From the Camp Kitchen

For more than 40 years I have hunted and camped in Colorado's Laramie River Valley. And each year I would meet other hunters who returned to this valley. We would get together for a cup of coffee around the campfire and compare the day's hunting successes or failures. These casual get-togethers eventually became a full-fledged hunting camp where we shared meals and chores and tent space when needed.

Along the way I became the camp cook. Maybe it was because as a young boy, I learned to cook on a wood stove or maybe it was because I liked cooking. Whatever the reason, I looked forward each year to preparing old favorite recipes or trying out new ones. In recent years I have added an oven to my wood stove and have baked pies, birthday cakes, and elk roasts. Many of these recipes are included in the following pages.

For a few years now, my friends keep telling me that I should write a book with some of their favorite recipes and maybe add some of the stories I told them about growing up on a ranch outside Estes Park. I finally listened and this is the result.

To make the book more than just another campfire cookbook, I asked my beautiful wife, Marty, if I could use her nature and wildlife photographs and sketches to illustrate the book. She agreed.