Hut(s) of the Month: Point Breeze & Continental Divide Cabins

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Part One – The Huts

 

Just off Tennessee Pass outside Leadville, two cabins sit nestled among the trees, ready to welcome hut trippers of all ages and abilities: the Continental Divide and Point Breeze Cabins.

Privately owned (and built!) by longtime resident Lee Rimel, these cabins are among the most accessible huts in the 10th Mountain Division Hut system, making them an ideal option for family hut trips, as well as beginners. That said, their location — just off the famed Continental Divide Trail — makes these huts an excellent gateway to adventure for even the most experienced hut trippers, and offers great recreation opportunities across all seasons. 

Two Cabins, Twice the Fun 

The Point Breeze and Continental Divide Cabins are ‘twin’ cabins that sit just a few hundred yards apart. Each has capacity for eight people, and is excellently equipped for kids and families, with amenities like rocking chairs, portable cribs, a high chair and a toddler potty chair available for hut users. There’s even a tipi close by on the property that kids and school groups love to explore!

Both cabins are single-story, and feature the same layout: two private bedrooms sleeping two people each, and a large common area with four additional beds. The huts are booked separately, as single-party bookings, but larger groups can choose to book both, increasing capacity to 16. 

Where Access and Adventure Meet

The main route to Continental Divide and Point Breeze Cabins follows the Continental Divide Trail/Colorado Trail from Tennessee Pass, and is a short 0.8-mile distance, with just 135 feet of elevation gain. The trail is well-marked and easy to navigate, following the CDT for a half-mile before linking into a side trail that runs straight to the huts. Winding through lodgepole pines, it offers a truly pleasant hike, bike, ski or snowshoe, depending on the season.

In winter, this is the shortest and flattest of any of our hut routes, making these the easiest huts in the system to access by ski or snowshoe. In summer, visitors can’t drive beyond the Tennessee Pass Trailhead parking area, so they can either hike/bike in on the trail, or hike/bike along the adjacent one-mile-long service road to the huts, and use the provided gear cart for hauling in gear.

For a longer and more challenging route, hut users can start from the nearby Crane Park Trailhead, extending their trek to 3.2 miles. In winter, these huts can be included in numerous hut-to-hut routes, serving as a connection between 10th Mountain Division Hut, Sangree M. Froelicher Hut, Emmelyn Hut, and Vance’s Cabin.

For day trips, easy access back to the CDT means there’s no shortage of trails to hike or bike from the hut in summer. During winter, several miles of beginner/intermediate cross country ski and snowshoe trails are in close proximity, while Chicago Ridge and Ski Cooper offer nearby downhill turns. 

Broader family activities in the area abound: from bike rides along the paved Leadville Mineral Belt Trail, to a train ride on the Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad, to a visit to the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum, or the Leadville National Fish Hatchery. These activities are great for kids and adults, and a fun way to learn about Leadville’s amazing history. 

Part Two – Lee’s Story

 

Discovering and Building the Tennessee Pass Huts

A few decades ago, while on one of his many backcountry ski adventures, Lee Rimel stumbled on something he never expected. Thinking he was skiing in the White River National Forest, he discovered a ‘No Trespassing; Private Property’ sign. 

“This is not possible,” he thought, while standing on the Continental Divide, surrounded by dense forest of lodgepole, spruce and fir trees. He took a compass bearing, and later searched the county property records to discover that there were in fact two mining claims at that location: the Iron Lode, patented 1892; and the Point Breeze Lode, patented 1903. 

After conducting due diligence on the property and negotiating with local residents who then owned the claims, Lee was ultimately able to purchase both claims between late 2001 and early 2002. 

With the property straddling Continental Divide, being uniquely flat, and located just 3/4 mile from Tennessee Pass and an abundance of trail options, he knew he’d found something special on that fortuitous ski day!  

In 2002, Lee and his partner Gracie began remodeling the old, dilapidated cabin on the property — dismantling and rebuilding it off the grid, using solar power, adding propane for a refrigerator, a compost toilet and more — for personal use.

But it wasn’t long before Lee began to imagine sharing the experience of hut trips to his property with others, so more people could enjoy warm, comfortable shelter in this area of the backcountry.

Lee built the Continental Divide Cabin in 2007, and then the Point Breeze Cabin in 2011 — both new construction, and both located about 1/4 mile from Lee’s own rebuilt cabin.

Inspired by Personal Experience

A longtime hut user himself, Lee’s first hut trip was back in 1985, when he took his daughter and son, Wendy (then 14) and Brent (then age 10), to the Estin Hut. This led to annual hut trips, longer hut-to-hut routes, and bigger group trips where Wendy and Brent brought other school friends and their parents along. The groups skied on randomly collected gear, with wooden skis and poles often in the mix. All kids carried their own gear, and they helped each other out as needed.

Inspired by the dynamics and camaraderie of these groups trips, Lee also organized an annual men’s trip, gathering friends to different huts throughout the 10th Mountain Division system to telemark the surrounding powder and climb nearby summits. 35 years later, the tradition is still running! These days, though — with most members now in their 80s and 90s — the group takes full advantage of the unique accessibility offered by Lee’s cabins, enjoying the mellow 3/4 mile trek in. 

Supporting a Hut Trip Experience for All

These kinds of experiences are exactly what Lee had in mind when envisioning the possibilities for huts on his property. He knew he wanted to offer easier access to the huts — particularly for families with young children, and for the aging population of hut users like himself, who are still eager to get out in the backcountry, but appreciate a shorter, less rigorous trip. 

Lee is passionate about sharing hut trips with family, and loves welcoming multi-generational groups to his huts. Providing an opportunity for parents and grandparents to share with their children the joy of a first backcountry ski experience and all that comes with it — like sitting by the fire, building snow caves, trekking through the forest, and finding their way along the trail — is something close to Lee’s heart. He also enjoys welcoming school groups to the huts, offering discounts through 10th Mountain Division Huts’ longstanding BEP program. 

Lee is proud to provide beginners and hut trippers of all ages the reward of being able to enjoy his huts just a short distance from the trailhead.

From groups like these, to hut-to-hut users who frequent the cabins while traversing routes linking multiple huts, the Point Breeze and Continental Divide Cabins were built for everyone to enjoy. 

Book Your Trip Today!

The Continental Divide and Point Breeze Cabins are currently open for bookings, from this spring through next winter season. You can view current hut availability here, and make your reservation through our online booking platform here.