Newsletter, Summer 1999, 10th Mountain Huts

After 12 years, and many 80 hour-work weeks, David Schweppe has retired from 10th Mountain. Here are a few last thoughts from the great storyteller, all delivered in a voice like the chainsaws he used all summer.

How long have you worked at 10th Mountain? Twelve years. I came in November of 1987. I was hired by Jim Ward who was the interim director while Rob Burnett was taking a sabbatical in Alaska. Jim put me to work right away helping with the senior hut trips and fixing the huts.

What brought you to 10th Mountain? Jim came to my parents' ranch on the Fryingpan River to pick up hay to revegetate the Peter Estin Hut. He arrived at 9:30 at night, obviously overworked. I asked him if he wanted some help. He replied "Yes, right now!" A few days later I was spreading hay with a group of teenagers. After a month as a volunteer I started to get paid and stayed on till now.

Twelve years is a long time. What kept you with 10th Mountain? No question, the people. Fritz Benedict, the founder, and his family, hut donors, particularly the Estin family, and Jack & Betty Schuss, and my cousin Buck Elliott who was running Crooked Creek Ranch as a cross-country center. I also really liked George Madsen and the seniors whom he leads on hut trips, and Bill Huffman and his outdoor program at the Aspen Country Day School. And of course Scott Messina, Dave Williams, Debbie Krohn and Cindy Carpenter who have been at 10th Mountain as long I have.

You get along with people so well. Do you have good memories of others? Certainly. I was sent out to shovel six foot drifts at the Fowler Hilliard Hut by myself. Charlie Penwill (who was president of the board of directors) volunteered to help and shoveled with me until late into the night.

Fred Fisher, another board member, cut firewood at four of the eight volunteer sessions. He did that for years. Going into the woods with two professors (who taught alternative energies at Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs and installed the photo voltaic systems at the huts) was unique. We shared many laughs as reformed hippies and were pretty green at what we were doing in the first years.

It is amazing how far we've come. Also working with Johnno & Pete McBride, Danno and Andy Meeker to finish the Eiseman Hut when there was already a lot of snow on the ground and more coming every day. It was as difficult and rewarding as anything I can remember.

You mentioned Fritz Benedict earlier. What incident comes to your mind about Fritz? We were on the way to a board meeting at the Harry Gates Hut. I was driving a snowmobile and he was "mushing" behind on the cargo sled. Suddenly the connector bar broke and dug into the snow. Fritz who was 75 years old flew off and plunged into the snow like a missile. I figured he had to be injured but he just brushed off the snow, smiled, and said "It might be time to fix the sled." His attitude was so great.

You were responsible for keeping the huts in good shape. Over the years, what changes have you seen? Unbelievable changes. When I came there was almost no money for anything. I drove Fritz' 1961 Jeep pickup that didn't start half of the time and had a hole in the floor under my feet. Today we have top notch equipment, a professional staff that even gets paid, and an endowment fund to help with operations.

You started so many programs. Is there one that you are most proud of? Probably the intern program. A family that lives in my neighborhood asked me if there was a job for their son who didn't want to go to college. I told them that if they would secretly help pay, I'd hire him as an intern. Now the program is endowed and we hire as many as six interns each season. So many people have gotten a chance to work outdoors and to get to know the huts and the backcountry. We even had a student from Italy and a sherpa from Nepal. I hope that twenty years from now one of the interns that worked with us will be with 10th Mountain and maybe even the boss.

Looking ahead, what do you see? 10th Mountain now runs like a well oiled machine. It is a huge operation. Jarod Trow (who started as an intern) knows everything about the system. Peter Looram (executive director) and I feel like old men when we watch how hard the young "bucks" work and how enthusiastic the new employees are. Fritz is gone, but the gang knows the past and can handle the future. There will always be great people who will fall in love with 10th Mountain and get involved just like I did. Without doubt, my years at 10th Mountain were the best of my life.

