Mountain Lake Hut

November 19-20, 2005

Trip Report | Photos

It had been far too long since I'd had a night in the backcountry and I was in good company. Jason had been cooped up indoors just as long as I had and for Vlad & Eva, it had been even longer. After many weeks of rain, the forecast was finally calling for a dry weekend but all the precipitation we'd had made avalanche conditions a serious consideration. The Mountain Lake Hut area seemed like a good destination. It’s close, avalanche danger was relatively low and having a hut to sleep in is a pretty easy sell in the winter!

We got a very late start on Saturday. After driving in as far as my little AWD Saab could go in the snow, we were underway at the crack of 4:30pm . Just in time to watch the sunset. Even though we had a GPS, map and compass, we were happy to find some tracks to follow. Someone else had been up the previous weekend. As it turned out, they hadn't made it made it all the way but following their tracks made breaking trail a little easier part of the way anyway.

We had a long way to go along the logging road as we had parked about 2km away from the usual parking area. There were many streams to cross but only one that was difficult. Unfortunately Eva took a bit of a dip there and had a wet foot for the rest of the night.

After about an hour, the strangest thing happened. The last of the sunlight was long gone and the stars were out in all their glory but instead of getting colder, it was warming up. Pretty soon the crispy snow we'd been snowshoeing on began to resemble something more like a milkshake. I was soon down to one layer and STILL hot. The breeze was actually warm on our faces.

Basking in the warm tropical breezes under a blanket of stars, we continued our evening stroll. After what seemed like much longer than it should have taken, we arrived at the point where you turn off the road and began the first long traverse up towards the alpine. This stretch was a bit unpleasant due to the number of big logs, alder, streams and other obstacles along the way. They are easier to avoid in the summer but in winter they hide under the snow waiting to grab you by the ankle and drag you down. After much post hoes varying in depth from knee to armpit deep, we finally switched back and onto the second long traverse which was much easier.

We moved much more quickly now and before long reached the edge of the steep, forested slope we needed to cross next. We paused for a little rest here, enjoying the beautiful night and the great company before crashing into the forest to really put the steel rails on our MSR snowshoes to the test. I was very happy to find some flagging tape so I knew we were in the right place. We lost the trail fairly quickly in the deep snow but I knew this was a relatively short section so we couldn't get into too much trouble, at least not in the navigation department. This section is difficult in the summer but in the dark with slushy snow it was even more interesting. I checked to make sure everyone was paying attention by pitching myself down the slope at one point. I remember wishing for an ice axe but in truth it wouldn't have done a damn bit of good anyway. It was just too soft.

According to the GPS we were a little too high. I felt like we needed to say high but decided to trust the GPS. Vlad later figured out that we weren't getting very accurate elevation readings but that the position on the maps was right. It took us an hour and a half to move 100 meters through the forest. Unfortunately we ended up coming out of the forest too low but it was nothing some more post holing, sliding and slogging couldn't cure. Soon we were back on track on the field of enormous boulders below Windy Lake . The biggest boulders looked like snow covered hobbit huts. The hobbits had apparently dug deep pits around their homes. I assume they supplement their diet in the lean winter months with unsuspecting snoeshoers. Fortunately, Jason was there to demonstrate the proper technique to use when extricating oneself from a neck deep hole so we were prepared.

I was slightly worried about the stream crossing at the outlet of Windy Lake . It was so warm and wet and we had encountered so much runoff to this point that I thought the stream may not be frozen or at least not frozen enough to cross. I needn't have worried however as it was frozen solid. The temperature dropped quickly as soon as we got up in the alpine and thankfully the snow firmed up. As soon as we crossed the stream we were rewarded for our efforts to this point by an absolutely magical scene. Windy Lake was frozen and snow covered, surrounded by steep cliffs, a snowy scree slope and rolling meadows that seemed to be covered in icing. The 3/4 moon hung in the sky just above the ridge making everything sparkle as if it had been sprinkled with fairy dust. I wouldn't have been a bit surprised to see a sleigh streaking across the sky.

Not surprisingly, Jason wanted to take a few pictures so he and Vlad hung back while Eva and I continued breaking trail up the sparkling snowy slope. We were all pretty tired but the scenery gave us a boost. Sky Pilot soon came into view as we winded our way through the lakes of the alpine meadows. We paused for more pictures and a rest at the top of a hill Mount Sheer had been hiding behind. Jason was lucky enough to spot two or three absolutely spectacular shooting stars but I kept missing them. Eva's back was bothering her so I explained the rest of the route so she and Vlad could continue on to the hut as Jason was busy taking pictures. When we followed behind them 10 minutes later I was impressed by Vlad's route finding as he had managed to follow the summer trail hidden beneath the snow almost perfectly.

