Jackal Hut Ski Trip

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Woohoo! A grand 3-day trip in the heart of the Colorado Rockies! Varda and Alex scored the permit for this one. Having to put in a year ahead of times, you just never know if these things are going to pan out.



From 2009_02 Jackal Hut Trip


We left Boulder at sleepy 6am and where clicked in for the 4 mile, 2300ft gain ski up Ranch Creek by 9:30 or so. A flat mile across the old Camp Hale area, with a crossing of the Eagle River, was a gentle intro to the ski. After that, it was up. And up. And up. The climb was much more tolerable than the similar hike up to the neighboring Fowler-Hilliard hut. This one has a nice way of breaking up the work instead of one relentless slope. Add the views and just magnificent woodlands to the mix and the 5 hours went by quickly. The kiddos, once again, did an awesome job. They are troopers.



Jackal must have the most uncompromising views of any of the huts I've been to. Just amazing. We didn't get to take that view in when we first got there - it was flurrying a bit and socked in - but Sunday and Monday were blue ski days with amazing sunrises. The whole range from Holy Cross to the Presidential spanned the western horizon. Heaven. Can't beat it.



On Sunday the kids decided to put off building a snow cave in the morning to join us adult types for a ski up nearby Pearl Peak. A drop of a few hundred feet along the ridge to the east then rises for 700 feet to the peak. We skied through gentle, open Engleman's Spruce until hitting treeline. Then a nice zigzag across open terrain with incredible views. We dropped the skis near a talus slope where Kelly, then Leah, led the way to our high point. Heaven.



The ski out on Monday was the best yet. Yahoo!!! Even the weight of the pig (our sled) couldn't take away from the powder and tree turns down Ranch Creek. Varda and Rachel missed out by taking the longer and flatter rout out Pearl Creek. They had to deal with 3 miles of snowmobile noise while the boys and us hung out in the sun waiting for them at the cars.



From 2009_02 Jackal Hut Trip


An uneventful drive back via Vail and I-70 got us back home by 4 to unload, clean up and prep for the shortened week ahead.

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