Any highs or lows you might share with us? I got vertigo in a whiteout on top of Ptarmigan Pass. I was headed to Camp Hale from Wearyman Creek when a storm blew in. I was alone and it scared the hell out of me.

Also, I must say beating the "brown cone" [editor:this is a delicate subject that has to do with outhouses] is a smelly job that I had to do all winter at each hut. Once the outhouse at the McNamara Hut froze so that no one could use it. Lots of people had reservations. Something had to be done and I know that there was no way to haul up a port-a-potty. So I cut a hole in the deck and we thawed the tank with propane burners all night. Scott Messina and I became known as the "coneheads". That was a high and low all in one.

Letter from the Director

David Schweppe, who has been responsible for our huts and trails, retired from 10th Mountain at the end of June. He has been involved in seeing that all the little details, whether it was maintaining the huts or building a new one, were done properly. He started and ran the intern program. He escorted seniors and kids on endless trips to the huts. Jarod Trow has now taken over those responsibilities and will continue to do a great job.

What no one can replace is David's humor and engaging spirit. Everybody who ever worked with him loved his unflagging generosity and consideration. He never thought of himself until everybody else had been taken care of. Everybody was his friend. They could talk with him about anything, and always felt the better for it. He is a gentleman in the best sense of the word.

I can't imagine that anyone could better embody the good will that I hope hut users associate with the hut system. We are losing a great employee, but David has promised to volunteer for years to come.

The Forest Service draft of the White River National Forest Revised Travel Management Plan is due to be completed and available for public review by early August. Many people in the Forest Service have spent countless hours preparing the lengthy document. It sets the parameters for how every region of the White River will be managed. The area includes land in Summit, Eagle, Pitkin, and Rio Blanco Counties. The land is studied in great detail. Several different options including a preferred alternative will suggest what the management prescription or goal will be for each area and what activities will be allowed or restricted. The final document is legally binding and lasts until the next revision, usually for fifteen years.

Ecosystem management has often been the guiding buzz word during the preparation of the document. At its most basic, I think that means the needs of a healthy environment are considered ahead of or equal to the desires of the individual. That requires a land ethic that begins with a firsthand experience of caring deeply for the land. As Aldo Leopold wrote in A Sand County Almanac, there is ethic that "rests on a single premise; that the individual is a member of the community of interdependent parts" that includes "soils, waters, plants, animals, or collectively: the land".

We should all remember some of Leopold's humility and wisdom when the opportunity comes to examine the plan.

Welcome Summer Interns

For the sixth summer, 10th Mountain welcomes six new interns: Harriet Settle, Nathan Morse, Rickey Gates, Chris Keleher, Eddy Braucht, and Tom Garrett, to work on hut and trail maintenance. Here are profiles of three of this select group:

Harriet Settle is from Charleston, South Carolina and has recently graduated from CU Boulder with a degree in biology. She has a particular interest in Conservation Biology. At CU she was an active member of the Wilderness Study Group. "I am really excited to live in Aspen for the summer and I look forward to working for 10th Mountain because I love the outdoors and driving big trucks. "But I'm dead tired every night!"

Christopher Keleher grew up in Aspen. Chris graduated from the University of Oregon in 1991 with a degree in journalism and is currently working on a masters degree in Education. Chris will be teaching 8th grade at the Aspen Middle School this fall. He is looking forward to working with 10th Mountain because he will get a chance to explore his backyard and work and play outside every day. Chris is very dedicated in preserving and maintaining our outdoor resources for future generations to enjoy.

Rickey Gates was born and raised in the Roaring Fork Valley and is a 1999 graduate of Aspen High School. He will leave in August to attend Lewis and Clark College where he plans to study Environmental Sciences and run on the cross-country team. We welcome Rickey to our team this summer.

