I put together this little video of our camping trip that you might enjoy watching.

I wanted to share with you a little more about the deep pit cooking we do one night.

Before we left home, we took chuck roast and seasoned it with salt, pepper and garlic powder, placed some sliced onion along with rosemary from our garden on top, wrapped it in parchment paper and then in 3 layers of foil. I like the parchment paper because I don’t want my meat to be in contact with the foil for all those hours of cooking.

Normally, I would have frozen it ahead of time, but I forgot to do it this time around.

The day before we were to have roast for supper, I had the boys dig me a pit.

I have an enamel roaster pan that I use just for this purpose. It’s been hit a few times with a shovel when we’re taking the roast from the ground but it still works for our purposes.

I started a fire in the pit and kept it burning all afternoon. I don’t know how necessary it is to start the day before but my thinking is it’s heating the earth and then when I put the roast in, the energy of the heat goes just to the roast. But that’s all an unproved and untested theory since I’ve never done it any other way.

I even threw some rocks into the pit so we could have some hot stones.

On Day 2 we set the roaster insert on top of the coals and then set our roasts on top of that. Keep in mind that we are using pine wood. It’ really hard to get a pile of coals because it burns to nothing. I don’t know how it would work if you were using a hard wood.

You can see the roaster insert in this picture.

Set the roaster over the top of the roasts.

Heap coals around the roast.

Russell wanted to put some foil on top of the roaster to help retain heat. It’s probably not a  necessary step but it was something we did.

Then you just completely cover your hole with the dirt you took out. If you see a lot of steam escaping from the ground, put more dirt on it and you can even step on it to compress the earth. Small wisps of smoke is fine but the more smoke coming out of the hole means the more heat you are losing.

We put the roast in around noon and left it all day until 6 that night. Then we dug it out of the ground and let it set for 30 minutes as we waited on the hunters to return from the evening hunt. It was still piping hot (because of the 3 layers of foil we had wrapped it in) and falling apart tender. In short, it was fabulous! The flavor was superb, too with the rosemary. Mmmm, yummy!

And with some other delicious sides including our Dutch Oven baked potatoes…

…we had a fantastic meal in the woods.

Has anyone ever tried deep pit cooking? I’d love to hear about it.

I had to send a few care packages which was my homemade granola and a Scripture verse on the package to remind Wesley to ‘Rise and Shine’ even if it is at the crack of dawn.

I’m so ready to see him again. He’s the kind of boy that makes his presence known when he’s around!

But adventure called…. oh wait, that was his brother(!) Seth that called and he had to go.

So we wait until October when we get to see his big smile once again.

Getting the horses ready for the trail.

And there’s my daughter-in-law going on her first trip to the wilderness with Seth and Wesley. She’s the camp cook but I’m sure she’ll have some stories. Who wouldn’t after living in a canvas tent for 2 1/2 months!

Only 1 more month of waiting….

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I hope you enjoy.

As far as happenings with our family, I have so much to post about that I’m not sure I can keep up with it but bear with me and we may just get through it all.

Hunting Camp is a long weekend we look forward to every year. Even though the nights are quite chill (remember we live in the desert where temperatures can drop steeply at night), the weather is generally beautiful during the daytime. This year camp was a week earlier than normal.

We started going camping at this time of year 23 years ago. Our boys were so very little but their daddy wanted the healthy meat and he thought it would be a worthy pursuit for our little men and thus our hunting tradition was born.

My older boys weren’t able to join us this year because they were deep in the Canadian bush of which I will tell you about in some future post – so it was just us five.

We have taken so many people hunting in these woods and before they made it so expensive for out-of-staters to put in for the draw, we would take them, giving them the experience of hearing bull elk bugling. (an awesome experience, I think)

Until about 4 years ago we used a travel trailer but that wasn’t so fun because I never got to camp with my husband because there was always someone I had to share our trailer with and my husband would go sleep in the tent with the men. Finally, I decided I would like to try sleeping in our canvas wall tent…

–setting up the wood burning stove–

And I haven’t looked back since. It is so much better than the travel trailer. The only thing the trailer had going for it was the bathroom but since we make a little outdoor bathroom at camp, that is not really a problem.

My kitchen helper…

Opening morning of the hunting season… there were 7 tags and 6 tagged out! A few days later the 7th one tagged out. This was a junior hunt so these were all hunters 18 and under.

My son was one of the hunters. He skinned it along with the help of his sister… at least when I left them she was going to help. Did she stay till the bitter end? Um, I’m not so sure about that.

I was able to take some solitary walks. I really enjoy those times when I can clear my mind and not feel that I have to be busy but can just enjoy God’s beautiful creation and even talk to the One who made it all.

Just the plant life in all of its simplicity is beautiful to see.

I always like to try some Dutch Oven cooking…

which sometimes is successful…

(cobbler)

…and sometimes not. haha I decided to teach Serenity a little DO cooking but being distracted with the other part of our breakfast, I didn’t give good enough direction and we “slightly” overcooked it, wouldn’t you say?

