The art of the marshmallow

By Lauren Viera

S’mores have been around for the better part of a century thanks to the Girl Scouts, which invented the delectable dessert. At Paws Up, s’moreology—the so-called study of s’mores—has been around since 2016, and has only gotten better with each summer campfire. That’s due in no small part to s’moreologists: glamping butlers who pride themselves on adding signature twists to the marshmallow–chocolate–graham cracker combination. The idea, says Paws Up Director of Glamping Brian Holwerda, is to bring out the kid in people by inviting them to get in on the creativity.

The "golden" rule

"Night one, they’ll teach you how to roast," Holwerda says, laying out the s’moreologist’s sweet strategy. The goal: school guests on how to roast a marshmallow to the perfect, golden-brown hue that’s ripe for pairing with ingredients. No torched ’mallows allowed.

The add-ons

Once guests have a hand on the basics, s’moreologists start adding ingredients. Often at first, "There’s a lot of huckleberry," Holwerda says, naming a local favorite. But from there, anything goes. "It’s all about guest creativity." Ingredients get more exotic. Kids get excited. Sometimes a slice of leftover steak is added to the stick; sometimes a truffle. The adults get excited, too.

The ceremony

By the third or fourth night, anything goes: huckleberry hot sauce, Mexican chocolate, gold-leaf glitters—the works. Campy culinary accolades are more popular with some than others, Holwerda admits. But for those excited to play along, it’s a Paws Up rite of passage.

Celebrate National S'mores day at Paws Up on August 10 with pro tips from world-class pastry chef Waylynn Lucas.

There’s surfing the Pacific Ocean. There’s surfing the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula. And then there’s surfing on Salmon Lake.

By Lauren Viera

Set in the heart of the Clearwater River Chain of Lakes, Salmon Lake is known for camping and fly-fishing in summer and ice fishing and skating in the winter. But among Paws Up guests who spend a day on the Island Lodge, a beautiful historic property secluded in the pines on the lake’s private island, surfing is the thing.

MALIBU, MONTANA

Catch a wave on Salmon Lake

Gaining popularity over the past few years, wake surfing and wakeboarding on this otherwise still lake are made possible by a pair of Malibu boats that sparkle in the summer sun like glints of rainbow trout skimming for flies. "Getting up is the hard part," says Activities Manager Tyler Mullen, adding that guides have a lot of success helping newbies get the hang of it. "Once you’re up, you can get that wave up to 4 feet, and you can drift forward and backward in it."

The technology is relatively simple. Water ballasts within Malibu boats are operated by your captain, who can shift the boat’s weight to one side or the other, creating waves when you want, where you want ’em.

"The ability to control the wake and throw different patterns of waves and wake behind the boat, it’s significantly different from what we’ve been able to offer in the past," says Will Smith, General Manager of the Wilderness Outpost. "Ideally you're doing it without the rope, and you're closer in. That's what the Malibu boat allows you to do."

Not to mention, downtime at the Island Lodge is dreamy. Mullen likens it to a vacation away from your vacation: a beautifully remote spot to loll in the sun, savor a delicious private meal and cap the day with a sunset pontoon boat cruise around the lake. Surfing may be the main draw. But as Smith says, "It’s just as special to do nothing at all."