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!

Goals Update

Here is my blog post from a year ago with some of my 2015 goals.  I wrote in red how I accomplished them:

Here are some things I hope to do in 2015 (in no particular order.)

1. Make it to my 50th state. About 14 years ago I was up to 49 states and I just have not had reason to visit my final state, Louisiana. Here is hoping this is the year I make it to New Orleans!  Has not happened yet- maybe 2016?

2. Complete an overnight backpacking trip. I don't think I have been backpacking since my Alaskan honeymoon almost 18 years ago!  YES!  Haunch Lake on the west side of RMNP.  AMAZING!

3. Go to more live music- especially a concert at Red Rocks and Rockygrass in Lyons.  YES! Steely Dan at Red Rocks and Rockygrass.  Love both those places.

4. Go on a Xc ski or snowshoe hut trip.  YES-  sort of.... We have a hut booked for next month.

5. Become a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. The competition is stiff but a girls gotta dream!  NO:(

6. Complete the RMNP Hiking Challenge: In celebration the the 100th Anniversary of becoming a National Park I want to hike 100 miles. I am going to use my friend's Rich and Holly's strict definition of unique miles which means six miles out and back will only count as three miles. In addition, I will make it a goal to get to RMNP at least once a month in order to see it in all the seasons.  YES! This was an excellent goal and we hiked over 220 miles (135 unique miles).  Still many more destinations to enjoy.  

7. Once and for all conquer my sweet tooth- not even sure if this goal is POSSIBLE but I sure do feel better when I stay away from sugar and flour.  YES! NO! YES! NO!  Depends on the day!

It's the Little Things

Merry Christmas to everyone.  I hope you had a nice holiday season.  As I was trying to think of what to get my loved ones for the holidays, I was struggling.  There are many things I love about having teenagers, but I have to admit buying legos and doll clothes was a lot easier than shopping for teenagers.  But I tried to find some little surprises they would like.  And it turns out while I am sure they would have gladly loved to get a $600 iPhone- they were still filled with joy to receive some gifts from the heart.  Usually after they open their presents I ask them to pick their top three gifts and pose for a photo.  Laurel took no time to grab the popcorn maker, a bottle of kernels and some snazzy leggings for her picture and Owen grabbed Harry Potter postage stamps, Deep Space book and some Lego Brick Greek Myths and Fairy Tales.  So again I am reminded that it is the little things that really matter.

Treasured Family Recipe

I am practically vegetarian so it may come as a surprise that the one meal I really miss is filled with only 5 ingredients and 2 are meat.  But the ratio is heavenly and I just love Ragout.  So here is what I know about this family recipe:  My paternal grandmother, Helen Ann McMahon would make this recipe.  She died months before I was born and so I never got to have her dish.  But thankfully my mom learned to make it and it was often the choice for a special birthday meal in my family.  I cannot recall the last time I had it but I requested if she could teach me while out here visiting.  So here are the details:

In a frying pan, brown one pound of bacon until crisp- in my opinion, the best you can find.  We got ours at Your Butcher Frank in Longmont, CO.  Then add 2 cups of finely chopped onion to the bacon and caramelize.
The rest of the recipe is best made in a cast iron stove.  We used our 14" Dutch Oven that we use for camping.  This was a bit of an overkill but worked better than a typical pot would have.  Transfer bacon and onion to the cast iron stove, along with the bacon fat because this provide all the seasoning a flavor you will need.  Add two and a half pounds of cubed London Broil and brown that.

After the beef is browned, add approximately two cups of carrots and two cups of potatoes.

 Stir frequently over medium heat.  After about two hours of slow cooking it will all be somewhat mushed together.  Add liquid (we just did water) if it starts to stick before everything is soft.

Usually we serve it with homemade coleslaw and bread.  I also like to have a nice glass of red wine with it.  It is hard to believe such a flavorful dish is made with only 5 ingredients and all the seasoning comes from the bacon and the caramelizing of the onions.  So there you have it- Helen McMahon's Ragout.  

Old Fashioned Road Trip

This month my mom came to visit us in Colorado.  I always try to balance her visits with some down time to visit around the house along with some sort of trip to experience something new together.  Grammy had mentioned she only had one state left to say she had been to all fifty.  Any guess which state was left?  No- not Hawaii...North Dakota!  I checked google maps and saw it was less than ten hours to ND.  But I did not want to simply drive to the border and turn around.  We had to DO something there.  I googled and read up on the state and decided a very fitting finale for Grammy's 50th state would be a stay at an Abby.  So we had a destination for our mini-roadtrip:  Assumption Abby in Richardton, ND.  We broke up the drive by staying in Cluster, SD  both on the way there and the way home.

