Polar Star Inn Hut Trip

On March 17-19, Don and I had such a great adventure. We went on a backcountry hut trip with some wonderful friends. I think this post will be bubbling over with enthusiasm because I loved our hut trip so much I just want to jump up and down and go on another one right this second. This trip just encompassed all the joy I feel living in Colorado: being in the mountains, cutting a fresh path through quiet snowy meadows, being with good, lifelong friends, accomplishing a physically difficult task, and working hard to enjoy simple pleasures (like sauteed asparagus and hot chocolate chip cookies cooked on/in a wood burning stove...)

Don's old scout master, bishop, and close family friend, Dan Wilson, organizes a hut trip every winter with friends and family. Since we moved here nearly three years ago, Don has gone with him on every hut trip. I missed the first one because I was six months pregnant. Last year, I was supposed to go the first night with Sammy because the hut was kitted out for kids but Sam got sick and I had to stay home. I was devastated. I was so excited about going on the trip that I cried and cried when I couldn't go.

So, this year, we were determined that I would get to go. It was going to be a really tough hike in and the hut we were going to (Polar Star Inn) is in a really remote place at a high altitude, so taking Sammy wasn't an option. We thought we would be able to leave him with Grammy and Grandpa in Co. Springs but Don's sister, Wendi, had her baby just a few days before the trip so I thought once again I would end up missing the trip (just for the record - Don did volunteer to stay home last year and this year to take care of Sammy. He's so sweet.) Luckily, LaVon Wilson, Dan's wife, volunteered to watch Sammy for us so we could go. We were amazed at her generosity! Three days and two nights of babysitting just as a favor - this woman is a saint!

So, I got to go on my first hut trip! I rented some cross country skis and Don borrowed some telemark skis from a friend and we headed up into the mountains with our friends Dan, Alan, Luke, Manda, and Garrett. 

We drove up past Eagle and barely made it in to the parking lot of the trail head. The snow was so deep that we nearly got stuck several times and were fishtailing all over the place in Luke's little Honda. We got our packs ready and headed up the trail.

Getting the gear ready...

It totally looks like Luke is pointing to Manda's bum. Haha! He's actually pointing to the loaf of bread strapped to the bottom of her bag that they carried up to make french toast for breakfast. And it was delicious!!

The snow was really deep, as you can tell from this shot of Alan. He stepped just off the part of the trail that was packed down and sunk up to his hip while the other foot stayed on top of the snow. Super funny and terribly difficult to dig out. 

Alan falling in again. Look how short he looks next to Don on the trail...

I knew almost immediately that the skis I had rented were going to cause me major issues. Right from the get go, I was sliding backwards as fast as I was moving forward. I was having to plant my poles and pull myself up, even on the gentlest incline. Luckily, we brought a pair of snowshoes so after I had slogged about 2 miles on my miserable skis, I took the darn things off and decided to snowshoe. Once I took the skis off, Dan and Don looked at them and noticed that the shop had put wax on 'waxless' skis, filling in all the teeth on the ski that are supposed to keep you from sliding backwards. Basically, the skis were completely useless. I couldn't ski up anything and going down even the slightest grade with those things was like a death wish. They are impossible to turn (the metal edges were dull and useless) and because they were waxed, they were ridiculously fast, making them really dangerous, particularly on the heavily forested sections. I tried skiing down a section with them and crashed so many times, I gave up on them for good. Cross country skiing with a fully loaded backpack on good skis is difficult. With these skis, it was impossible! 

Don ended up carrying my skis on either side of his backpack for the rest of the trip (5 more miles). He is so wonderful! They really were a pain to carry. He had to duck and crawl several times because the skis were catching on tree branches. It was really entertaining but annoying for him, I'm sure. 

Don carrying my skis. They looked like two giant bunny ears on either side of his pack.

A beautiful aspen forest...

Don tried to ski under these trees with the skis on his pack, but was unsuccessful. It made for a really great laugh. I wish I'd caught that crash on camera. It was awesome!

