Jackal & Fowler/Hilliard Huts

Jackal Hut, Gore Range, Mt. Elbert, Sawatch Range, Colorado, winter

Winter at the Jackal Hut, in the southern Gore Range, with a view towards Mt. Elbert (left) and the Sawatch Range.

Last week we spent four days and three nights on a 10th Mountain Division ski hut tour in the southern Gore Range of Colorado! The first leg of our trip took us to the Jackal Hut, which is perched on a high ridge with expansive views towards Leadville and the highest peaks of Colorado in the Sawatch Range.

Jackal, hut, Gore Range, Mount of the Holy Cross, March, Colorado, moonlight

Prints Available

Snow covered Jackal Hut in the moonlight with a view towards Mount of the Holy Cross – March.

Our trip coincided with the full moon, and it would have been a perfect night for some moonlight skiing but we were too whooped from breaking trail up through Pearl Creek to the hut to motivate. Lesson learned: stay at least two nights at each hut so you can spend a day skiing… that’s the whole point after all!

After one night at the Jackal Hut, we made the grueling 7-mile trek to the Fowler/Hilliard Hut – again breaking trail all the way up from Resolution Creek to the ridge of Resolution Mountain. Normally putting in a skin track isn’t so bad, but it’s a different story with a heavy pack!

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Yurt Weekend

yurt, stars, San Juan Mountains, Colorado, winter, march, night, snow

Yurt Under the Stars : Prints Available

A cozy backcountry yurt in the snow on a winter night in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Some friends of ours kindly offered us their backcountry yurt for the weekend, and we gladly accepted! Situated atop a hill above Red Mountain Pass and surrounded by heaps of intermediate ski terrain, the yurt provided a perfect base for two nights and three days of relaxing and skiing.

Skinning Up

Claudia skins up the mountain…

Backcountry skiing

…to enjoy some cruisey powder turns.

yurt, interior, Colorado, evening, winter, march

I apologize in advance for the cheese-factor of this photo, but I couldn’t resist showing how cozy it was in the yurt! After two nights like this, I’ll probably never want to winter camp in my tent again!