Colorado’s 10th Mountain Division Hut System is located between Aspen, Leadville, and Vail. The hut system is linked by more than 350 miles of trails at an elevation of 9,700 to 11,700 feet, it provides winter recreation enthusiasts access to the White River, Arapaho and San Isabel National Forests. The system includes 30 huts with an average route of six to seven miles and a 1,500- to 2,500-foot elevation gain. Most of the huts sleep 16 people, but the size ranges from capacities of three to 20. The association’s name “honors the men of 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army, who trained during World War II at Camp Hale in central Colorado.”

A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to plan a hut trip for the 2016/2017 snow season. We were lucky to snag a reservation for three people to stay the Jackal Hut in March. These huts usually book 6-months in advance through a lottery system. Advance planning is a must.

The week of our trip, the snow began to thaw just a little. The base of the mountain got hit with a mix of rain and snow. Luckily, the morning we set off the weather was fairly warm and clear for our journey. We had a guidebook, a map, and hope and a prayer that we three ladies could navigate our way through a 3-mile snowshoe without too much difficulty. We spent the night at Kim’s home in Vail before embarking on our great adventure. We thought we had all the time in the world. After all, the hike was only supposed to be 3 miles long. Well…we were slightly wrong about that.

We parked our car at the South Camp Hale campground like out handy guidebook suggested and started walking to look for the snow bridge. We probably walked for about half of a mile looking for a foot bridge, snow bridge, or any kind of bridge really.  The only “foot bridge” we found consisted of two planks of wood that were ankle deep underwater from the rain the night before. I spent a lot of energy on that first half mile postholing (breaking through the snow about calf deep) because my snowshoe kept coming undone. We met some people later down the trail that told us we talked they just went through the river and got their feet wet.

We walked back to the car (a bit defeated) because now we needed to drive a mile and half away to park at another campground to access a large footbridge to cross the river, this detour added a mile and half to our snowshoe trip. It was already well past noon when we started off for the second time. I knew we were going to need to put some work into this hike already because I didn’t train enough with a full backpack to begin with so it was going to be an extra-long hike for me.

I’ve hiked quite a few mountains in Colorado, but this was by far the most challenging for me. To be fair, I should mention that I’ve only been snowshoeing about a total of four times in my life so this trip was fairly ambitious. The entire hike was a slow but steady uphill climb. I would pick spots every hundred feet to stop, rest my head on my poles, and catch my breath. Altitude makes a huge difference in lung capacity. The mental component is key to keep going with one foot in front to the other. I’ll be honest, the first day was pretty miserable. I couldn’t appreciate the breathtaking vistas at all because I was struggling to just breathe.

We followed the blue arrows marking the trail, which is great for those who are directionally challenged (like me). We were lucky to follow the tracks of some early morning snowshoers.  Even with a pocket full of gummy bears, I found this  hike challenging. To top it off, we couldn’t stop to rest because we were in a race for time now trying to beat the sunset.

I’m lucky that my hiking companions  keep me going with positive encouragement on these hikes.

When the hut came into view I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief. The place you plan to sleep for the night is always the best sight at the end of a long hike.

The cabin was nice and warm. It was booked with two other groups (about 12 people total). Two couples were skiing and snowshoeing. And a family of five that were also snowshoeing. I walked into the cabin and saw two women completing a puzzle. I just wanted to sit down and gather my thoughts so I helped them finish a jigsaw puzzle while Meghan and Kim enjoyed the scenery.

We quickly prepped dinner which consisted of veggies and crackers with black bean dip, quinoa and chicken, and hot chocolate with amaretto and churro marshmallows for dessert. Everyone else marveled at our dinner. The other two crews in the hut had spaghetti and meatballs and chili for dinner. The hut was well equipped with a propane stove, toilet paper, trash bags, a method to convert ice to water, and a lot of other entertainment options. The hut also had pots, pans, glasses, and dishes. Note for next time: don’t carry so much unnecessary pack weight. Most importantly, there was a mattress and a pillow on each bed. Not exactly roughing it. We all got some sleep, and awoke to make an early start for home. We took some Advil for the pain on the way down. It’s always good to travel with a nurse.

We took our time on the way down the mountain snapping photos, making snow angels, and enjoying the views. We made it back to our car in half the time it took to go up the hill. Someone said we were lucky start with the hut with the steepest ascent. The adventure was short but sweet. We made it to Lark burger on the way home. My husband claims he’s never seen me so dead. I’ll admit it took me a few days to recover, but more training and shorter hikes will be better preparation for the next one.

Next year, I think we will go for two nights, or if we get really ambitious a hut to hut trip. Training will be key, but the views alone were definitely worth it.