Hut Trip

The 10th Mountain Division operates a system of 30 backcountry huts in Colorado. They are booked almost a year in advance, but this year I was lucky to take over a reservation that a friend at work could no longer use. We gathered up 11 adults and 4 babies to ski/snowshoe into Jay's Cabin for the night. At 3 miles from Vail Pass, its one of the easiest huts to access. Here's the group at the trailhead:

Here's Mike & Lucian, Kristin & Quin, and Mark & Logan. Mike & Kristin were impressive. They packed their kids into regular backpacks and just stuck their heads out the top. The kids don't look super comfortable, but they never complained. It was super windy so we fashioned a cover for Logan's backpack.

Arriving at the hut. Its really more of a nice cabin with a wood stove, electricity, running water, and indoor bathrooms.
We spent the evening eating, playing, and eating more. We set up a tent in our room for Logan, in hopes that it would contain him and he'd be able to sleep on his own. It all went well until about midnight, when Logan woke up and was too cold to stay in his own bed. Once in our bed, that night's sleep was over.
Kendall on the way out. The weather was nice and sunny and it was a quick trip back to the cars. It was a fun trip. We weren't certain how it would go with all the babies, but it went surprisingly well (despite no sleep) and I'd definitely go again.