And here we are! So happy to be out in the beautiful snow!

The hike was steep and difficult with our heavy packs. We gained over 2,000 feet in elevation over 7 miles and the air was getting thinner and thinner so it was really challenging. I loved it! 

The last mile felt so long. We had been hiking for over 5 hours and I had to stop and rest my head on my poles every few steps. I even felt like I was hallucinating a little bit. At times, it felt more difficult than my marathon. I had trained for my marathon but I had never carried a pack for this long, particularly in cold weather. Snowshoeing and skiing is really exhausting! I was so happy to see the hut!

We got in to the hut and relaxed for a bit. There was another group in the hut (there are 17 beds in Polar Star Inn) so we talked to them a bit and then Don and I started making dinner. We made a Greek orzo pasta with chicken, feta, and spinach. It was delicious!

Dinner!

We also brought up a bunch of asparagus and it was so delicious! It was definitely the best part of the meal. I can't believe that I was dumb enough to pack it without snapping off all the ends. I probably carried up an extra pound of inedible asparagus stems. Lesson learned for next time, that's for sure!

 I tried to sautee the asparagus on a pan over the wood burning stove but it wasn't cooking fast enough so we moved it over to the gas stove. This hut was really well equipped. It had a pump so it wasn't necessary to melt snow for drinking/cooking water, which was nice. The other huts Don has gone to didn't have water. It also had gas lamps and a gas oven/stove. 

We couldn't figure out how to light the gas lamps, so I ended up cooking with my headlamp on. I don't think asparagus has ever or will ever taste that good again. It was fabulous!

It started to snow not long after we got to the hut and we were excited. It was quite warm during the day so the snow was slushy and icy. A foot of snow was just what we were hoping for!

We played lots of games, including that game where you stick an Oreo on your forehead and try to get it to your mouth the fastest by squinting and wiggling your face - hilarious! The other group that was in the hut with us built a huge fire outside and smoked a bunch of pot and drunk lots of whiskey tea while we stayed inside and made cookies in the wood burning stove and played games. 

We were exhausted after our difficult hike, so we all turned in early. The other group stayed up really late and played their music and kept stoking the fire to dry their wet clothes and we were all burning up. Don and I slept on the ground floor in a private room with two bunks, so it wasn't too bad for us, but everyone else was upstairs and it was 90 degrees up there! It was so hot! They didn't sleep very well but nonetheless, we all woke up ready for adventure the next morning.

Don and I moved upstairs to one of the double beds once the group left. Here is our sunny, rustic bedroom.

Good morning! This is one of the stoves that we usually used to melt snow for dish water. The pads on the right are beds and on the left is the kitchen. Happy morning everyone!

Luke and Manda made an awesome French Toast and sausage breakfast. It was so tasty! 

Don and Alan played several rounds of Blokus. I'm terrible at that game.

Then, it was time to go explore in the fresh snow! Polar Star Inn is at about 11,040'. Right behind the hut is New York Mountain, with an elevation 12,550'. We hiked up to the ridge of New York Mountain so we could ski down. For a few minutes, I was so mad I didn't have skis that I could actually ski with, I wanted to scream. Once we got out in the trees, though, I simmered down and really enjoyed the hike up to the ridge. Everything was so clean and freshly snow covered. It was so beautiful and peaceful. 

It is so exciting to cut a fresh path through a smooth, snowy field. I absolutely love that feeling.

As we got close to tree line, the wind really started whipping. 

Look at these drifts! 

We had such a great view of the peaks below us.

These are two of my favorite pictures of the trip.

The wind was whipping the snow in our faces and the tiny pieces of ice were tearing at our faces. I've never hiked up a peak in the wintertime; it was a really neat experience. I now have an appreciation for all the serious snow gear people wear in the Everest ascents.

Here we are at the summit. We had the most breathtaking view of the surrounding peaks. I wasn't expecting it and it was stunning!

