Spring/Summer 2003

Benedict 100 of 2003 -- They Met in the Dark

By Dominique Hershberger

We met at 6 o'clock sharp in the darkness in front of the 10th. Mtn. Aspen office. I had slept well, but, nevertheless, was apprehensive. A long and challenging trip lay ahead: a 100 100-mile ski trip from Aspen to Vail in 6 six days via the hut system of the 10th. Mtn. Division Hut Association. Was I going to make it to the end?

I had been warned that this trip was not for everyone, yet I still wanted to sign up. It seemed too much like an adventure not to be missed. I didn't think I was “everyone,” but how did I know for sure? I was trying not to compare myself with the other participants as they were introducing themselves in the darkness. Despite my fears, it seemed like an adventure not to be missed.

We all piled up into the cars and headed for the trailhead. Nobody was talking much. I guessed that we were either deep in our thoughts or still too sleepy to visit. One of the participants had shown up at the last minute, having left Denver around 0200 AM after an hour and a half of sleep and having driven straight through to get to the office at 0600.

As the day lit up we started out on our skis; it was fairly warm but you could see the low clouds and the new snow approaching. The forecast was calling for a cold front and fresh snow. Little did I know that the cold would stay with us the rest of the week, until the day we would ski into Vail!

I didn't get to talk much to the other participants that day until we reached Margy's Hut that first night. It seemed to me that most of us were focused on the task of skiing up to the hut. It turned out that most of the socializing we did would be done at the huts, around the table or the fireplace. Warm and cozy after an excellent meal, we would start talking and talking and talking,... I would find out, however, that during the following days, conversations on the trail would be limited to the simplest phrases, due to the cold or and the effort: "How are you doing?" "Need help?" "You OK?" would be the sentences most often spoken.

I found out from other participants that most of them were doing a lot of thinking on the trail. That helped obliterate the cold and the miles ahead: memories of childhood, of songs long forgotten, soul searching, life reviews, self and self-encouragement. T, the mind was a movie screen, and that helped obliterate the cold and the miles ahead. In the meantime, Ted and Carol were doing most of the job ahead, route route-finding, trail breaking, shortcutting, etc... When we were pulled out of our thoughts by some rebelling or failing piece of equipment, such as skins not sticking or skis not gliding, they would be right there with help and advice. I had never waxed my skis before and I would learned a lot about waxing. A, among other things, that there is not just one type of wax for all snows....

Maybe the skins were not sticking to the skis, but for sure we for sure as a group would stick together. Ted and Carol's mottoes were "Safety first," "Stay together," "This is a team effort." These sentences remain engraved in my mind. There was a great deal of solidarity within the group and this was a great source of comfort in the bad weather. By staying together we also got to witness spectacular tumbles and falls in a snow so good (it would be excellent all week long) and so deep that often the victims would have to be dug out by their laughing buddies. Staying together would also allowed us to discover with curiosity what was in each other's backpacks.

What a surprise to find out that one of us was carrying a CD player and 24 CDs! Of course this poor fellow had then to endure a week of jokes on the topic. To tell you the truth though, the CD player and the CDs didn't make it past the first hut, its owner having decided to drastically reduce the weight of his backpack at the end of the first day.

The longest day was supposed to be Day Four day 4, from Uncle Bud's to Jackal Hut. We had been promised 12 hours of continuous skiing with a departure and arrival in the darkness. I think we were all dreading day Four. These worries were made worse when we realized that we had only made it to Margy's Hut at dusk (one of the "short" days) and the next day to Betty Bear, after dark (one of the "long" but not the "longest" day)!

We were actually even met on the trail that night by Betty Bear's hut hosts who were starting to wonder what had become of us. They had come looking for us with hot lemonade and empty backpacks to help us out. That hot drink was so welcome! And gave us hope in the dark that the hut was probably not much farther!

