Winter in the Backcountry - Broome Hut

Winter brings new kinds of backcountry adventures.   While we do spend more time indoors with the change of season, we still enjoy carrying our belongs on our backs and heading into the mountains.  The huts of Colorado provide us with this outlet, and give us a cozy place to lay our heads at night.

Our latest winter hut trip was to the Broome Hut, part of the Grand Huts Association.  Located near Berthoud Pass, Colorado, it is easily accessible but still a getaway.  The route in from the trailhead is about one mile, but steep at 800 feet of elevation gain.  The hut sits at 11,350 feet, just above treeline.  It is the perfect perch from which to peer over the surrounding peaks.


The weather for our overnight trip this balmy January was sunny, with a low of about 21 degrees Fahrenheit and a high of 48.  The snow was very packed down, raising the question of the most appropriate way to transport ourselves up the mountain.  On a past trip, we snowshoed.  But we bought new gear at the end of last winter including Altai Skis for Matt and the boys.  I used my backcountry cross country skis... Fischer S Bound 98's.  (Check out our video reviews below for more information).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_66oqYqkTZg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=domBHNY-rok

With skins positioned under our skis to improve traction up the mountain, we were on our way.  Well, sort of.  The pitch of the path rapidly increased.  And with the tightly packed snow underneath, we slipped a few inches back with every step forward.  Fortunately our trek was relatively short and we still arrived to the hut soon after the 1 p.m. check-in time.

Broome Hut offers an area for day hikers to rest and warm up after snowshoeing or skiing in.  It is a great launch for backcountry skiers to head further into the steeps before dropping into their descents.  On a powder day, this can be an easily approachable backcountry ski site for those with  avalanche gear.

When one has an overnight reservation, the living area of the hut has large windows from which to see the surrounding peaks, watch the weather roll in, and enjoy the clear night sky.  The large cooking area is adequately supplied.  A nice luxury to this hut is an indoor composting toilet... no midnight snowy ventures to the outhouse here.

When on a hut trip, most people take advantage of the snow and pull heavy supplies on a sled.  This allows us to plan fun meals and to take whatever adult beverage we prefer.  Mulled wine was on the menu.  We shared with some of the other folks at the hut.  In turn, they shared a local brew from Guanella Pass Brewing Company in Georgetown, Colorado.... Excellent!   We will definitely need to stop our next time through.

After a great night's sleep in our bunk room, we used the morning to practice our turns...  This is about the time we realized our return trip could be a little treacherous.  Telemark turns with my gear were suboptimal, to say the least.  We were glad the return trip would be short.

Indeed, the descent to the trailhead was clumsy and slow going.  I actually longed for my snowshoes.  We all made it back to packed snow where we happily strapped our various skis to our sled, then walked down the mountain.  Still, with each step, I was planning my mastery of the telemark turn.  We will be back!

-Mama Bear

Interesting Take on Knowing Our Limits when in the Backcountry

https://www.thehikinglife.com/2017/10/when-to-call-it-quits-on-the-pacific-crest-trail/

Goose Creek Trailhead Loop: Lost Creek Wilderness

Backpacking with Kids: The Ben Tyler Trail

Segment 7 of the Colorado Trail

Day Hiking the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Happy Mother's Day!  In Colorado, spring has sprung.  Humming birds are back.  The aspens are budding.  And my longing to be in the mountain air is growing.  In anticipation of the holiday I eagerly penciled in backpacking for the weekend… No Mother's Day brunch here.  However, late season snow forced me to change the itinerary to a day hike.  How did it go?  Read further to find out!

Since moving to Colorado, I have wanted to hike the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Their crimson hue calling me each morning. So I made a goal to explore the area. With a topo map of the area, and trail description, I carefully investigated the route to hike the trail to Brush Creek Lakes. My wonderful husband, in the spirit of a Mother's Day Celebration, agreed to the planned route for an awesome hike.

I carefully navigated the way to the forest service road, turning where appropriate, on up the way to the trailhead. The dirt road quickly turned to a rather rocky road... In this case a Jeep road. Despite not having a high clearance off road vehicle, I was not to be deterred from my goal of a terrific hike this weekend. With an "onward and upward" attitude we continued. When we drove through a creek, however, I became concerned we had over-reached our vehicle's capabilities. Soon, we admitted defeat. But with a cliff on one side of the road and an upsloping mountain on the other, we had no choice but to drive BACKWARD for a quarter mile until we met an appropriate turn-around point.

Conceding victory to the Jeep road, we proceeded back to the civilized paved world with which we were familiar. But was I to give up hope completely regarding my epic hike? ABSOLUTELY NOT. My map indicated an easy-to-access trailhead to The Dry Creek Trail. According to the map, it looked like a great hike with likely great views. And the trailhead was easy to access.

We were off... On an expected 6.5 mile hike. We were impressed by our kids' new-found energy for hiking this year. Not one complaint. This was going to be awesome! The trail gained altitude aggressively. And as we gained altitude, we gained SNOW... A little at first, then full-on snowpack. Sadly, we turned back. The mountains had won. Too early for the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. But, as Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "I'LL BE BACK!"

We will see you on the trail!

-Mama Bear

 

Matt... tired of post-holing through the snow

What's in My Kid's Backpack?