Hut Trippin 09'

Beaver Lake Hut - La Sal Mountains, Moab, Utah.

If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound?

Hells yeah it does! I saw. I heard. And I have scientific data to back it up. You see, when a branch breaks, it releases energy, which in this case, is expressed by sound. So when a tree breaks and falls over, there is all this energy being released, air being displaced, and branches being snapped like... well... twigs.

Plus, from what I've been told, since a tree doesn't have a mind or eyes, it doesn't have thoughts or feelings. So... regardless on whether there are people around or not, the tree can not sense, feel, or see that there are people around. So yeah, it wouldn't be able to press the mute button.

Trees also lack opposable thumbs, so it physically can't press the mute button.

I just made all that up. So, with that being said, I should inform you that I am not a scientist, and I DID NOT stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

Now, what does this have to do with the Hut Trip?

Well, you see, after we got towed into the hut by the trusty Imp, wait, you don't know the Imp yet. Well, now you do:
The Imp was the radness that towed us into the hut. Yeah, that was the easiest 7 mile slog I've ever done!After the tow in, we buddied up with the Imp and he (it) quickly became a member of the group.
So, yeah, after we shoveled out the hut, one of the massive aspens behind the hut decided it was time to fall over.

So it did. And it made a noise, and moved the trees around it. I didn't see it, per se, but I heard it, and saw the aftermath and the other trees swaying. So there you have it, trees fall, trees make noise.

Well, back to the whole point of this trip... without the 7 mile/5 hour slog that it would have took us to get into the hut, we decided to do a quick tour with our new buddy Matt. And his two dogs. You see, we didn't know Matt. He showed up on his snowmobile shortly after we arrived at the hut. And he kinda just hung around. He skied with us that day, and then went home. Good ol' Matt showed back up the next day, tried to catch up to Jack and I, who were out skiing, and almost got lost. We were nearly about to send out the rescue party when he showed back up. I think he bit off a little more than he could chew that day. He left on his snowmobile, and we never saw him again. Yeah... Weirdtown.

Well, back to the cool stuff. We went out exploring and hoping for some more turns on the second day.

There is the imposing South Mountain in the background. We were checking that line out as soon as we saw it on the way in. We found a sweet tree run, on a north facing slope that was fun and steep. These trees were an awesome shot. They had wide open meadows, a consistant slope, and widely space trees. It had snowed somewhere between 10-14 inches the day before we got here, and with the sun doing what the sun does best (shine), these steeper north facing slopes were holding onto the good snow.

We made it back to the old hut, which was actually just a glorified shack with a propane heater. FYI: A hut really loses a lot of character without a wood burning stove.

At least the sunsets were pretty cool:
We have also decided we like these March trips, since the days are so long. Especially after the daylight savings time switch. It's not like those old trips in late December or Early January where it gets dark at 4. (I just looked for links for these trips, but apparently it was pre-blog.)

Skin tracks look cool:
Jack and I got back from skiing on Friday, and found that Chase and Scott had arrived. AND a magnificent fire structure was built.

I also confirmed/verified on the trip that I still heart aspens.

I heart them a lot.
This is what gets me up, so I can get down.
You know, cause you GOTTA get up to get down.

Good food was never in short supply on this trip. It helps when the Imp also carries in your bags, food, and adult beverages.
With the lack of entertainment that is usually associated with a wood burning stove, we had a lot of spare time on our hands. So some of the peeps made a chess board and some custom chess pieces. It should be noted that we had A LOT of candy on this trip (which I also attribute to the presence of the Imp).
So, it was Friday the 13th, and nearly a full moon. This is where the fire came in. It played an important role at keeping the Wendigo at bay. "Who is the Wendigo?" you ask. Here he is:

I mean, he is no laughing matter. Here is evidence that the survivor of the epic battle between The Hulk and Wolverine had to face him.

Yeah, he is kinda a big deal.

So we offered up some PBR to the fire structure, lit the thing, basked in the light, and relaxed in the security blanket the fire offered.
The fire eventually got to a stage where you could sit within a 50' radius without burning up. This is also the closest we got to a group photo on this trip. From L-R: Me, Andrew, Myke, Chase, Scott, Jason, and Jack. You have to squint really hard to see Jack to the right of Jason. You can stop squinting, he is not really there.

The fire successfully kept the Wendigo away.

The next day, we had powder on our mind. Here is Jason, oogling Chase's turns.
After the first tree run, the group split up, some went back to the hut, but 4 of us wanted the South Mountain Face. Chase, Scott, Jack and I were up to the challenge, and made our way up her flanks. Here is the slope we are going to ride on the left, with Moab in the background.
Once at the top, we were rewarded with a view that was described as a "desert lover's dream." I would tend to agree. Here is a little 360 degree panorama:

You could see the Canyonlands, Castle Valley, Moab, the Henry Mountains, the Abajo Mountains, Lone Cone, and the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. It was dreamy. We hung out for a while up there. There was even a little grassy patch to sit on! Me from South Mountain, looking back at the northern part of the La Sals (Mt Tukuhnikivatz on the left, and Mt Peale on the right).

And to the victors go the spoils:This is my personal favorite photo from the trip.
Taken by me.
That is Chase, Jack and Scott.

The guidebook (Backcountry Skiing: Utah) describes this as:
The prize line on South Mountain is the northeast basin, a 1,300 foot run of 30 to 45 degrees falling from the (often corniced) summit. It holds perhaps the deepest snow in the entire La Sal Range.

Translation:
BAD ASS!!!

Here is a photo Andrew captured from the flanks of Mt. Peale. It pretty much shows the the area we skied. South Mountain is the tall peak on the right, and the tree run is from the little peak on the left (you can see the open meadows).
Well, another hut trip in the books. While the hut lacked in character or style, we persevered and made it an awesome trip. The Imp made it possible to consume tons of veggies, fruit, cheese, candy, meat and adult beverages. When bored, we always found solace in the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue (thanks Jack). And it always felt like we were being watched over by a higher being. Thanks giant homeless leprechaun man!
Hope you enjoyed... Till next time!

A video of the trip can be enjoyed on the post below, or here.