Snowshoeing to Chuck's Hut

Since I moved to Colorado I have wanted to plan a hut trip.  So back in August I logged into the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association and looked for a family friendly destination.  Normally it requires a lot more planning than a few months so I  was surprised when I saw Chuck's Hut was available.  Granted it was for a Sunday night but I figured I would follow my dad's advice (via Huck Finn):  "Never let schoolwork interfere with your education."  I asked everyone if they were on board and booked the hut.
Fast forward a few months to mid January when I looked up my reservations.  I noticed a slight problem- our hut trip was for Super Bowl Sunday.  Well- no problem.  Usually we don't even know who is playing.  But as every week got closer it was more and more obvious that the Broncos would be headed to the Super Bowl this year.
Oh well- what's done is done and I was not about to give up our hut trip for a football game.  So we headed to REI, bought a backpack and some freeze dried meals, ordered a radio from Amazon and headed up to Vail Pass.  On our way we stopped at Dam Brewery in Dillon to get a good hot meal before our trek began.  From the trailhead it was 2.7 miles to Chuck's hut.  This does not sound hard but between the wind, the snow, the slight incline and the 10,500 altitude, it was far enough for a family outing.  After about two hours we arrived at the hut.  It was like a little dream in the woods.
And even the Super Bowl worked out fine because we were able to tune it in perfectly on the radio.  Here are some outside views:

And in case you want some more details, here is a short youtube video I made about our trip.  I would certainly tell anyone interested to go ahead and plan your trip- even if it does turn out to be on Super Bowl Sunday!