Our Backcountry Adventure

P3230043
Originally uploaded by katiesgirls

So, I made it home from my first alpine ski touring experience, with only few sore muscles and some nasty shin bruises. It was totally worth it, though. We had a lot of fun and it was absolutely beautiful out there.

The best thing we did was add a day at the front end of our trip and skied a half day at Donner Ranch on Sunday. It was windy and snowing, but the powder was awesome and I got a couple hours one-on-one lesson with Glenn. It's funny how years can go by, with you hardly realizing it. When I actually thought about how long it had been since I had skied, I realized it had been almost 10 years! Yikes. That put me back to the basics of all basics. I needed the lessons, but Glenn is an awesome teacher and by the end of our day, I felt ready to go out. (Too bad my boots weren't ready. I decided to save 50 bucks and not get my boots custom fit. That turned out to be a bad choice.)

We rode the lifts at Sugar Bowl up to the top of Anderson peak, and in crazy wind, headed out of bounds and along the ridge into the backcountry.

This kind of skiing is so much fun. There is a lot of uphill trudging, and some flats, and some downhill. Overall, it's an awesome workout and you're in the most beautiful setting.

We stayed at the Benson Hut, which is kept by the Sierra Club as an emergency shelter, and for private campers for a small fee. It was mostly buried in the snow; we had to enter through the loft window. There is a coleman stove for cooking and a woodburning stove for warmth, a table and six fold-down bunks for sleeping.

The next morning, we ate a little breakfast and put on our boots. My shins screamed with every step. I'm talking 9 out of 10 pain, just walking out of the hut. By the time I got outside, I burst into tears. And I promise you, I am not a wimpy girl! This was at least as bad as my cesarean recovery. So instead of a long day to the next hut, we went back the way we had come, back to Sugar Bowl and down the mountain.

After a good lunch, Edith and I drove back to the girls, while Zach and Glenn went back in to the second hut. They had a great time and came out safely the next day. It was a wonderful trip, and the girls loved staying at Glammie and Guapo's house. I can't wait to do it again. After I get my boots fit, of course!