Backcountry Cell Phone Tips and Guidelines

"Our challenge is to utilize a cell phone prudently, and to not abandon self-reliance and our ability to act decisively and independently," says Tod Schimelpfenig of National Outdoor Leadership School. The burgeoning use of cell phones in the backcountry has promoted 10th Mountain to evaluate their impact on the hut experience. Certainly cell phones are useful to report legitimate emergencies in the backcountry. After some reading and discussion, we have developed some suggestions for cell phone users. As always, 10th Mountain welcomes your thoughts. This issue will continue to expand as new technology and situations arise. If you take a cell phone in to the backcountry:

Backcountry Skiers Alliance

During the past years the Backcountry Skiers Alliance has been involved in a number of challenging situations, defending non-motorized users' rights primarily on Vail, Rabbit Ears, and Red Mountain Passes as well as in other areas. The BSA has also been focusing on how to grow into a larger organization with a broader base in order to tackle more users effectively. Finally, BSA has started a program to promote avalanche safety education.

BSA is planning to study the upcoming Revised Travel Management Plan closely from the perspective of non-motorized use. Questions will be raised and suggestions made, not only in the language but also for each alternative. You will be getting information about BSA's conclusions. It will be vitally important for you to voice your opinion before the final document is prepared.

The goal of the BSA is to preserve quiet, non-motorized areas for quality backcountry skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing by helping to find solutions to users conflicts through dialogue and compromise.

Their efforts are directed at educating land managers about the importance of preserving non-motorized areas and advocating the interests of backcountry non-motorized winter recreationists in land management decisions.

If you care about preserving solitude in the backcountry, please join BSA. To become an effective voice BSA needs to increase membership and attain broad support necessary to ensure fair and equitable management of our public lands.

Huts and Kids

The 10th Mountain Hut System offers families the opportunity to enjoy the backcountry in relative comfort.

We have been using the huts since my wife, Cheryl, was pregnant with our son in 1988. Over the years we have learned how to involve our children in our love for the outdoors.

When our children were infants and toddlers the primary challenge was keeping them warm and comfortable on the ski into the hut. Mountainsmith sleds provided a warm protective shell that worked well until the children were 5 years old.

When our children were able to ski on their own, I rigged up an old climbing harness to fit our children. They would wear their downhill skis and I would pull them along with a piece of webbing attached to my pack and the harness. On the downhill stretches I would disconnect the webbing and try to keep up. My son enjoyed it so much he would accompany me on quick four-mile sprints after work.

At age 7 the children could ski at a good pace under their own power. We have found that adult kicker skins make a good 3/4 length skin on a child's ski for those steeper climbs.

The biggest problem was how to have the children carry their own gear. We have tried a variety of day packs and children's school packs. Both of our children are quite lean so these packs were uncomfortable at best.

At REI we were doing a routine search when one of the sales people suggested trying a REI Rising Star pack. It is an adult pack that adjusts to fit very short torsos. When I first saw it I thought it would be much too big.

I almost said we shouldn't waste our time looking at it, but fortunately my son insisted.

I was amazed at the range of adjustment. It fits our 8 year old daughter at its smallest setting. It has a full padded waste belt that puts the load on the child's hips and a chest strap to give the pack lateral stability. It top loads, and has plenty of room for gear. Two mesh side pockets work great for holding snacks, water, gloves, or other items you want quickly. Elastic compression strings across the back hold a closed-cell-form mattress like a charm.

Our children have successfully used these on skis and on foot. They enjoy the trip because they are comfortable and proud to be able to carry their own gear. Cheryl and I are glad to give up our roles as packhorses.

[John Wells has been on the 10th Mountain Board of Directors for many years. He's a financial planner and lives with his family in Leadville.]

Lewis Hut On Hold

The proposed Lewis Hut that the Summit Hut Association had hoped to start building this fall has been put on hold for this year.

Summit County's Ten Mile Planning Commission tabled the proposed site plan of the hut until they had a chance to review a Wildlife Impact Assessment. The study, which will look at both the site and the area around it, will not be completed in time for the Commission to make a decision before the high altitude building season ends.

Summit Huts Association also faced stern opposition from a number of non-motorized backcountry environmental organizations. Many questioned the need for a hut in the Copper Mountain-Vail Pass area, particularly in a large piece of unbroken habitat.

