By Laura Brown

It was foggy and crispy cold when we left Denver on December 13th heading for the Camp Hale trailhead that lies 14.5 miles north of Leadville on Highway 24. There were ten of us—four over the age of 60 (I’m in that group) and six under the age of 40—and our destination was the Jackal Hut. The Jackal Hut is just one of 38 backcountry huts operated by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, connected by 350 miles of suggested routes. The name honors the men of the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army, who trained during World War II at Camp Hale in central Colorado. Hut visitors share the special spirit of these individuals, especially their love of the outdoors. 

By the time we reached the trailhead, it was sunny and calm, with temperatures in the low twenties. After discussing whether we should shuttle supplies and people back to a trailhead that shaved a mile off the route, we decided that adding a mile of flat skiing and snowshoeing would be just as easy. Supplies were divided among various packs and two sleds to be pulled, mostly by the youngsters. Given that the trailhead was at 9280 feet and that after the initial flat mile, we’d be encountering a 2,436-foot elevation gain over 3.5 miles, you’d perhaps think that only the bare essentials would be hauled up. “Essentials” for these seasoned hutsters included beer, wine, and board games. With three cross-country skiers and seven snowshoers, the adventure began about 

11:00 a.m.

After the initial flat mile, the skiers had to put climbing skins on their skis for the ascent. For approximately two miles of ascent, the trail is a road-cut that climbs to about 10,700 feet. There are expansive views of the Eagle River valley with mountains in all directions. About this time, some clouds began moving in and folks started layering up despite the exertion of the climb. Danielle had hiked the trail during the summer and knew her way to the hut, so she forged quickly ahead. The rest of us huddled up to make some decisions. We still had about 1.8 miles to go with another 1000 feet of elevation gain. We’d agreed that if anyone was too tired to continue that we’d all turn around, but because we still had enough daylight (and everyone had headlamps) as well as snacks and water, folks felt confident they had the juice to get to the top.

As in life, sometimes it’s best not to know what lies ahead. As it got colder, windier, and snowier, the trail also got steeper for long stretches. For the two of us from Arizona, where it hadn’t snowed in months, it was the first time we’d put on our skis and snowshoes this winter. For our son Jeremiah, who came from sea level, albeit a runner, it was downright miserable. Many of us were huffing and puffing, stopping frequently to catch our breath. Simply put, we were all getting pooped. 

Fortunately, it was a hardy group without whiners or naysayers, and the scenery was breathtaking. We were prepared for the weather, and it wasn’t a race, so we forged on up, each at their own pace. When we broke through the trees and saw a flat meadow ahead, we knew there had to be a hut nearby. The last three-eighths of a mile trudging through deep snow, despite having approximately zero elevation gain, was the hardest part of the hike. Even though the hydration reservoirs and tubing in our packs were insulated, the water had frozen; the light was fading, and snow was falling. It was a wonderful feeling to know we were so close to the end. Those who had pulled the sleds were exhausted.

There’s nothing like arriving at a hut that already has a roaring fire burning in the woodstove and hot tea at the ready. The Jackal Hut is configured with two enclosed outhouses connected to the cabin by a wooden walkway. Inside, there’s a wood-burning stove for warmth and another for cooking. The very well-equipped kitchen had plenty of pots, pans, plates, cups, and utensils, along with four propane burners. Water was obtained by melting snow in giant pots on the woodstove. We ran the water for drinking through a filter to be extra safe. A dinner of stir-fried veggies and peanut sauce over ramen noodles, with mango sticky rice for dessert, warmed everyone to the core and gave us the energy to climb the stairs to the second floor where everyone chose a bed, a pillow, and a place to sleep, divided by snorers or non-snorers. The first night was crystal clear, so going out to the outhouse when it was well below freezing was almost delightful by the lights of Leadville in the distance, the glow of the nearly full moon, and the Geminid meteor showers.

Saturday was so sunny that we had to rig makeshift curtains to cover some of the huge windows and wear sunglasses and sunhats in the cabin while we yakked, played Bananagrams, Tenzi, and Cribbage and assembled a 750-piece jigsaw puzzle. Although outdoor snow play is often embraced the day after arrival at a hut, on this venture, we were all happy to recover from our trek there by enjoying indoor activities, lively banter, and plenty of laughter. Everyone pitched in to bring in snow and wood, cook, and wash dishes.

Sunday’s breakfast of pancakes and sausage fueled us for cabin cleanup and the trek down. Hut etiquette requests that groups leave the hut stocked with wood from the storage sheds, the kitchen spotless, and the floor swept clean. Going down was glorious! Quick and easy.

A few weeks after we returned, we checked in with each other. Luke, another son and trip planner, said next trip he would set up and communicate a better plan for emergencies and create a hard cut-off of “if we aren’t at this spot by this time, we turn around.” Luke’s friend Connor said he’d bring warmer mittens. Marc learned that for him, the slope was really too steep for skis and that snowshoes would have been a better choice. The prevailing theme was that it was a weekend of love and kindness, humor and laughter, support, and fun cooking together. Much gratitude was extended to the sled pullers. Connor summed it up by saying, “It was magical spending an entire Saturday lounging, grazing, playing games, napping, and building camaraderie in a place with such spectacular views.”

 To learn more about the 10th Mountain Division Huts go to https://huts.org/

The photo below is Danielle, not Colleen, as it reads in the print edition of OSW.