Our Story
Once upon a time Tim and I lived in California's Tehachapi Mountains near the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail (PCT). The PCT is a gorgeous foot and equine trail that runs from Mexico to Canada, taking you through the Los Angeles Mountains, the Mojave Desert, the High Sierras and the beautiful Cascade Mountains. We loved to hike and backpack on that trail and Tim spent many of his weekends coordinating trail maintenance in the chaparral-chocked PCT section the Tehachapi and Piute Mountains areas.
Back in those days, Tim and I worked for NASA at Edwards AFB, which was an hour commute from our home, and a drive that passed over the Pacific Crest Trail. Seeing backpackers coming off the trail, and walking along they highway to their resupplies in town, Tim and I would frequently stop and pick them up. We'd shuttle them between the PCT and town, sometimes taking them back to our home for a short break from trail life. Word got out, and it wasn't long before it became a regular occurrence to have several backpackers staying at our home at any one time during the peak hiking season. We can genuinely say that these were some of the most interesting and enjoyable people we ever had the pleasure of meeting. To this day, we remain in contact with many of these once-stranger, now friends.
It was during those years that I first had the idea of putting together a cookbook of our trail guests' favorite backpacking recipes. I was curious about what they were eating as they often would go a week at a time without a food resupply. As first-time authors, we were fortunate to have Falcon Guides sign onto our idea for a cookbook, by and for long-distance backpackers. With a publisher on board and a wonderful core group of initial contributors (many of whom were guests during their long-distance PCT treks), the recipes continued to pour in; and before long Lipmackin' Backpackin' became a reality.
Nine books and 4 kids later we're with the same publisher, and that formula--finding great recipes from experts in the field-- continues today. All of our books, whether they be for backpacking or scouting, rely on our talented, gracious, and patient expert contributors. Despite having tested, adapted, and refined thousands of recipes over the years, we continue to be amazed at our contributor's innovative ideas. It is their diverse and creative approaches to food preparation, and entertaining antidotes, that make our books unique. These are more than just cookbooks; they are community partnerships serving as a culinary historical record for our time.
Thanks for visiting our site! If you'd like to share a favorite recipe or have a question, we'd love to hear from you!
Happy Lipsmackin' Campin'!
Christine and Tim Conners
Back in those days, Tim and I worked for NASA at Edwards AFB, which was an hour commute from our home, and a drive that passed over the Pacific Crest Trail. Seeing backpackers coming off the trail, and walking along they highway to their resupplies in town, Tim and I would frequently stop and pick them up. We'd shuttle them between the PCT and town, sometimes taking them back to our home for a short break from trail life. Word got out, and it wasn't long before it became a regular occurrence to have several backpackers staying at our home at any one time during the peak hiking season. We can genuinely say that these were some of the most interesting and enjoyable people we ever had the pleasure of meeting. To this day, we remain in contact with many of these once-stranger, now friends.
It was during those years that I first had the idea of putting together a cookbook of our trail guests' favorite backpacking recipes. I was curious about what they were eating as they often would go a week at a time without a food resupply. As first-time authors, we were fortunate to have Falcon Guides sign onto our idea for a cookbook, by and for long-distance backpackers. With a publisher on board and a wonderful core group of initial contributors (many of whom were guests during their long-distance PCT treks), the recipes continued to pour in; and before long Lipmackin' Backpackin' became a reality.
Nine books and 4 kids later we're with the same publisher, and that formula--finding great recipes from experts in the field-- continues today. All of our books, whether they be for backpacking or scouting, rely on our talented, gracious, and patient expert contributors. Despite having tested, adapted, and refined thousands of recipes over the years, we continue to be amazed at our contributor's innovative ideas. It is their diverse and creative approaches to food preparation, and entertaining antidotes, that make our books unique. These are more than just cookbooks; they are community partnerships serving as a culinary historical record for our time.
Thanks for visiting our site! If you'd like to share a favorite recipe or have a question, we'd love to hear from you!
Happy Lipsmackin' Campin'!
Christine and Tim Conners