Leigh Girven Yule, director of the Summit Hut Association, said that she appreciated all the concern, both positive and negative. "We will listen and slow down." It is important to proceed cautiously with any backcountry development. A decision based on good information will certainly be a wiser one. Finally it is important for the non-motorized community to stand together. Everyone shares the same concerns for the backcountry.

Fires

Based on the Forest Service's criteria of fire hazard, 10th Mountain adjusts its restrictions for the outdoor huts. Please use caution at all times and abide by the signs posted inside the hut or in the fire ring if the danger is high. No fires are permitted in the fire ring if the fire danger is deemed extreme.

Be mindful that 10th Mountain firewood is cut down and bucked by hard working volunteers. Also, 10th Mountain buys firewood for some of the huts. If the hut is a comfortable temperature, let the fire burn down and don't use it anymore. If you decide you need a fire, keep it small and shut the stove door. Please help us conserve.

Rodent Alert

Please do not leave any leftover food, condiments, or opened bottles at the huts. Take everything you brought up to the hut back down. Even unopened food attracts rodents.

Early and Late Season Hut Trips

Are you looking for hut space for you and your friends on Saturday nights? If so, consider an early or late season hut trip. As most of you know, all of the January through March 2000 weekend space is already reserved, but availability remains for late November, December and April trips. How about a quiet, mid-week trip when the huts are nearly empty? Take it from us, early and late season trips are too good to miss.

Hiking to Uncle Bud's Hut

Since we encourage hiking to a hut instead of taking a car, here is a description of a fine trail to the Uncle Bud's Hut.

This route goes from Tennessee Pass to Uncle Bud's. The 10 mile hike begins at the tip of Tennessee Pass, approximately 10 miles north of Leadville on Highway 24.

Begin on the west side of the pass, near the rest area, where you will pick up the Colorado Trail. Start hiking through the lodgepole and spruce forests along a rolling trail. After approximately 1.5 miles you will cross the Wurtz Ditch road, leading to the 10th Mountain Division Hut. Continue following the Colorado Trail west and south up Longs Gulch, to some spectacular high alpine tarns, which are the headwaters for Porcupine Gulch. Descend to Porcupine Gulch, then begin an aggressive climb south towards St. Kevin's Gulch.

This is the high point on the hike at a breathtaking elevation of 11,680'. Continue on the high trail across the tundra, then begin a descent west towards Bear Lake. After leaving the area, you will come to the Bear Lake trailhead parking area. If you are not familiar with the location of Uncle Bud's Hut this can be the most challenging route finding part of the day. From the parking area, climb southeast up a small hill to the hut. This is a great hiking trail that traverses the Holy Cross Wilderness area. As always have a map and compass with you. There are numerous water sources along the way, so bring your water purification system and get a true taste of the Rockies.

Workshops, Courses, and Volunteer Work

10th Mountain offers many volunteer and educational opportunities. Please click the "education" link on this website's main menu for more workshop information.

Board of Directors: Bill Douglas, Bonnie Downing, Jamie Duke, Buck Elliott, Boots Ferguson, Fred Fisher, Clint Jewel, Howie Mallory, Bob Moore, Jean Naumann, Chuck Ogilby, Bruce Shugart, Tim Tyler, John Wells, Suzanne White, David Williams, Steve Wilmot.

Honorary Board of Directors: Ben Duke, Richard Durrance, Ben Eiseman, Beth Fergus, Dick Goetzman, Lorraine Higbie, Robert McNamara, Bob Parker, Peter Seibert.

Staff: Ted and Carol Billings, Jenifer Blomquist, Cindy Carpenter, May Eynon, James Fulton, Debbie Krohn, Scott Messina, Mary Sanders, Jarod Trow.

10th Mountain Division and Summit Huts Associations, Alfred A. Braun Hut System, and Friends Hut operate under special use permits from the US Forest Service, and are equal opportunity service providers.

Our Field Marshal

The Retirement of David P. Schweppe