When I was younger, my brother and I were often jealous of my sisters because when they went out with my mother, they often got to go to lunch or breakfast. Whereas outings with my father were of a harsher variety. He would take us boys to cut a load of wood, go hiking, hunting, or snowshoeing through the mountains. The weather was usually too hot or too cold and the enjoyment factor would fluctuate greatly depending upon the hour at which my father tore the blankets off of us.
My brother and me from left to right.
The rewards felt regularly lesser than that of my sisters, who seemed to enjoy cushier leisure activities in the warmth of a cozy building. Meanwhile, my brother and I were resigned to trudging through the snow behind my father. A man, who seemed to have unending stamina and skill at navigating the outdoors.
My father preparing tea
Stopping wasn't an option. We kept up or fell behind. It was more a test of wills than strength, unless we were dragging an elk out of some snow hole. Moments like these were a mixture of both and we had no other option but to get the job done. Though as you grow up and get stronger, you begin to rise to the challenge. Today, dragging a fully-grown elk or deer through three feet of snow is more a badge of honor than anything. It's a culmination of years of keeping up, to the point at which you begin to lead the way. Though every so often we would take a trip that combined some of the cold outdoors with an experience that felt like a literal pot of gold at the top of a mountain. This event was a mountain cookout.
Me on the side of a mountain cooking myself a dog
Mountain cookouts would usually start with us driving through a snowstorm. We would head out into the countryside past farms and fields up into the mountains. On the way, it was a common occurrence to see a heard of deer tearing into a stack of bails. Upon hearing the first sound of our approach, their bodies would go ridged and their collection of heads would simultaneously turn in our direction. Their still eyes assessing our threat to their feast. We kept on moving until we had come to a spot my father deemed a competitive location for the on-foot aspect of our journey. Pulling off to the side of the road we unloaded ourselves and the gear we needed to make the trek through the drifts and river beds.
Hot dogs over a fire at the bottom of a riverbed
It's shocking how quiet a mountainside is in the snow. The snow muffles everything beneath the trees and the only thing you hear on the walk is the breath you produce and compacted snow underfoot. It's difficult to describe the feeling you get when you move through a landscape silently transforming around you and it becomes a serene experience despite the temperature. In fact, the further into the journey the warmer you feel and knowing what lies at the end is more than worth it. After walking uphill or down a riverbed for a few miles on our snowshoes, you find the spot. From there we unburden ourselves of the backs on our backs and begin collecting sticks and try wood. Even in the dead of winter, there is more than enough dry wood in a forest for fire making and we went about snapping twigs and branches from trees. We would compile our findings by a hole dug down beneath the snow and with some old newspaper, a fire would be made. Your cold fingers and toes would remind you they are still there and warming them a pot of tea would be made in a small jet-boil nearby. Tea never tastes as good as it does when its served in the cold after a long walk. Something about the flavor is enhanced and no cup goes unfinished.
A fruit tea
After tea, a meal is made. On spare sticks, you toast a bun and then a hot dog over the fire. To those who don't like hot dogs, you'd like these. They're essentially crispy and smoked like a morning sausage. After having walked for a while in the woods, everything tastes better. You can prepare them any way you like and they're fantastically warm and crunchy. I usually devour at least two or three and recommend about the same for the walk out. The warmth from the food and drink keep your belly warm and full through the walk and ride back to town. It's an event that cannot be fully appreciated unless experienced. Depending upon where you do it and who you do it with improves the atmosphere. I don't recommend going with enemy's or with views that are average at best. But if you go to a nice spot with great company it's a one of a kind experience.
