Campground Review: As someone who has camped my whole life, mostly at Wisconsin State Park, it is surprising that this was my first time at Hartman Creek. Hartman Creek has pretty spacious sites, though they can range from very big to just big enough. Our site was larger, almost fully shaded under a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees. The only thing I didn't like was the sandy soil, but otherwise our site was awesome.

There is ample hiking opportunities in the area, some you can walk to from the campground, some requires a small amount of driving. The lake was a smaller lake, but nice for swimming. They do a great job of keeping the beach and swimming area clean.

Overall it was a great time and we'll definitely be back.

Gear review: A couple months ago I won the contest for WI and was excited to test the Mountain House 5-Day Kit. Ever since I started backpacking I've heard and seen the Mountain House packs. I never bought them because I like to prepare my own food, and I enjoy cooking on the trail. Since I won it I was very curious.

I have to say I was very impressed with the ease of making the food: just boil a couple cups of water, pour it in, mixed it, and seal it for 9 minutes. Voila! A tasty meal.

I had the Chili Mac, and it was awesome. For someone trying to save weight on the trail, or those not confident in your cooking (or trail cooking), I can definitely recommend Mountain House meals.

The box calls it an emergency 5 day kit, and it has a shelf life of 12+ years. For emergency purposes, it is an awesome thing to have on hand, especially in areas that are prone to loss of power, flooding, tropical storms, etc.

For myself, I don't know that I'll purchase Mountain House meals at full price for backpacking or camping, but I definitely think it is a "Ranger worthy" product that is very useful for the right situation and right person.