Broome Hut
Well, I have to start out by saying I had issues with my camera on this trip which is a bummer! It might have something to do with a piece of metal stick out of the camera by the lens. Anyway, focusing was a challenge, and I probably shouldn’t post my pics, but then not many of my fun friends would be included in this post about my first hut trip.
This was so fun, and I am so glad Erin included me in Brian’s 40th birthday celebration. What a treat! I’m ready to plan another trip…maybe this summer?
So Colorado has several “huts” in its backcountry for exploring its Rocky Mountain beauty. The huts are essentially log cabins with a few bedrooms, a common area, a kitchen with necessary cooking utensils and usually running water, and an outhouse. All hut users have to bring is a sleeping bag, clothes, and food.
Erin booked Broome Hut, part of the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association. It is located near Winter Park and Berthoud Pass. The snowshoe into the hut is only a mile, but it gains 800 feet in elevation. While short, it definitely got our heart rate up.
We had the hut for one night. I joined Brad and Angela for the hike up around 5pm on Friday, so we hiked in the snow in the dark! I hadn’t ever done this and at first I wasn’t looking forward to a night time hike as the temperature was in the low twenties and I couldn’t take pictures. Admittedly, however, I found it to be beautiful!
The snow on the evergreens glistened in our light of our headlamps. An alpine glow shined in the distance. The stars slowly appeared in the night sky. And the trail was tracked out enough to follow without noticing the blue diamond trail markers. Fortunately we had a map with us too, so at certain confusing junctions, we found our way. I actually felt the snowshoe in the night was prettier than the hike out the next morning under the grey sky.
Anyway, we made it to the hut, found our shared rooms…three sets of bunk beds per two rooms along with a couple of private rooms. The common room included a pellet burning stove which heated the place nicely. The dinner crew whipped up a nice spaghetti dinner with salad, baguettes and a fantastic cheese cake dessert. We hung around the table playing cards and chatting until tiredness visited.
The next morning the breakfast crew whipped up bacon, egg, and potato burritos with fruit salad. It was a really fun evening. I suspect the skiers would have liked more snow as the mountain was rather bare, but the non-skier in me liked the easy hike in and out on a packed base. What an
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The landscape pictures are stunning.
Merry Christmas from Louisville, Ky Connie & Ron
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