So then we started to constantly "estimate" our arrival time to the next hut. The "estimate" became a hot topic in our daily conversations. On day Three, however, we flunked in our ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) at Uncle Bud's. On this shortest day we barely made it at dusk thanks to awful weather at Hagerman Pass, where the rear tail wind froze our buttocks off, except for Carol, who smartly had stuffed extra clothing in the seat of her pants. Another reason for our delayed arrival was the deep new snow that made trail trail-breaking for the last mile and a half a very slow and tiresome experience.

Day Four 4 was actually not as bad as expected, and we reached Jackal Hut, tired but on "schedule", shortly after dark. Being welcomed there with hot drinks and delicious warm cheese melting on pizza was such a treat! The weather started to improve on the way from Jackal Hut to Shrine Mtn. Inn. That afternoon is was memorable for watching Ted work at breaking through a huge cornice that was blocking our route. Carol, from a vantage point, acted as a "spotter", directing Ted's work and then our passage through the break in the cornice.

After a last night with an the outside temperature at -15 F., the sun rose on our little troop the next morning in a cloudless sky. The day was calm, the temperature rose quickly, and on the ridge of the Commando Run we were rewarded with Extraordinary scenery. : oOn one side the majestic Gore Range and on the other side a panoramic view extending all the way to the mountains above Aspen. Thanks to Ted and Carol, who named for us all the peaks and summits of on the horizon, we were able to trace our itinerary and discover the terrain we had covered.

The rest of the trip, including the descent into Vail, went very fast. I was ecstatic, I knew by then that I had made it! Reaching Vail Village, we headed straight for beer and tacos. It was hard to believe that the trip was over and we bid each other farewell, vowing to keep in touch.

The Benedict 100 will definitely remain for me a cherished memory, a. A memory filled with friendship, good food, a fireplace and of interactions between myself and the forces of nature. Such a trip is good for the body and for the soul. Thumbs up for my fellow team mates: David Christie, Josef Kralovec, Linda Muscatell, Theo Raun, Al Slavin and Bill Young. Special thanks to our guides Ted and Carol Billings.

Heartfelt thanks to our Hut Hosts: Tom Todd and Cavanaugh O'Leary at Margy's, ; Curt Carpenter, Paul Anderson Andersen and Scott Jacobs at Betty Bear, ; Orlyn Skrien, Tony Pingitore and John Angelo at Uncle Bud's, ; Brad and Jay Henry, and Myron Alt at Jackal, ; Jeff, Laurie and Nathan Beckel, and Wendy King at Shrine Mt Inn.

Letter from the Director

You may know that many of our huts are open for summer use and offer the opportunity to explore a favorite area, sans snow. You may not know that there are many great non-motorized routes to these huts. It is a lot of fun to ride a bike, ride a horse, or hike on a single-track trail to a hut: the experience of the trail, and coming over that last rise, or around that last corner, and seeing the hut is just as rewarding in summer as in winter. If you do book a summer trip, please inquire about these non-motorized routes so we can offer suggestions.

10th Mountain continues to work toward preserving and enhancing the current integrity of the hut system. We have several large projects in the works, including the purchase and endowment of the Belvedere Hut, a privatly owned and operated hut. We also continue to work in close collaboration with the United States Forest Service, local communities, and other entities to develop long term, sensible solutions to stewardship and travel management issues.

10th Mountain Division huts offer so much more than just warm shelter: they also offer simplicity, value, quiet, fun, and the opportunity to share a wonderful experience with family and friends, old and new. Our lead article, written by Dominique Hershberger about her Benedict 100 experience, captures this wonderful spirit of the 10th Mountain huts experience. It is worth the read.

Heart of the Hut: The Wood-Burning Stove

By Hawk Greenway, Alfred A. Braun Hut Manager

The woodstove is arguably the most important part of the hut. There is simply nothing quite like pulling into a little hut just at dusk, after an exhausting hump with a too-heavy pack on your back, perhaps a little nervous about finding the hut before full-on dark, and finding that little stack of firewood, kindling, fire-starting paper and kitchen matches all close by the stove.

Hopefully, someone in your party knows something about starting a fire and running the stove, and soon the crackle and pop of a fire begins to warm your spirit as you anticipate the soon soon-to to-be be-realized actual warmth. It totally makes the trip!