Jason and I arrived at the hut a few minutes too early as Vlad & Eva had not finished digging out out the door yet. Fortunately they'd done most of the work though so we were soon inside. The first order of business was to warm up my frozen feet. My new gaiters did not fit my boots and as a result my feet had gotten completely soaked. Lucky for me, we had the world's best foot warmer with us... Jason. I'm not sure I like anyone enough to let them put their frozen feet on my bare skin but Jason must be stock piling karma or something. He did the same for Q and MJ on our enchantments trip. Maybe he just has a foot fetish? Anyway.... soon my feet were much happier, cozy and warm in my down booties and it was time for dinner.

The hut is rustic but very cozy & comfortable. There are two large tables and many stools downstairs. Thick foam upstairs makes sleeping is pretty comfy. The foam on the North side of the hut is thicker so claim your spot first when you get there! Soon we had a dozen candles going which gave the hut a nice warm glow.

Vlad & Eva were already well on their way to hot food when we got started. We were all SO hungry! It had been a 7.5 hour slog through wet snow to get up to the hut so we were ready for some nourishment. You wouldn't think that pasta with tuna and 2bite brownies would be good but you would be wrong. You don't know what you're missing. After dinner we had hot chocolate & more brownies. Well, more like hot Kuhlua really with some hot chocolate in it. It was so strong I had to warn everyone to keep it away from their eyes. mmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy!

Maybe it was the Kahlua but I suddenly had this brilliant idea for drying out my boots. They were seriously wet and the thought of putting them back on in the morning was more than I could bear. I took two candles and put them in my boots. I put my hands down the sides of the boots to make sure it wasn't going to be too hot and it wasn't so I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. My boots looked quite lovely glowing softly by candle light. When they still hadn't caught fire after cleaning up the dinner dishes I decided to leave them overnight and headed to bed with thoughts of warm boots dancing in my head.

It was about 2:00am by the time we crawled into our sleeping bags under the sweet smelling cedar beams of the loft. I was so cozy & warm up there I actually woke up feeling hot several times in the night.

The sun rose and we ignored it. We creatures of the night just snuggled down deeper into our sleeping bags. Sadly my boot drying system was a dismal failure and all I had to show for my efforts was puddle on the floor where the shoelaces had been hanging off the table. The plan had been to leave by 10am as Jason had a lab due in the morning but it was 10:30 by the time we finally got up. It was hard to get motivated to pack up to leave and it was 12:30 by the time we finally set off.

We didn't get very far. 5 minutes later our packs were off and we were goofing around for a photo shoot. We wanted a group shot with Sky Pilot in the background. Vlad & Eva wanted a Christmas shot for a calendar they are making and I needed a cartwheel shot. Then Vlad & Eva got creative with shadow poses and that prompted another set of pics. It's really nice having a photographer on trips. The sun was about to dip below the ridge by the time we got moving again.

Our pace through the alpine was pretty leisurely as we stopped many times for more pictures & conversation. (It's virtually impossible to talk while snowshoeing on crunchy snow.) Vlad & Eva made shadow turtles which were cause for more stopping and picture taking. We stopped again 20 minutes later to test out the aerodynamics of our snowshoes, leaping off a large boulder down hill into the deep, fluffy snow.

We had a rather auspicious meeting with a couple of guys down at Windy Lake which was another good excuse to stop. It was surprising because you need a key to unlock the gate on the logging road. They said they had lucked out when they found a hidden key behind the gate. They carried on towards the hut as we headed back down towards the boulder field. We were moving much more quickly now that we had our tracks to follow back. We decided to stay high through the forest this time and got through in 35 minutes this time thanks to Vlad's superior route finding skills.

We enjoyed a yummy lunch on the other side of the forest while basking in the sunshine. Refueled, we struck out to tackle the long traversing switchbacks. Vlad wondered aloud if maybe we could just go straight down and that was all the encouragement I needed. We slid, crashed, rolled and stumbled down through the deep snow. It was fun until you post holed up to your waist on a steep slope and couldn't get your leg out which seemed to happen to Jason with every other step. The guys we'd met earlier caught up with us and joined us for the final ungraceful but fun tumble down the hill to join the trail. Soon we were back on the logging road for the long walk back to the car. My boots were so wet already that I decided to have some fun at the stream crossing and rather than crossing by balancing delicately on partially submerged rocks, I jumped into the middle of the stream with a big splash.

We were back at the car at 5:35, shaving 3 hours off our ascent time even with all our dilly dallying around in the alpine. It was nice to be in the dry, warm car, but hard to leave. Unexpectedly, the gate at the road was locked. We had the key to the second gate but the first gate had always been open before. Then we remembered what the guys up at Windy Lake had said about the hidden key and in about 30 seconds flat Jason had found the key.

It had been a fabulous trip. Just what my soul needed. Thanks to Vlad, Eva & Jason for being them & being so much fun.

Trip Report | Photos