Backcountry cabins offer rugged respite
February 4, 2009 – 6:11 PM DAVE PHILIPPS THE GAZETTE WOODY CREEK • “It almost feels like cheating,” Scott Patterson said.
He had just snowshoed five miles to a remote ridge on the edge of the Frying Pan Wilderness near Aspen. He was wet and a little tired.
It was late afternoon. Long, purple shadows pouring from the snowy peaks flooded the valleys below. Snow clung to the trees and stood at least 3 feet deep on the ground. The temperature, near freezing all day, was now on its way toward the single digits.
A few steps ahead, smoke wisped from the chimney of one of the 10th Mountain Hut Association’s cozy backcountry cabins.
“This is really nice,” Patterson said.
He was part of a small group of friends snowshoeing from hut to hut through the 10th Mountain Huts system on a three-day trip. It was his first foray to the huts, and he was quickly learning that a tour to a different hut each night is a plush way to see a lot of the backcountry in winter without breaking your back.
Patterson and his wife, Kim, love to backpack, but they work highway construction, so summers are busy (60-hour work weeks). They end up doing most of their trips in the snowy months.
Rest of Article: http://tinyurl.com/bsxqhz
Tom
scott patterson
For anyone interested, here are some photos from that trip: Â http://www.summitpost.org/album/482914/smuggler-mountain-bald-knob-and-mount-yeckel-january-17-21-2009.html
— On Mon, 2/9/09, Tom Jones ratagonia@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Tom Jones ratagonia@gmail.com> Subject: [from Canyons Group] “It almost feels like cheating,” Scott Patterson said. (OT) To: Yahoo Canyons Group Date: Monday, February 9, 2009, 2:26 PM
Backcountry cabins offer rugged respite
February 4, 2009 – 6:11 PM DAVE PHILIPPS THE GAZETTE WOODY CREEK • “It almost feels like cheating,” Scott Patterson said.
He had just snowshoed five miles to a remote ridge on the edge of the Frying Pan Wilderness near Aspen…….