The hallmarks of homesteading are self-sufficiency, simplicity, and sustainability—which are the very values that inspired chef/owner Eric Johnson to leave behind his home and career in Boulder, CO to build Mount Hayden Backcountry Lodge in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. He first visited the property in 2016 as a favor to his brother-in-law, who had just inherited the small run-down cabin that stood there at the time. This favor changed everything.