Because the woodstoves you will find in the huts are from various sources (donated, found at the dump, and even purchased new) they are all likely to be of different makes and models. They all have slightly different operating quirks. To help you look and feel like a pro when approaching a woodstove, remember a couple of principles:

1. A fire needs more air to start and burn hot.

2. A stove works by restricting air going IN to the fire, and by slowing smoke going OUT of the firebox.

To start a fire in a woodstove, you must open both the air vent going IN, and the damper governing smoke going OUT. Take a moment before lighting the match under your nicely placed paper and kindling to verify how your stove works. Then light away! I like to place a medium medium-sized block of split wood against the back of the firebox to act as a wall to lean my kindling on. It will light up and reflect heat and flames up into my kindling and seems to help start a good fire. Next, I crumple a piece or two of newspaper to place against the first block. Then I start with small kindling, making sure to set it close to each other group, yet allowing enough room for air and flames to circulate. Before I light it, I'll also place a few larger pieces of split kindling above (where the heat and flames will go). Sometimes it helps to blow gently on the burning newspaper to get it hot enough to start the kindling.

Every group seems to have a fellow who believes that you can't build too big of a fire. Remember that there is a finite amount of wood in the woodshed. Go ahead and get that stove really cooking to melt your snow for water and to take the chill out of your bones, and the dampness out of your gear. But let the stove die down when it gets near bedtime. If you have the stove roaring, and with every window and door in the hut open, it is time to restrain the fire-feeder. Be diplomatic and challenge your pyro technic caveman! Put to work the principle of restricting airflow through the stove. Try putting a log or two on the fire and then damping down the stove by almost closing the air intake and closing the damper. It will still put out lots of heat, and uses tons less wood. With the type of firewood we tend to burn, it is possible to stoke the fire, damp it down, and get six to eight hours of heat out of a few large chunks of wood.

The pleasure of being warm and snug in a hut, curled up near a crackling fire, hot beverage in hand, with good friends all pleasantly buzzed from a good workout in great terrain that is what it the hut experience is all about. Imagine such a trip without the hearth to gather around!

News Digest

Summer use at 10th Mountain Huts
Starting July 1 through September 30, 2003, all of the 10th Mountain huts (except McNamara and Benedict huts) will be available for summer use along with Francie's Cabin, The Shrine Mountain Inn, The Polar Star Inn, and Vance's Cabin. The 10th Mountain summer hut season runs from July 1 to September 30th. Cc add: smi, belvedere, vance's polar star inn and francie'sÖÖ. Huts in the summer allow cyclists, hikers, equestrians and others to enjoy multi-day trips without carrying camp gear. For more information, to request a summer brochure and hut availability, please go to our website: www.huts.org

Spring Update - Backcountry Skiers Alliance
The Backcountry Skiers Alliance was formed in 1992 in order to give human-powered winter recreationists a unified voice in the management of public lands in the winter. We are forging relationships with the land managers and presenting a vision of what human-powered recreationists would like to see on our public lands. Currently we are working in the Steamboat Springs area, Vail Pass, the White River National Forest, and Wolf Creek Pass. Our next program will be to look at all travel management plans for the forests in the Rocky Mountains. See below for specifics of projects on which we are working on now.

Friends of the Routt Backcountry (FORB), continues to work on issues at Rabbit Ears Pass, Buffalo Pass, and Hahn's Peak (North Routt). In December 2002, Kim Vogel, District Ranger, designated more areas for non-motorized use (though still voluntary) and declared that the forest would work toward enforceable boundaries within the next year. FORB is working toward creating a vision to present to the forest service of what the winter forest would look like to present to the forest service.

The BSA has worked for many years with Forest Service representatives, motorized advocacy groups, other users, and concerned citizens to develop an equitable management plan for the Vail Pass area. The compromise creates separate and shared areas for motorized and non-motorized use and establishes non-motorized zones around the huts. Use separation is enforceable through a formal Forest Supervisor's Order. Though there are still some encroachments of non-motorized areas by snowmobilers, there is much more respect between users, and the forest service has begun to respond to those encroachments by putting up more signs, patrolling, and ticketing blatant offenders. The BSA continues to work with the Forest Service to help improve management of this area by providing input on how to improve the experience for human-powered users of the winter backcountry.

