The large family meals. The extended family time. The holiday traditions. The fun. Everything we look forward to about the holiday season is behind us and now we’re feeling the excitement and rush of the weather breaking. We call this time period “spring fever.” It has us preparing for the warm days to come and planning trips that will turn into fond memories. Here at 50 Campfires, we’re starting to plan all the epic new adventures we want to have this year. We strive for the premium experience while encountering the outdoors. And we have some huge expectations. This year, our goal is to out do the adventures we took last fall.

For most people, Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. It’s the time of year where the school supplies have been purchased, vacation time has been used, and the camping equipment is about to be packed away for winter. We’ve enjoyed the summer heat mixed with the summer fun. Traditionally, it’s time to batten down the hatches for the weather change.

But at 50 Campfires, we weren’t ready to call it quits on the summer outdoor activities. So we did what anyone craving the outdoors would do: We planned a post-Labor Day guys camping weekend. We wanted to experience all the things we love about camping, while also enjoying all the things we love about autumn. So while most people started packing their camping gear away for the cooler weather, we packed up our camping gear in the brand new Toyota Tundra and set out on our fall retreat.

With a busy summer in the books, we let the feeling sink in: we were no longer in the office; we were a couple hundred miles from home preparing to unwind. Upon arrival, we got the tunes rocking on the portable speakers and set up camp like any other summer camping trip.

We spent our days fishing, hiking, playing camp games, and stargazing at night. We were able to take part in all the activities we love about camping even though it wasn’t a typical summer camping trip. At night we bundled up around the fire laughing and telling stories. Not much beats a summer campfire, but if anything comes close, it’s an autumn campfire.

And every guys weekend isn’t complete without one thing: Food. Lots of food. We had a rack of ribs on the grill, marinated steaks, quesadillas over the fire, pie iron breakfast sandwiches, and burritos. Sure, we could have settled for your typical hotdogs and hamburgers, but we weren’t looking for ordinary; we were looking for memorable.

Whether it was enjoying a juicy steak in front of the fire or seeing the intricate dimples in the moon from our telescope, our guys weekend turned out to be a great getaway while enjoying an activity we love during a beautiful time of year. It was the same summer camping fun with a bit of a twist: getting to experience the crisp fall air, the autumn breeze off the lake, and the deep night skies around a campfire with friends.

It was a camping trip we’ll never forget. But it’s a camping trip we want to beat. This spring and summer we hope to take adventures that will make our trip to Itasca last fall seem rather small. And for lovers of the outdoors, that’s the way it should be: Always looking to experience new adventures that will last a lifetime.