Shrine Pass – If climbing a 14,000-foot peak is a classic Colorado summer experience, taking a hut trip may be its winter equivalent.
Mount Sherman is the easiest fourteener to ascend, but what is the easiest hut trip? Probably the trek to Shrine Mountain Inn.
Less than 3 miles from the trailhead at the summit of Vail Pass, and cushier than most other shelters in the state’s sprawling network of backcountry accommodations, the inn offers a relatively stress-free introduction to what hut-tripping is all about.
“It’s pure escape in the woods, and a chance to experience weirdness with friends,” says Jason Peck, a 30-year-old adventurer from Denver, on an outing to the inn with about a dozen compatriots. “And this one is so easy to get to.”
The Shrine Mountain Inn, actually a complex of three oversized log cabins (Jay’s, Walter’s and Chuck’s), offers the usual hut amenities – wood stoves, cooking facilities and communal sleeping arrangements. But unlike most huts, it also boasts hot and cold running water, flush toilets, electric lights and a shared sauna.
Overnight guests must ski or snowshoe in with all their food, clothing and sleeping bags on their backs – no trifling task, considering the inn sits near timberline, some 500 feet higher in elevation than the top of Vail Pass.
Compared with staying in a condo or resort hotel, says veteran hut-tripper Rick Creekmore, 45, of Colorado Springs, “This gives you more of that wilderness experience that people are familiar with from camping or backpacking in the summer. You’re isolated, there’s no highway noise, you’re away from the distractions of TV, and it creates a lot of camaraderie.”
The social aspect of hut-tripping is one of its chief attractions. There’s something about sharing a kitchen and a bathroom – or a composting toilet – that turns strangers into acquaintances in short order.
Mealtimes are especially congenial, since the dining tends to be family-style and guests are usually happy to share their entrees, as well as their recipes.
“If you’re going with a group of three or four, there’s always extra food,” and whatever is left over must be either eaten or carried out, notes Alex Barcza of Silverthorne, one of several Vail-area friends who take a hut trip together at least once a year.
On this night in early November, he is stirring up a big pot of spaghetti sauce with fresh peppers, onions and ground turkey, to be served with 4 pounds of pasta shells, fresh-baked bread, salad and fig-vinaigrette dressing.
Besides huts, backcountry users can stay in yurts – circular, portable dwellings that usually sleep eight and are well-suited to families.
“Yurts are a little smaller than the huts, but they still have the woodstove and propane burner and outhouse, and typically you’re renting the whole thing, which is good because some people object to kids,” says Creekmore, who is manager of the REI store in Colorado Springs.
Most of the 10th Mountain huts are large, two-story structures that sleep up to 16 people and are reached via treks of 5 to 7 miles with elevation gains of 1,000 to 2,500 feet. Hence, users must be in good physical condition, possess at least intermediate ski-touring skills and be equipped to deal with avalanche risks and often harsh weather conditions.
“The trails are usually well-marked, and usually you’re following in someone else’s tracks. Where people run into problems is on hut-to-hut trips, where you’re going on more difficult, less-traveled terrain,” says Creekmore.
“But we try to be at the trailhead by 9 or 10 in the morning to allow plenty of time to get to the hut in daylight.”
Staff writer Jack Cox can be reached at 303-954-1785 or jcox@denverpost.com.