The White River National Forest has recently revised its forest plan. Due to inadequate monitoring and a lack of planning for conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users, the BSA appealed this plan. We hope to negotiate with the Forest Service in early 2003. We are currently awaiting the Travel Management Plan Draft. We have gathered and submitted specific comments denoting where non-motorized winter travel should be designated in the forest. We hope that this will ensure a quality backcountry experience for human-powered winter users of this popular forest. Wolf Creek:

BSA is working with the Forest Service and user groups on winter use issues that have arisen on Wolf Creek Pass. Since January 2002, a task force comprised of the Backcountry Skiers Alliance, the Colorado Snowmobile Association, local motorized, non-motorized, and hybrid (use snowmobiles to access areas then ski, snowboard, or tube) user groups, as well as outfitters, the CO Department of Transportation, Wolf Creek Ski Area, and the Forest Service examined the issues on the pass. A new set of guidelines that restricts use of snowmobiles to the Lobo Road on the north side of the pass has been adopted, and surveys of winter user are being taken. After the data have been compiled, the Task Force will meet again to determine whether changes to the use in the area should be made.

We need you! If you are interested in volunteering time or finding out more about what's happening at the BSA, please check our website www.backcountryalliance.org or give us a call (303.494.5266). If you're not already a member, please consider joining. We depend on membership support, without which we are unable to work on issues that are important to you! We are happy to send you a newsletter and membership form. Increased membership strengthens our voice. Thanks for your support!

News Digest

Wish List
10th Mountain is always on the lookout for high high-quality wood wood-burning heatstoves. Vermont Castings stoves are preferred. Please contact us at (970) 925-5775 or by e-mail: huts@huts.org

Lottery
This March, 10th Mountain conducted our 5th annual lottery for winter reservations. Just like last year, we received in excess of 1,000 entries and 87.7% of entrants received a trip (exactly the same percentage as last year)! If you were among the 12.3% of people that did not receive a trip, please feel free to give us a call to discuss strategies for filling out your form to maximize your chances. Of course, if all you want is a popular hut on a midwinter weekend and you're drawn in the latter half of the lottery, there's not much that can be done! With a limited number of huts and weekend nights, it often just comes down to the luck of the draw.

One option to improve your chances is to enter as a group with other members. This year, almost half of all lottery participants entered as part of a group, with the median group size being 3 three members. Members entering as a group were about 10% more likely to receive a trip than non-group entrants. And there's another bonus -- you and your friends get to pick a cool group name!

Some names from this year's lottery were pretty creative: Awesome Possum, Bad Knee Bunch, Eco-Skiers, Flatland Friends of Colorado, Glitter Gang, Hebrew Hunters and Trappers Association Zia Chapter, Los Linces, Lounge Lizards, Mad Scientists & Stabilizers, Powered by Pork, Queen of Cold & Her Court, Fogies for Fun, Geezers on Skizers, Kids & Geezers from Denver, Old and In the Way.

A few names just made us go “huh?”: Boom-Mo, Leaning Jowlers, R & P Wimp Trip, Shin Diggers, Slee Slackers, The Incompatibles.

As we continue with the lottery, member feedback is still predominantly in support of our system. Whatever you think, we appreciate any comments you may have! The group entry process and the lottery itself are direct results of member feedback. If you are not yet familiar with the lottery process, please visit the Lottery and Membership section of www.huts.org or call Reservations for more information.

Congratulations
Aspen, CO. 10th Mountain Division Hut staffer Jenifer Blomquist and her husband Paul Pearly announced the birth of their son - Spencer Allan Perley, born 6lbs. 14oz. on January 10, 2003. This is the first child for Jenifer and Paul. Jenifer Joined the 10th Mountain staff in 1998.