandering among the many tarns towards Kings Canyon National Park, we decided this was possibly the most scenic pass we’ve ever seen.
The other side of the pass was glorious. Meadows of shooting stars, sweeping views of the Palisades and the Kings river, and plenty of lakes to choose from for camp. We named ours “Earth Baby Lake.”

And Adan passed the test. We got VERY lucky with this guy. We were all able to teach each other things, and have great debates about backpacking methods. He also ate every meal I tested out on him, even when it was barely edible. Our favorite thing about him this trip was that he bragged about being ultralight, but pulled out three tall cans of beer when we got to camp. Some things are worth the weight.

Sun tea is simply made by adding tea bags to cold water, and placing the container in the sun for a few hours to steep it. This process takes longer than boiling water, but if you’re out playing all day, that’s perfectly fine. We created a cocktail with our sun tea to enjoy the longer daylight hours outside.

This is a versatile recipe that can be adjusted depending on your preferences and needs. You can make a traditional black tea with lemon, as seen here, or you can create an herbal or fruity tea instead.

Bourbon is our favorite choice for mixing with black tea, but I think gin would pair nicely with a lighter herbal blend. We’d love to test out any of your ideas, though! Send them over and we’ll get down to business.

Memorial Day weekend is the gateway to summer, so sit back in the sun, put this drink in your hand, and start dreaming up the best season of your life. Cheers!

Prep at Home

This is my number one tip. Make some meals at home so that when you get to camp, you aren’t tempted to eat junk. Often times we camp in groups and most likely the other people you’re camping with are not going to be thinking about food in the same way you are. If your meals are all ready to go in your cooler, then you can heat them up as soon as you’re hungry and the chances of you chowing on your friend’s Chili Dogs are greatly reduced.

Here are some more specific ideas:

• How about freezing some homemade pasta sauce and serving it on top of this fantastic protein and fiber packed red lentil pasta?
• This Date and Chickpea Stew, but substitute quinoa for the couscous.



• A pot of soup is always satisfying, especially if you’re going somewhere that gets cool in the evenings.  This Spicy Korean Lentil Soup is warming, healthy and filling.



• A salad can also be a great meal and if you choose one with a hearty base like kale, you can make it at home and eat it a day or two later. This Kale and Black Eyed Pea Salad is my favorite.
• For breakfast, all those recipes for overnight oats that you see everywhere on Pinterest are perfect camping food. Just pull a jar out of your cooler first thing in the morning and eat it cold, or heat it up on your camp stove.

Use the Campfire

Cooking on the campfire adds so much flavor, and I’m not just talking about burnt hot dogs. On top of that, it’s fun and interactive, especially if you have older kids who you might be able to recruit to help cook the meal.

Foil pouches (aka Hobo Packs) are great, and you can make a DIY setup by setting out veggies, lean meats or tofu, and seasonings next to pieces of foil. Then everyone can assemble their own packet of food and stick it in the fire to cook. Here are some basic assembly instructions for making your foil packets.

Here are some other recipe ideas:

• Grilled Artichokes with Lemon Garlic Aioli (instead of the aioli, you may want to make a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper)
• Blistered Shishito Peppers can easily be made in a cast iron skillet over the campfire. Substitute edamame if you can’t find shishito peppers



• Trout Tacos are the ultimate campfire health food if you happen to be fishing
• If you’re lucky enough to own a dutch oven, you can make these Dutch Oven Stuffed Peppers (sub lentils for the meat, brown rice for the white rice, omit cheese)
• Campfire Asparagus with Mustard Orange Vinaigrette

Bring Interesting Snacks

You might be able to resist chips and salsa on a regular day at home, but it’s much more difficult when the snacks come out at camp. Make sure you come prepared with plenty of healthy and interesting snacks.
Some of our favorites are:

• Spicy Lemon Herb Popcorn



• Butternut Squash Tahini Spread
• Spicy Peanut Dip
• To satisfy the littles or yourself on a hike, make up a batch of Blueberry Coconut Almond Bars at home.

