Ross and Cheryl Pettit have paddled and backpacked on trips in northern Wisconsin, the Boundary Waters, Quetico, Wabakimi and New Mexico. Their kitchen is a food laboratory for six months every year.
Steak is a reward nobody enjoys preparing when they arrive in camp late and exhausted. Who doesn't like fresh catch? Those who know the sun is low and tomorrow's portages are going to be tough. Months spent perfecting that dehydrated meal are for naught when the friend of the friend on the trip refuses to eat it. Food is fuel, but food is also communal. Get it right, and everybody wants to trip again next year. Get it wrong, and everybody builds up resentments ranging from the petty to the pathological. Ross and Cheryl deep dive into meal planning decisions that should be made thoughtfully in the months leading up to your trip.