HOW TO PREP FOR MOUNTAIN CAMPING
We enjoy camping all over Colorado. We have our favorite spots that have become our routine. In this post we will be focusing on BLM camping.
How we prepare for the trip.
What we pack for the trip.
How we plan, without over planning.
How I meal plan and prep cook. (it's all about the food and coffee y'all!)
How to Prepare for a Mountain Camping Trip
Altitude
One thing some people don't think about is altitude. I didn't have a problem with altitude until I was in my early 30's. My Daddy is a truck driver, so I grew up traveling all over the country and many times we would take mini vacations camping in the mountains since Daddy got paid to go there anyways. I spent a lot of time in the mountains growing up with no issue!
How do I prepare for the altitude? I order Acli-Mate which is from Gunnison, CO. I start this about a week before I leave. I stay on it until I return home. Also, I take it in the morning because it gives me an energy boost, just a side note ;) Here is the link https://acli-mate.com/
I also like to buy a can of boost as soon as I get there. If you are driving, buy a can before you leave. You can get it on amazon and your local stores like Sun and Ski or Academy. Here is a link https://www.boostoxygen.com
As soon as we get to Colorado, I like to get reflexology and go to an oxygen bar. It helps me acclimate more quickly. Our 1st stop is usually Crested Butte, CO. Sea Level Spa has both, so it's a one stop shop for me. Here is a link to their website https://sealevelspa.com/
Our Gear
We make an assessment on our gear. On our last trip, did anything break, need maintenance, repair? I make a note of these things as we pack up every trip, so in preparation for the next trip we know exactly what to do so that we can stay on top of our gear. I don't feel like unpacking every piece of gear and inspecting it, so this is an easy way for Ryan and I to keep things functioning.
Camping with Others
When we travel with other people, we like to do a cookout and spitball what we all want the trip to be. This will dictate how we plan. Here are some examples:
Mountain Biking and hiking. If we are staying super active we may not cook as much at camp. I may plan to make some food/snacks ahead of time. I will also plan on bringing honey stingers, bars, etc. to have in our packs for the rides/hikes. A lot of times when we are active, we will grab a bar or pre-made food for breakfast (like homemade banana bread) and head out early. We snack on things from our pack throughout the day, then either eat out in the evening if there is a cool town nearby or go back to camp and cook over the campfire.
Off roading, jeeping, riding side by sides. When we do this type of trip, not only do we add on some gear (tow rope, tools, etc.), but also camp differently. We will usually only cook camp breakfast on days we aren't off roading. We also pack a day cooler for lunch, snacks, and drinks. This will play into the things we need to bring with us as well as our meal plan.
Just camping. Sometimes (not that often) we camp to JUST CAMP. When we camp like this, the dutch ovens come out, and we end up setting up a bigger camp. We spend more time at camp when we aren't adding in other activities, so I cook more, we play more games and cards, and we need a dedicated drink cooler.
What to Pack for a Mountain Trip
This of course depends on the factors above, so the list varies according to the activities we are doing while we are in the mountains. Read more about gear in this post. You can also download the free Camping Checklist here. I like to refer to this list every trip, then determining the factors such as activities, who is coming, how long we are gone, then I will decide what is worth the effort to pack. Remember, the more you pack, the more you clean and unpack when you get home. Sometimes less is more.
How to Plan for Mountain Camping
Don't over plan! Having a dedicated itinerary is exhausting. Camping is all about relaxing, enjoying nature and your people. And of course food and coffee, but that's a given! When we plan a trip, we decide on a few things:
A specific town or general area we are going. This changes if it is a flippin' trip. Don't know what a flippin' trip is? Find out here. When we decide on our area, we use the campendium app to find BLM spots in the area. We make a tentative list and plan to arrive with enough daylight to find the spot we love.
How many days we can be gone.
Basic meal plan, not to thorough and flexible so we can eat out or change our plan on a whim. I usually plan to eat 2 or 3 dinners out, especially of we are off roading. Getting into a town and fueling up and having pizza at sunset outdoors (or tacos at Bonez in Crested Butte) is a memory I look forward to every trip!
An activity or two we haven't done yet, or we want to do again. I make a note of this, but we fly by the seat of our pants and 'taste the air' as my sister in law says. The weather changes, some days we are tired, so we don't micro manage our plans. This works well for us because we can just go with the flow and spend more time making memories not stressing over plans.
If we are off roading, hiking, or mountain biking, I make a list of trails we would like to hit, and our favorites we hit every time. If we 'taste the air' and decide we want to hit a trail, we don't have to do a bunch of research and waste our time. We can spend that time getting dusty!
Meal Planning & Prep Cooking
Camping Meal Plan
Once I know how many days we are going, what type of trip we are taking, and who will be there, I start my list. I count how many meals we will need and I make snacks for the drive out and for days trips while we are there.
For breakfast, I usually cook one or two big meals and the rest of the time we eat bagels, cereal, granola bars, and drink smoothies. (I buy premade naked smoothies) For lunch, unless we are MTB I always have my small backpacking stove. We usually bring something small and yummy to cook. I always have stuff for sandwiches too. Some trips I cook a roast ahead of time and we make roast beef sandwiches.....so yummy!!
If you want cowboy coffee, or you bought a camping espresso maker like mine, don't forget to bring enough to share! Everyone likes coming to my camp for the morning brew, and it makes me happy. I like to buy my coffee locally and enjoy the local brew. But, if you have a particular blend you like, don't forget to pack plenty! I usually pack just enough for a backup supply incase it takes me a day or two to get my local whole bean coffee that I like.
I like to have snacks when we are in the go playing. Ryan and Rylin both have their own beef jerky recipe. We have a large cabela's dehydrator, so I will buy a brisket, we will cut it up into thin slices. I will marinate half of it with Ryan's recipe, and the other half with Rylin's recipe. It usually gives us enough beef jerky for the whole trip. It's not overly salty, it is very tender, no junk, and it way cheaper than buying beef jerky as much as we eat!
Prep Cooking for Camp
We make the beef jerky, ginger chews, a batch of banana bread, & a batch of chocolate chip cookies. This is my go to list every time we travel no matter what we are doing or who is tagging along.
I make bento boxes for the trip out. We aren't big on fast food. Sometimes you crave junk food and now and then we will indulge, but when we pack, we save money and feel better. It's a win win.
I also try to freeze all my meat before we go, it keeps the cooler colder and nothing goes bad before the end of our trip. The exception is steak, we buy our steak fresh the day we decide to grill it.
Another thing I do is chop everything that can be chopped without getting weird. I like to make my potatoes and onions fresh, but just about everything else can be prepped ahead of time. I keep it in the top rack of my cooler with my eggs and cheese. This works great for me, saves me time and mess so I can spend more time playing at camp.
I also buy a flat of water and freeze them. I use them along with reusable kodi cooler ice blocks in the food coolers (They're like the yeti ice blocks but cheaper and work just as good!), and I use them with loose ice in the drink coolers. It saves money and you have bottle water to grab and go when leaving camp.
This obviously isn't an all-inclusive list of how-to. But, I hope you found a tip or two along the way. Thanks for joining me y'all!
Y'all come back now!