Don’t Forget Dessert

Desserts are essential if you ask me, and not as hard as you might think to keep healthy:

• At this time of year and in the coming months, take advantage of all the great fruit that is available. Grill peaches, plums and pineapple on a grate over the campfire. If that’s not sweet enough, drizzle it with a touch of maple syrup.
• Bake up a batch of healthy cookies at home and pass them around by the campfire. I’ve been making these Banana Bread Muffin Tops weekly and they really hit the spot.
• Did you ever make Banana Boats on a campfire as a kid? You take a banana, split it lengthwise, and stuff it with things like chocolate chips, marshmallows, caramels, nuts and peanut butter. If you skip the overly sweet toppings and instead fill it with toasted pecans, dark chocolate, and a drizzle of date caramel that you make at home, you’ve got a healthy and delicious dessert.

Happy Hour

Whether you’re drinking alcohol or not, you may want a drink that feels special while you’re camping. If you’re avoiding alcohol altogether, try making a mocktail with fresh herbs, a splash of juice and some sparkling water. If you do want some alcohol, make your drinks last longer in your glass by using sparkling water as a mixer. Whether it’s gin and soda with a big squeeze of lime or a white wine spritzer, this will slow down your alcohol intake, help you stay a little bit hydrated, and keep your drinks special.

Above all, have fun on your trip and don’t worry too much if you do indulge a little more than usual. Go out for a hike or a trail run and burn a few extra calories if you really don’t want to worry about it.

Maybe it’s old school, but we have loved making cheese fondue for a while. We’ve made several different variations to one recipe, but it always includes mustard, garlic, beer or wine, and gruyere cheese. This is a recipe that can be made low and slow in a crock pot at home or dutch oven at camp. It can also be made rather quickly in a cast iron skillet for an appetizer or full-on meal.

This is a nice recipe for camping because it really is a one pot meal, with no need for any other dirty dishes. We do basically nothing to the dippers, besides chopping and blanching the vegetables. The dishes they sit in are very easy to clean in the end.

Another bonus is that a cast iron skillet retains heat beautifully, so the fondue actually stays warm for longer than you might think.

Beer Cheese fondue is a fun meal that will bring your whole group together to eat. There are a lot of possibilities for a second round meal with the leftovers as well. We’ve done some awesome grilled cheese sandwiches, but mac ‘n cheese or a broccoli cheese soup would be super easy as well.

Thank you Ryan for the beautiful photos! We learned a lot about food styling and outdoor lighting in one little afternoon in the mountains. Here are some things we learned:

1. Try to even out harsh mottled light by holding a scrim or light diffuser over the subject. We’re thinking a tent may work for this in a backcountry situation, but haven’t tested that out yet.
2. Ryan swears by his apple box as a multipurpose tool to help stand over your subject.
3. The wilderness is full of beautiful background props, so use what you can find (while practicing Leave No Trace techniques, of course), but Ryan brought a few boards with him that were beautiful and natural for times when we couldn’t find something big or flat enough.
4. Slow down, focus, and take your time styling the food on the table. It will make a difference.

All photos by the talented Ryan Robert Miller.

A few months ago, Emily and Wes hosted a picnic in their backyard and they served sangria in jars. With all the mason jar madness going on in the world, I don’t know why I never thought of putting drinks in jars for a camping trip. You just pack the partially filled jars in your cooler and then top them off with ice at camp. If you drink the sangria on the first night, you can use the jars as your drinking glasses for the rest of your trip. The jars are admittedly heavy and fragile, but they won’t leak and they’re nice to drink out of. Great for glamping.

This Rosé Sangria is spiked with a touch of tequila and some tangy grapefruit juice. Combined with the sweet fruit, it’s a winner. Even if you’re not camping, make this and sip it on your porch.