Vintage Land Rovers & the Muddy Chef Challenge Take Vermont

Of all the off-road rigs in the world, few 4x4’s hold the allure—and fanatical following—that vintage Land Rovers do. Camel Trophy-era Discoverys, overland-ready Defenders, barebones “Series” models—it doesn’t get much better than that. Seeing such vehicles in the wild isn't an everyday thing, sadly, but over a recent weekend in southern Vermont we had the pleasure of camping among a few dozen of the most badboy Land Rovers in America at the Muddy Chef Challenge. Not to mention the chance to drive the all-new 2018 Discovery off-road at the Equinox Experience Center.

Started in 2008 in Stowe, Vermont, the Muddy Chef Challenge is the brainchild of a group of Land Rover aficionados who care for gourmet cooking nearly as much as they do off-roading. The three-day campout is perhaps best described as “Top Gear meets Top Chef,” with rare rig owners setting up safari-style campsites and cooking three course meals on the spot.

While we attempted to join in on the culinary fun at first, all hopes and dreams of wowing the judges were quickly abandoned (as New Yorkers, our take-out ordering skills far outweigh our actual cooking abilities) and instead, we simply spent some time wandering among the rigs. It was a fine decision in hindsight. Here are the highlights.