I liked this picture because it gives you some idea of how fiercely the wind was blowing.

There was a big cornice in the background of this picture. I've never been so close to a cornice!

The skiing was fabulous! A fresh foot of powder in big open fields! I was so jealous that I didn't have skis. I did have a great time running down the steep fields as fast as I could and falling and rolling...poof, poof, poof, through soft mounds of powder. 

Here is a picture of the hut. Beautiful!

Don is not sitting on the pot, although that is what it looks like. He is actually just inside the front door taking off his wet boots. The entryway is separate from the house since all the wet gear comes in this way.

Here we are, eating a classic winter excursion snack - cheese, crackers, and summer sausage. Seriously, summer sausage is the most delicious treat after a vigorous physical activity in the snow. It's my favorite then and only then. Otherwise, it is just really fatty and nasty. I could never eat it at home.

This little guy is an albino ermine! We saw him peeking in the window the first night we arrived and then I got this great picture of him the next day. We talked to the owner of the cabin (because we ran out of toilet paper and needed to get in to the storage closet) and found out his name is Fido. Not the name I'd pick for a creepy, red-eyed squirrel looking animal, but nevertheless, he is Fido. 

Here we are, getting ready for our second ascent up New York Mountain with Luke, Manda, and Dan.

Another picture of Fido. Fascinating little guy, isn't he?

Luke and Don at the top.

I liked this picture of Manda in the rosy afternoon sun...

Some pretty shots of the ski/run/tumble down.

Manda hiking back to the hut as the sun sets...

As soon as we got back to the hut, Luke asked if I wanted to borrow his skis. I said yes, tried his boots on, and they fit! Don and I immediately got the skins on our skis and headed up in the fading light. We had already hiked up twice that day and I was really tired but I tried my best to keep up with Don. We got up in record time but I popped my ski out of the binding as we were taking our skins off to ski down and we couldn't get the boot back in! We tried and tried and we were losing light. Finally, we got it in and skied down in the dark but it was so much fun! I want some alpine touring skis! They are amazing! I couldn't believe the stuff I could hike up with the skins on and skiing down was just like skiing on my downhill skis. It was fabulous, even in the dangerous dark!

I took this picture right before the struggle with the binding.

This was how dark it was when we got back to the hut. It was a crazy adventure.

We thought we'd have the hut to ourselves that night but just after dark, a couple showed up saying they were supposed to stay in the other hut that was next door but they had mixed up the dates and were desperately hoping they could stay with us. We let them stay, of course. Some of their friends didn't make it up 'til nearly 9 pm! I can't imagine how tough it would have been to hike any of that trail in the dark, let alone almost all of it.

We had a great roast beef with au jus sandwich dinner and played lots of games and hit the sack. I slept much better the second night after I got to sleep (no crazy heat or partying by fellow hut stayers). We heard some mice scratching around under our bed which kind of freaked me out but we stuffed some plastic bags in the holes we could see and finally we couldn't hear them anymore and we drifted off...

The next morning, we ate breakfast and started packing up. Don and I decided to make one last trip up New York Mountain. Luke decided to snowshoe down with Manda and let me borrow his skis for the ski down! I was ecstatic! I was most devastated about not having skis because I was going to have to snowshoe all the way out while everyone else flew down 7 miles on their skis. Luke made my trip by letting me borrow his skis.

Here I am at the top before our last ski down New York Mountain.

Don and I hiked up, had a great ski down, and then rushed to catch up with the rest of the crew who had started out without us.

We caught up with everyone and absolutely flew down. It was such a blast.

Here we are at the car. I am already counting down the days 'til I can get out on another hut trip. 

I can't stop gushing about how much I loved this trip. If you have a chance, you've got to do this! It was amazing!

Side note: I did get a refund for my terrible cross country ski rental. They also gave me a gift certificate for the amount I'd paid on top of the refund so they did their best to compensate me.