Souzz, the brains behind this blog, grew up in Western New York (Go Bills!) before moving down to Virginia after college. She discovered cooking at an early age, and adventure travel a little later. She got her first taste of outdoor cooking through the Girl Scouts, when she made a hamburger over a “buddy burner,” which was basically a coffee can and a candle (hey, we all have to start somewhere).
Souzz took over the camp kitchen after her first backpack with Court out west, when he accidentally broke the tip of an Opinel knife into dinner and each bite became a hunt for an arrowhead. With Souzz in charge, dinners are now much safer…and they also taste better.
Court was born overseas and traveled the world as a military kid before settling in Virginia. He enjoys all kinds of travel and many forms of adventure, from whitewater kayaking to rock climbing, and claims he is most comfortable when he’s a little bit uncomfortable.
Court likes to push the envelope on what’s possible in his travels and in the backcountry kitchen, loves to sample regional foods, and has been known to cook up a storm at times. But mostly he just tries to stay out of Souzz’s way.
Just came across your article about visiting Smith Island. Loved it. Personally I’m a bit attached, well I did grow up there until I was 10, and spent many summers after right there in the same house. But to me it will always be Mom mom Eileen’s & Pop pop Roosters”.
The evenings have always been quiet, as cable wasn’t introduced to the island until the late 90s. As a kid I remember the crowd that would gather nightly in my grandparents yard. At the beginning of summer each neighbor would bring their own lawn chair and leave it until the end of summer. It would stay set up in a circular shape. (Oh how I hated to move them to mow the grass. Could never remember who sat next to who.). Oh course there was always extra seats for passerby’s.
Thanks for reading, and for commenting. And thanks especially for sharing your stories from growing up there. We so enjoyed our visit and tried to imagine what it might be like to live there, so it’s great to hear your stories. As for the quiet, that is the most enduring memory of our stay! Again, thanks for commenting!