Photo: Jim Sumrall 10th Mountain Hut Trip, Holy Cross
Wilderness Area, Colorado Highlights:
Includes:
Trip Number: 10415A Price: $1,095 Deposit: $200 Capacity: 14 Leader:
The Trip There is hardly anyone who has not heard of the 10th Mountain Division, the elite mountaineering troops who trained for three years at Camp Hale, midway between Leadville and Minturn, Colorado on Highway 24, before being committed to battle in World War II with the Allied invasion of Italy, and the fierce battles waged in the mountains of Europe. Their training camp was in some of the highest and most beautiful, rugged mountain country in the continental United States. As an attestation to that remoteness and beauty, the White River National Forest, where Camp Hale was located, and the neighboring Arapaho and Pike National Forests host four Wilderness Areas, the Hunter Fryingpan, the Mt. Massive, the Holy Cross, and the Gore. The 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, and the huts that comprise it, were built by former 10th Mountain Division members, their family and friends, beginning in 1980. Six of the huts were built by family to honor soldiers lost in the Italian campaigns. The huts, of which there are now 29 either owned by or owned privately and managed by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, are located roughly in a U-shape from Eagle, Colorado on the north and west to Vail on the north and east, with the bottom of the U at Leadville. All of the huts are truly "high altitude", with most at or above 11,000 feet. As a result of their altitude and remoteness, all are "off the grid" meaning they rely on wood or propane for heating and cooking, low-voltage, solar photo-voltaic systems for electric lights, or in some cases, propane gas lighting, and none are connected to the electrical grid.  Photo: Polar Star Inn: 10th Mountain Division Hut Association Our hut, the Polar Star Inn, is located at an altitude of 11,040 feet with access from the Yeoman Park trail head at 9,060 feet, about 15 miles from Eagle on a plowed, Forest Service Road. It is on the western side of the Holy Cross Wilderness Area, and northwest of New York Mountain (12,550 feet). The name "Polar Star" refers to a mine that was to the north of the site of the hut at an altitude of 11,260 feet and active in the late 1870's and 80's. While the six miles from the trail head to the hut is a strenuous climb, once there, the opportunity to explore numerous forest and logging roads, and the relative safety of the surrounding terrain, make it an ideal location to spend five days exploring this backcountry winter wonderland.
Our Sierra Club trip begins with your arrival at Denver International Airport (DIA) or Eagle County Airport. Your trip leaders will meet you at either airport (or you can drive yourself) and provide transportation to our staging point in Eagle, Colorado. We will meet late in the afternoon in the lobby of our comfortable motel to go over trip, safety plans, and gear, and answer any questions you might have before our departure. On the final day of our trip, we should be back at the trail head around lunch time or a little later, and back in Denver around 6:00 p.m. However, due to the uncertainties of mountain weather at this time of year, it probably would be best to plan your departure for the next day. If you have the time, arriving a day or two early to begin your acclimatization process also would be smart. This trip is strenuous by virtue of the fact that we will start at an elevation of 9,000 feet and our destination is over 11,000 feet; if you are from an elevation lower than 6,000 feet you may find it painful to arrive and climb the next day! More information can be found in the Difficulty, Health and Trip Price sections below. Day 1: Arrival at DIA or Eagle County Airport. Plan your arrival no later than noon at Denver International Airport. We will schedule one departure, in a van driven by your Denver area co-leaders, arriving in Eagle around 3:00 p.m. If you plan to fly into Eagle County Airport, please plan your arrival no later than 3 p.m. You will be met by your Durango trip leader for our rendezvous with other trip members and co-leaders at a comfortable Eagle motel. Upon arrival we will check into our rooms and then meet in the lobby where we will go over trip plans and answer any questions you may have. This will also give us an opportunity to do a last minute gear check and review our safety plan. Afterwards we will continue conversations over dinner. Overnight Motel.  Photo: Kristen Nielsen Day 2: Eagle, CO to trail head to Polar Star Inn. After an early breakfast at the motel, we will board our vehicles for the 15-mile drive to the trail head. We want to get an early start because we have a long, strenuous day ahead of us. From the parking area elevation of 9,000 feet, we must climb about 2,000 feet over a distance of six miles to reach our destination, Polar Star Inn. If you are on skis, you will want to bring climbing skins. Wax or fish scale bottoms on cross-country skis probably won't get you up this mountain. Please don't go cheap on equipment. Overnight Polar Star Inn. Day 3: Polar Star Inn, Day trip to New York Mountain. We have a variety of activities we can engage in while we spend our next four days at Polar Start Inn. Weather will determine some of what we can do, but if we have a nice day, we will summit New York Mountain. The advantage of having three co-leaders means we will be able to split into smaller groups and explore different activities or destinations on any given day. All registered trip members will receive a copy of the Fulford Quad, the topographic map that covers the area. For those who are interested, we can do some map and compass work, and work with the GPS's we will have with us.  