I sat patiently, quietly. It was over an hour until shooting light and only anticipation fueled the idea that the eastern horizon was somewhat lighter than the rest of the night sky. My senses were on high alert even as the rest of me was still half asleep. I sipped my coffee thinking, "This is the best cup of coffee I have ever had," when suddenly there was noise all around me. The initial clatter came from the kitchen where the doors had just swung open revealing the cook and her helper as they emerged. The grunts of approval coming from the group of hunters gathered around the long lodge table combined with the aroma of eggs, and bacon, and home fries, and syrup and fresh fruits was causing sensory overload. To describe the sounds of 12 guys as they dove into the platters of pancakes and sausage would take away from the glory of sitting there in the midst of all that good food. I was visiting an outfit in the middle of a huge expanse of boreal wilderness but at this moment I was in heaven.

Adventure travel is a lot of different things to different people, the pursuit of trophy racks, big bruins, and fish as big as your leg notably comes to mind but if there is one aspect of traveling to hunt and fish that does not get nearly enough media play, it's the food. Working often in primitive kitchens throughout North America's vast wilderness areas, camp cooks spinning their magic can often salvage a hunt hampered by bad weather or bad luck.

This is not a secret to good outfitters, as it is an element of your trip package that they can control. They understand that if the weather outside keeps hunters out of the bush and fishermen off the water, clients are more willing to take things in stride if they are fed well.

Of course, not all packages include meals. Many sports save a little money by doing drop camps or European plan trips where you bring your own but for those opting for American plan and all-inclusive destinations, the food can be a big part of an outfit's allure. The range of culinary fare available varies dramatically depending on where you are but if you have hooked up with a reputable outfitter you can usually count on sumptuous meals often in mega-size portions.

Trudging the soggy tundra all day, wind and rain beating against your exposed skin, is easily endured when you can while away the hours thinking about that morning's breakfast or the aroma of fresh baked bread, homemade soup and the platters of pork chops that await you at the end of the day's trek. Of course, on nearly all hunts, game meat is part of the menu but this is especially true in the arctic where camp cooks show their culinary expertise cooking brookies and lake trout, roasted ptarmigan breasts and of course caribou.

Some operations really go the extra mile to pamper their client's palettes. At the Miramichi Inn on New Brunswick's famed Atlantic salmon river bearing the same name, host Andre Godin employees a 5 star chef from Quebec City. The food equals the best that money can buy anywhere and is complimented by professional wait service and presentation.

Speaking of fishing, many if not most American plan packages offer guide prepared shore lunches. If you have never sat on a log sharing the exploits of a morning's worth of jigging while your guide deep fries fresh walleye fillets in a century old black skillet filled with lard, well then you just haven't eaten pike the way God meant it to be eaten. The same could be said for the way Trapper Langworthy, of Trapper's Trophy Hunts, prepares big channel cats and fresh-water stripers from New Mexico's Elephant Buttes Reservoir.

Although not all western outfits serve such a delicacy, one thing you can pretty much count on when hunting big game from Texas to Montana is lean, tender ranch raised beef. It should be no wonder that a sirloin that hasn't been frozen and traveled half the continent in a truck is just going to be juicier and far more flavorful than what comes out of the meat case at Shaw's.
Because of the expense of shipping meat home at the end of a trip many sports simply donate a portion of their game back to the outfit. While at Lindsay's Sporting Camps a couple of deer season's ago I was treated to moose meat sandwiches as a result of a previous hunters generosity. Minced up to the consistency of tuna fish, I have never pulled anything more delicious from my daypack for a mid-day meal.

Room for dessert? Most camp cooks pride themselves in their ability to top off a great meal with something sweet; cherry cheese cake, fresh wild berry pies, cakes and pastries, puddings and tarts make for happy campers.

So, if you are in the midst of gearing up for a trip this fall and are thinking you could probably shed a few pounds during a week's worth of hard hunting, you may want to rethink that objective and take along a hearty appetite instead.