camp cook RSS

Being a camp cook was not something I ever planned on doing, or even realized existed, until I moved to the Jackson Hole area many moons ago. I consider the time I spent as a hunting camp cook to be one of the most enjoyable job experiences I've ever had. It provided adventure in the great outdoors, and a challenging learning curve, in many ways. The hunters I met added a human interest element to the job that I found I enjoyed. I met a retired NFL player, Hollywood stuntmen, a police officer from California, CEOs from large business firms,...

When I hired on as cook for the first camp I worked at, the first thing I did was go to the nearest bookstore and buy a Betty Crocker cookbook. I remembered my mom using a Betty Crocker cookbook, so that's what I bought. That book was like a bible to me that fall, and I still refer to it now and then. Yes, I had helped out with a bit of cooking at home while growing up, but I don't recall ever making an entire meal for the family by myself. I had worked as a cook at a...

I had one of the most terrifying moments of my life while I was alone in hunting camp one night. Usually, the wrangler or one of the guides was assigned to be the only soul left in camp during the time in-between hunts. As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the reasons for this was to deter any grizzly visits to camp while we were away. The outfitter and guides were well aware of a grizzly that lived in the area and had made its presence known for some years now. The bear had yet to cause any...

There is strength in numbers, and it brought a considerable amount of comfort to have company arrive that afternoon. When the wrangler rode into camp on his return from civilization, I suspect he was just as glad to see me as I was to see him. As we unloaded the few pack animals he had brought in with him, I told of the previous night's events. Later, as he inspected my partially collapsed tent, it was decided that we would share his tent for the night. I don't recall if that was a team decision, but I do remember that...

The final exit from hunting camp my first year as camp cook proved to be a bit of an adventure in itself. (November 2, 1982) A snow storm dumped several inches on us during the last hunt of the season. The scheduled 10-day hunt was cut short due to the will of Mother Nature. All three hunters were able to quickly fill their tags, which enabled an all-hands-on-deck effort to get the entire camp packed up and out before more predicted snowfall arrived. Most of the sleeping tents were taken down the day before we left, which made for a...