Her cousin fared a little better when it was her turn to try DO cooking.

Getting those dishes washed…

My grandson. Isn’t he the cutest? He’s a smiley one, too.

Sunday morning no one hunts, in honor of the Lord’s day, so we have a big breakfast at about 10am…

 …and immediately after breakfast we set up for church in the wildwood. How do you like our rustic pulpit?

Some of the young men were asked to read a Scripture or quote.

“Be real to what God has called you to.”

I love hearing my son speak. It’s always inspiring.

Although we normally stay over till Monday, this year we packed up that afternoon. We bring a lot of things… but not just for ourselves. We supply quite a few things for the entire camp. Regardless, we have a lot!

But with the help of others, it went pretty quick.

There were quite a few young people this year so they were all disappointed when the party was broke up some had to leave.

It was a good year for all the hunters.

Now Serenity & Audrey’s hunt starts today and if/when they tag out that will make 9 successful hunters!

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See you all when we get back!

It was a big camp this year with almost 90 of us going to the woods.

Here’s a video I put together. Hope you enjoy.

Exciting news! The victory bugle (all the hunters sound the elk bugle when coming back to camp if they’ve been successful) was sounded early this opening morning and it was Serenity who tagged out!

Serenity with her guide and brother, Wesley.

Her other hunting buddies.

And now a few hours later we hear another victory bugle. It’s Justus! He was hunting with his daddy.

Two out of 5 hunters tagged out opening morning. Yea!

Hunting camp is for me a wonderful time to practice Dutch Oven cooking skills, be with friends, play games, and make more memories to add to the many we have collected over the last 24 years of hunting camps.

Sleeping in the wall tent is the absolute best. The chill in the air, dirt floors you don’t have to clean, a lantern and best of all, the wood burning stove!

Cinnamon Rolls in the Dutch Oven was a challenge today. The wood burns till there’s only ash left. We had this same problem last year – there weren’t a whole lot of coals. It seemed to take all morning to make the rolls but when they were finally done, they were delish!

It was quite funny. At one point there was so much noise, I felt like as if I was in a construction zone.

Russell was busy building something for the outhouse.

…someone else was trying a new idea for a fire built inside a log and using a chain saw to accomplish it (picture of it below)

… and yet another was busy picking out the ground where I was going to start a fire for my deep pit cooking…

Busy, busy.

Squirrel hunting is popular this year. I had some for the first time and it tasted just like chicken but there definitely is not a whole lot of meat on the bones.

Here’s the Swedish Fire Log. It took a while for the water to boil in the pot but it did eventually.

I am so happy that the deep pit cooking was successful once again this year. I was a little worried because I felt like we had started the fire too late and that there wouldn’t be enough coals but the meat turned out perfectly tender!

This picture is before we covered the foil packets with roaster pans, which were then covered over with dirt.

Thank goodness the menfolk like to test their muscles out in log splitting competitions. It is wonderful to have plenty of wood split and ready for the fire.

Today (Saturday) friends brought their horses for the kids to ride on. That was a big hit!

Even Zachary & Hannah went on a ride.

It’s Sunday morning and we all joined together for breakfast, as is the tradition.

…then it was time for our Church in the Wildwoods. We were all blessed by the preaching. The setting is simple but special in its simplicity. The sounds of the wind in the pines, the tent rippling with the breeze – we are struck anew at the awesomeness of our God.

Games are being played in abundance this year.

And believe it or not, there hasn’t been one Dutch Blitz game yet!

Tomahawk throwing has made an appearance this year, as well.

But all good things must come to an end and so we had to say goodbye to several on Sunday and then on Monday we waved off the rest of the group.

We were able to get a group shot of those who remained till Monday.

But then it was another goodbye.

We could have left, too, but surprise, surprise, Seth, who has been away for 2 months was going to arrive and we decided to camp 1 more night!

We are so very happy to see him!

We’re home, showered and smell fresh once again!  Everything is all packed up until next year when we head for the woods to make more memories and to keep our elk hunting tradition.

Oh yes, all 5 hunters got their game!

And if you really, really want to see more of our elk hunting/camping trip here is a little video I put together BUT it does start off with some of the young hunters eating raw liver. You may find that part extremely unappealing.

Menus

Camping Checklists

Groceries

Gear

Warm Bedding

Warm Clothing

and the list goes on.

But what a good time we have. This year there’s about 42 of us heading out to the great outdoors. I’ll once again be staying in our wall tent (which I’m loving) with a wood burning stove to keep me toasty if I should get too chilled.

One of my goal is to figure out ways to organize my kitchen set-up in the tent. I think this will be my 3rd year sleeping in it and each year you get to see what needs should be tweaked to make things easier. The other day I saw an idea on the Internet for a camper trailer using pegboard and I think it might just work for our tent as well. We had a lot of pegboard given to us, so I had my husband bring home a piece. I think the piece he brought home measures 4’x3′. I had a box of pegboard hooks left over from a laundry room project but I needed some extra big ones so I purchased a couple more as well as some basket organizers.