Photo: Kristen Nielsen Days 4-6: Day Trips Around Polar Star Inn. The town of Fulford or as it was known in the late 1800's, Nolan's Camp, is about half way between the Yeoman's Park trail head and Polar Star Inn. In some publications it is called a ghost town, but over the years, many of the buildings have been reconstructed or remodeled as summer homes. However, there are some residents who spend the winter, but the only access is via snow-cat, snowmobile, or skis. This is one of the possible destinations for the day. Access is via forest and logging roads, or skiers may ski through the aspens and spruce down to the town. Return is via the same forest roads. There are also numerous forest and logging roads around the area that make for easy day trips on snow shoes or cross country skis. For those with Telemark or AT ski gear, or snow boards, there are gentle to challenging slopes within easy access to Polar Star Inn. We will have the opportunity to explore in small groups some of the breathtaking backcountry that surrounds us. Overnight Polar Star Inn. Day 7: Polar Star Inn to Eagle/DIA and Home. This morning we will pack up for the descent back to our vehicles. Skiers and boarders can take the road or ski through the trees, but our snow shoers will probably want to take the road. At any rate, it is six miles mostly down hill now, giving up the 2,000 feet we gained on the first day. We should be back at the parking area around lunch time. We will have lunch and depart, those that came in the van headed for DIA, and those who came into Eagle, back there. For those headed for Eagle, we should be there by 3 or 4 p.m., for those going to Denver we will probably be there by 6 p.m. However, due to the uncertainties of mountain weather, it might be best to plan an overnight stay in Denver and your departure for the following day. Getting There  Photo: Kristen Nielsen Plan your arrival for noon or earlier on Saturday, January 9, 2010. You may fly into Denver International Airport (DIA) from most major cities in the U.S., and if you prefer, fly from DIA to Eagle County Airport in Eagle, CO. Your trip leaders will schedule one pickup at DIA and another at Eagle, depending on trip participant's arrival times, but no later than noon at DIA and 3 p.m. at Eagle County Airport. You also may drive yourself, if you prefer; Eagle is 154 miles west of Denver on I-70. Our meeting place will be at an Eagle motel which will be communicated to trip members in pre-trip communications. If your schedule allows you to arrive a day or two early, it would be wise to give yourself some extra time to acclimatize to the thin air. Denver is the "mile high" city and Eagle is 6,600 feet. Our trail head is at 9,060 feet, and our destination Polar Star Inn is an even loftier 11,040 feet.
From dinner on Saturday, January 9 through lunch on Friday, January 15, all meals, including snacks are provided. If you have special dietary needs, please let your trip leaders know well in advance. We can accommodate most requests as long as we have sufficient warning. On our first day, food for the trip will be divided between trip members for the climb to the hut, but cooking gear, including all kitchen pots and pans, serving utensils, plates, cups, forks, spoons, and knives, i.e., all necessary kitchen gear, are provided at the hut. The Polar Star Inn accommodates up to 17 people, in a number of semi-private rooms and one common sleeping area. The only sleeping gear you will need is your sleeping bag. Mattresses and pillows are provided. Sierra Club trips are based on double occupancy, but the nature of the hut is such that you may not have a private room. Accommodations in Eagle, on our first night, will be in double rooms. If you want a single room, please advise us early so we can make the necessary arrangements. Otherwise, singles will be paired up to share the double rooms. Duties in the hut will be divided to details and scheduled at the beginning of the trip. In addition to breakfast, dinner and kitchen clean up details (lunch will be on your own from materials provided), we will have wood detail (responsibility to split firewood, which is provided, for the cooking and heating stoves), water detail (collect snow to melt for water), and hut cleaning detail (to keep the area swept up and in order while we are there). We will all pitch in to clean the hut up before we leave so that it is clean as it was when we arrived.
 Photo: Jim Sumrall This is a strenuous trip by virtue of the altitude and our initial climb from the trail head to the hut. You must be in good physical condition and comfortable on your chosen gear for the initial six miles and 2,000 feet elevation gain. There really is no way to prepare for the altitude, but you should be comfortable skiing or snow shoeing for a full day while covering 6-8 miles with a significant elevation gain. Our, hut where we will be sleeping, is at 11,040 feet so if you have ever had problems with altitude, this trip may not be the one for you. Once at the hut, we have numerous possibilities for day trips over a variety of terrain. The area has many, many forest roads and old logging roads to accommodate snow shoers and cross-country skiers. There are gentle, protected slopes for skiers and boarders, and a more extreme bowls off the east and west sides of New York Mountain. Day destinations may include Fulford, an old mining town that has year-round residents and cabins that only can be reached by snow-cat, snowmobiles, or skis in the winter, Triangle Park, or Bowman Gulch Park. Health: There will be no trip physician, but your trip leaders have advanced wilderness medical training. Our group will carry emergency medical supplies, but we do not carry medications; you must bring a basic, personal first-aid kit and whatever personal medications you need. Your reservation confirmation packet contains a medical form that must be filled out and submitted to your leaders before you are accepted on the trip. When completing the medical form, realize that your safety – and the group's – depends on candid responses. If you ever have had altitude related illness, or you never have been to altitude, please consult with your personal physician regarding altitude issues. Due to the altitude at which our trip spends 5 days, if you can arrive a day or two early to help your body acclimatize, you will be much more comfortable on our trip.
