Barnard Hut

Although managed by the 10th Mountain Division, Barnard Hut is a Braun Hut, and therefore quite different, and much smaller than a traditional 10th Mountain Hut. Barnard Hut is cozy, sleeping only eight people on a single level.

The hut is accessed from the top of Ajax Mountain, so the elevation gain is minimal. We started our ski in around 9:00 and had good weather. We made it to the hut in decent time, stopping to soak in the views along the way. We enjoyed the sun on the porch all afternoon, and the clouds began to roll in as the sun was setting.

The remaining members of our group made it just after the sun went down, and we all enjoyed a warm dinner before going to sleep. The next day, we awoke to a fox on the porch. We watched him for some time before trying to cook breakfast and realizing the fox must have stolen our Nalgene of eggs. We had put the Nalgene in the snow the previous day, so it stayed cool, but we forgot to move it into the wood storage closet that evening. The eggs were gone. The fox lingered on the outskirts of the woods and watched us search for the Nalgene for over an hour before disappearing into the forest.

We finally gave up on the eggs and decided to get on with our day. We toured up to a saddle above tree line and took in the gorgeous views before heading back to the hut for an afternoon of sledding. That evening, I spent time reading through old log books and seeing that encounters with foxes had been commonplace at this hut for decades. I felt fortunate to have shared a special moment with the majestic, wild animal - even though that trickster pulled one over on us by stealing our breakfast.

Betty Bear Hut

Betty Bear Hut is part of the 10th Mountain Division hut system. As one of the newer huts in the system, the design and layout is different than many others that I have been to. In this hut, the sleeping quarters are on the lower level, which makes for a cooler night's sleep.

The ski in was gradual for the first several miles, but just when I thought this might be an easy hut to access, we turned off the main road and started going up switchbacks. The switchbacks were steep and grueling; it seemed like we had been going up for over two hours when the hut finally came into view. Seeing the hut for the first time after a long day of hauling a pack on skis is always an exciting moment. We cheered and picked up our speed, since our destination was finally in sight.

We made it to the hut in the early afternoon and settled in for a celebration as friends arrived and the hut began to fill. We enjoyed a night lounging around the wood stove and singing along with a guitar. The next day, we decided to tour up to the Continental Divide to Hagerman Pass, where we discovered beautiful, expansive views of the surrounding mountains.

On our way back to the hut, some of our group decided to skin up a nearby mountain for a backcountry lap, while the rest of us meandered back through rolling hills and open meadows. Back at the hut, we enjoyed resting on the deck while the sun was out then ate a delicious, hot dinner, played cards and went to bed.

Cheers to adventure!

Just Fritzin' Around

Every winter, we plan an epic trip to one of the 10th Mountain Division Huts. This winter, we went to Fritz Hut.

Fritz Hut is located just outside of Aspen, Colorado - a short jaunt from home. We started our skin up at 9:00 am. The first portion of the trail is gradual and lovely. The second portion is long and steep. I was grateful to have skins on my cross country skis; without skins I would've been hiking up.

After 5 tricky miles we arrived at the hut. We quickly made a fire and began preparing appetizers. We were lucky to find an old guitar at the hut, and we enjoyed singing (poorly) and playing the guitar into the night.

The next day we woke up early and headed out to go exploring. We ventured up Bald Mountain, which was an easy skin-up and a fun ski down - especially on cross country skis. The remainder of our afternoon was spent sledding, throwing snowballs and drinking hot chocolate on the porch.

The ski down consisted of cramping legs, a powerful snowplow stance and an inevitable broken pole. I tried to ski the remainder of the downhill with only one pole, but struggled to keep my balance. I ended up walking the remaining mile and a half to the car.