I did some experimenting to see how it would work and I’m really pleased. I think it’s going to be great.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

There’s 6 elk tags to be filled this year – all by kids. It’s easier for them to get drawn than us adults!

This was my home for 5 days.

A peek inside the outfitters tent.

The evening we arrived there was 3″ of snow on the ground.  Thankfully, Russell had went up the day before and set up the tent because of the weather report, so we were on dry ground.

The next day was muddy for only half of the day, and that’s one of the things we love about Arizona.  By afternoon, the water had soaked into the ground, the sun had dried it out and the weather was beautiful from there on out.  Chilly at night always, but quite nice during the days.

I had some fun once again with my Dutch Oven.  I made the dough at home and let it rise the 1st time.  Then I shaped the cinnamon rolls and put them in cake pans lined with parchment paper (trying to minimize contact with aluminum). Next I froze them.  Once I got to camp, I let the rolls rise the 2nd time by the woodstove. Then I placed the cake pan into my Dutch Oven and cooked them using coals from the fire. They turned out marvelous. I’m always so excited when that happens.

A new group meal idea I tried this year was Deep Pit cooking. I can’t remember how many pounds of beef I purchased but it was enough for about 50 people. I won’t give you all the details but we cooked the meat for about 7 hours.  I was so thrilled when I unwrapped the package to find it was fork-tender and piping hot! I also made potatoes in the Dutch Oven and the rest of the ladies brought the sides & salads.  We always eat well when we’re camping.

So how did my $150 Craigslist outfitters tent work? Very well, thank you, although if you ever do get in the market for one, I definitely would recommend buying one with an internal frame.  This one is external but for $150, I’m pretty happy.  Here it is being used for a variety of activities.

The kids found a variety of ways to keep themselves entertained.

There were 5 tags for 5 hunters.  Four of them had tagged out by Saturday night… all except Justus. But, Monday evening was his time. This was his 1st hunt.

Justus and his hunting buddy (who was also one of this years elk hunters).

Mid-day Monday most of the campers had departed and it was just us and one other family left. But then Justus tagged out and so on Tuesday morning it was time to pack up our home in the woods until next year.

Goodby to dirt, smoke, and the great outdoors and hello to hot showers & a 10″ mattress.

Because that’s where it all started for me.

You know, most all of us influence somebody by the things that we do, and the way we live, and the things we say. We influence somebody. Somebody is watching your life. — W.M. Branham

These pictures of another family made me think.  Go ahead & click, I’ll still be here.

“You don’t have to be a person of influence to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.” ― Scott Adams

Because of these pictures, my cardinal rule of NEVER be involved and make myself SCARCE when there’s an animal to be butchered went by the wayside yesterday.

Yesterday, for the first time in (cough, cough) years, I donned my apron, placed a knife in my hand and began cutting.

This abhorrence of butchering all began many moons ago when Russell & I were first married.

It all started when I had to cut up a young deer all by myself – all 40 pounds of it!   Can you imagine? Such a LARGE animal for me to have to do.  Sigh.  Life can be hard sometimes.

After that my dislike grew when we had elk to butcher and my two oldest were just little tykes. Neither Russell or I knew what we were doing much and it would take us countless hours to finish one.

So I decided it was time (TIME!, I tell you) to hang up the apron.

And there my little apron hung for years, even when Russell picked up the knife and joined the boys as they butchered their deer and elk.

But yesterday everything changed.

Some friends of ours from church introduced us a year ago to Butcher Bob.

Butcher Bob is the kind of neighbor everyone would like to have.  Helpful and kind is what he is. He has a setup next to his house for butchering animals. He even has a walk in refrigerator where we were able to hang our elk for a week before we cut them up.

We had 2 to cup up.  Yeah, I really picked a great year to get back in the business.

But you know what I found out by the end of the day? Yes, I was tired, but I found out that butchering an elk isn’t as bad as I thought it was because my kids are big enough to help now and we were working together.

Wesley, 2nd in Command

Justus, Chief Hamburger Man

So why did these pictures affect me so?

Because they were doing it as a family and I am all about doing things together as a family. It’s been a part of our family’s values since before the children were born but my vision had become blurry when it came to butchering.

Teamwork is the ability to work as a group toward a common vision, even if that vision becomes extremely blurry.  ~Author Unknown

Serenity, Head of Packaging

Audrey,Our little “willing to help anywhere” girl.

I appreciate seeing the Strites work together not just in butchering their elk but in everything else they do.  I love it and am inspired by it.

So I made sure we ate together.   I do like me some food.

Two elk cleaned, wrapped and cut in a little over 7 hours all due to teamwork.

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. —Henry Ford

 Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.  ~Author Unknown

 Thank you to each one who has been an inspiration to me.  All of you have been in one way or another.

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.–Albert Schweitzer