These huts book up pretty far in advance, especially over holidays, which seem to be a likely time of maximum Colorado Cousins. So I think we should plan this soon.
I've been on 3 hut trips, and here's about what we would expect out of this adventure: We ski or snowshoe to the hut. This takes something like 4 hours. Many of us will ski, which is slightly harder, because we like the idea of playing on AT (all-terrain skis, which are a perfect mix of cross country and downhill) and have unrealistic aspirations of back-country skiing.
The trip is difficult, for everybody, because those of us in the best shape bring heavy stuff like beer and honey-baked hams. We see the hut on the horizon and it's a glorious site. We go inside, get the fire going, lay some meat and cheese and crackers out and enjoy having made it. Eventually everyone staggers in, and all the food and liquor and other goodies are laid on a table. Someone comments on how there's no way we'll be able to drink that much whiskey. They will be mistaken. A great dinner is made, which includes things that probably was ridiculous to bring to a hut, like said honey-baked ham. The night is passed in a nice casual cousin-party, hours of drinking and bull-shitting, and random games.
The next day we have the whole day there, because we booked the hut for a few nights. A go-getter, most likely Adam, climbs a mountain and skis down it, while the majority relaxes, sleds, explores, more games. Another big dinner and drinking. We decide to hit the sled-jump at about midnight, which seems like a horrible idea at first, but turns out to be very fun. Dare-devilry ensues. A sled is broken. Funny pictures are taken, and the whiskey is finished overlooking the sled run.
We sleep in the next day and head home, looking forward to dinner at the Hickory House.
OK. Obviously, I think these are extremely fun. Jeremy can chime in with a comment about the fun level of last winters' if he wants to. So the questions are:
-Are you interested in this idea?
-When are you most likely to be in Colorado next winter?
-When can you know for sure?
The most likely outcome here is that no one knows if or when they'll be out there, so the planning is put off until early-winter, when everyone realizes dec. 28 would have been perfect, but by then the huts are full. Let's try to avoid this. However, if it looks like non-holidays are a more likely time for maximum interested cousins, booking this far in advance is unnecessary.
4 comments:
You left out: Kyle will feign interest at first, but no one really expects him to go, and they will be right.
Also, the photo of mangled Bubb on the snowbank is one of my favorites. Suggestion: zoom into the face, submit it as your faculty web profile when the time comes.
there's a decent story behind that picture. Basically, during the day we made an ice-luge sled run, with a banked turn, a huge jump and danger of landing in a tree. Jeremy and I were hitting it hard, and kept trying to up the ante. I tried a few trick jumps, and Jeremy kept insisting everyone turn off their headlamps so he could hit it in the dark night. As our final trick, Jeremy jumped me. He didn't want to do it, because often people had trouble with the banked turn and didn't have enough speed on the jump to clear someone. But he did it and cleared me easily, while I made a face and a thumbs-up. I think he's still int he air in that pic.
I'm down Rubb, I would say we are most likely going to be in Colorado for x-mas this year so I woul be game for something around there. I would also be game for a return trip to Colorado in february or march.
I'm obviously down, and yes, we will finish all that whiskey and ham.
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