This trip is intended for skiers on Telemark or alpine touring (AT) gear, cross-country skiers, snow boarders, or snow shoers. This is not an instructional trip so you should feel competent on your chosen gear. If you want to rent gear, we should have time to hit the rental shops in Eagle. Skiers will want climbing skins for their skis; if you are a cross-country skier, wax or fish-scale bottoms will not be adequate for our initial climb. Temperatures around this time of year range from freezing to 15 or 20 below zero, and if windy, the wind-chill will be even colder, so bring layers (no cotton) that allow you to accommodate that range of temperatures while resting or exercising. You will want a pack (around 45-55L) that can hold whatever clothing you bring, your sleeping bag, a personal first aid kit, toiletries, other personal gear, and has room for your share of the food that we will be carrying. If you have your own avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe pole, you might want to bring them, but complete avalanche safety gear will be provided for trip members. A detailed equipment list will be provided to registered trip members.
Conservation Our carbon footprint is becoming a huge issue as global climate changes progress. Everything we do contributes CO2 to the atmosphere, some things more than others. Even coming on this trip adds more greenhouse gases than would be the case if we stayed home, but what can we do to ameliorate our impacts and not totally disrupt our lives? For those of you flying, consider buying carbon offsets from Native Energy (see http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/offsets/); we are providing van transportation in order to cut down on the number of separate vehicle trips, and those of you driving yourselves, consider car-pooling (your leaders will coordinate a list on request). Other major contributors of greenhouse gases are the coal-fired power plants that provide energy to our electrical grid. A solution advocated to reduce greenhouse gases has been to live "off the grid". Here is your opportunity to try it out! While staying at Polar Star Inn, heat is provided by wood stoves, cooking is with wood and propane, and lights are propane. Of course, all of these contribute CO2 to the atmosphere, but possibly less (and certainly without the sulfur and mercury contaminants found in coal) than from a large, coal-fired power plant. At other 10th Mountain Division Huts, photo-voltaics provide low-voltage electricity for lights. Each evening we'll be covering topics including climate change, impact on habitat and wildlife and we'll take the time to discuss these and other environmental topics. Participants will learn about conservation actions already taken by Sierra Club, plans for the future and how they might participate. And finally, our stay will give us the opportunity to contemplate what it means to live off the grid.
See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.
Jim Sumrall has been a Sierra Club outings leader since 1997. He has led Sierra Club trips in Sikkim, Nepal, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia), Latin America, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and, domestically, in Colorado and New Mexico. He has traveled the United States, much of Canada, and South America, and visited New Zealand and the Philippines as well. Jim works summers as a Wilderness Ranger in the Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness Areas in the San Juan National Forest in southwest Colorado, winters on Ski Patrol at Purgatory Ski Area, at Durango Mountain Resort. He currently holds a WEMT from NOLS/Wilderness Medicine Institute. His website, http://www.jimsumrall.com, features trip journals and photographs from prior Sierra Club trips. 
Deirdre Butler, born in the UK, showed a love for nature and passion for animals from an early age and grew up hiking and horseback riding in Dartmoor National Park, southern England. As Wildlife Chair for the Rocky Mountain chapter of the Sierra Club, Deirdre takes delight in sharing her knowledge and observations of wildlife with trip participants identifying tracks and scat and more. Deirdre is a certified Wilderness First Responder. When not hiking, she barters her labor for organic veggies on a local CSA farm and enjoys spending time with her husband, twelve chickens and six cats. E-mail: deirdre@cogico.com 
Bill Farrow joined the Sierra Club and Colorado Mountain Club (CMC) after relocating to Boulder in 2003. He has led numerous outings for both organizations, including a trip to New Zealand for the CMC in 2007. He has climbed the 54 Colorado Peaks over 14,000ft and also climbed Mt. Rainier. Bill has completed numerous courses from the CMC including Wilderness Trekking, Basic Mountaineering, High Altitude Mountaineering, Avalanche School, Outdoor Survival and Advanced Crevasse Rescue. He also completed Mountaineering Oriented First Aid and NOLS/Wilderness First Aid. Prior to moving to Colorado, Bill lived in Wisconsin where he was active in cross country skiing. He completed the Birkebeiner ski race (52.5 km.) 13 times. E-mail: bfarrow@comcast.net General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
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