We really enjoyed seeing Custer State Park and all the buffalo on the Wilderness Loop, Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

As we drove to North Dakota I thought at first I had missed the "real" highway but turns out the two lane road in the middle of cow pastures really was the main way.  After we crossed into ND we took a slightly more scenic northern route on the Enchanted Highway, a road that also had large sculptures every few miles.

When we arrived at the Abby we followed the directions to locate our room.  I really did not know what to expect since I have never been to an Abby before but what a wonderful surprise.  We had two nice rooms at the end of the hall.  We went to morning prayer and ate the silent (and delicious) breakfast with the monks.  Then we walked around to enjoy the gardens and the prarie.  We visited with some of the monks and I really enjoyed their hospitality, friendliness and openness.  We also bought some soap made at the abby in the gift shop.  I went back for the prayer service before lunch.  Then we all gathered in the dining hall to say grace before a tasty lunch with quiche, salads and a ginger square dessert.  We would have liked to stay at the Abby the additional night as we had planned.  But after the drive up, I realized it was not realistic to drive straight home so we left after lunch so we could get to Custer and sleep before driving home the next morning.

Notice the nice t-shirts in the pictures?  Laurel designed them to commemorate the big day.  The front said "Grammy's 50th State" and the back had her photo inside an outline of North Dakota and it said "North Dakota or Bust!".

I continue to enjoy a good road trip- fun company, music, a cooler full of cold cuts and seltzer and the spirit to love whatever comes around the corner- be it a buffalo, a narrow bridge or a giant tin family.

We live in an amazing country and if you have not gotten out to enjoy it lately fill up the tank and get driving!

The Grand Traverse

Justin and I have been enjoying many hikes in RMNP this year.  Many of these hikes were in training for a longer three day hike that looped clockwise from Bear Lake, up Flattop Mountain to Grand Lake and up to Haynach Lake and then back to Flattop Mountain, finishing in Bear Lake.
Here is a map with the loop:

We awoke at 4AM and left home at 4:30.  This got us on the trail at 5:45.  Even though we delayed our trip by one day because of poor weather, things still started out a little shaky.  We were not sure if we would have enough visibility to see from cairn to cairn.  Here are some photos from the start of the hike.

Once we got over the continental divide the weather improved.  At about 3:00 pm and 18.5 miles later we left the trailhead and walked into Grand Lake to sleep at the Rapids Lodge.  Surprisingly we felt pretty good and enjoyed a nice dinner with friends at the Sagebrush Restaurant.  The next morning we got back on the trail at the same spot, this time taking the Tonahutu Trail to our backcountry site, Haynach Lake.  As the first photo demonstrates- the previous rainy days made for a muddy hike but at least we had mostly sunny skies.

Our backcountry site was spectacular.  It was looking over a nice creek and meadow and was about a mile from Haynach Lakes which were beautiful and we enjoyed them all to ourselves since they are a bit off the main trail.

The third morning we awoke early to get on the trail by seven.  (The reason we cut the second half of the hike into two parts was because it would be hard to be below treelike before afternoon if we did it all at once and there are just too many lightening strikes in the afternoon.  So we hiked to right below tree line, enjoyed the sights and the backcountry for a night and then began the upward climb early in the morning.)  Below are some photos of the tundra with panoramic views.  The final two photos show where our loop began right after Flattop Mountain and where we ended.

This hike was a wonderful three day trek and training for it was also fun.  I am grateful to Justin for coming up with this idea and carrying more than his share of the backpacking load!

Centennial Challenge

Time is flying!  I cannot believe it has been so long since updating this blog.  Since my last post I am now a mother of TWO teenagers and I love it.  So far, teenagers is the world for me.  We'll see if this lasts:).
Justin and I are enjoying the Centennial Challenge for Rocky Mountain National Park.  To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park we are trying to hike 100 unique miles in the park. So far we are up to mile 76.  This chart shows our progress.  If you are interested in seeing more details about the hikes, download my first ever free ebook from iBook.  Click here for the direct link.  Below is a brief sampling of some of my more memorable hikes.

Sand Beach

 Chasm Falls off of Old Fall River Road

 Lunch break in a meadow along Old Fall River Road

Lawn Lake

Lawn Lake