On the way to Uncle Buds Hut, November 23, 2006.
The going was slow, as we were forced to break trail for nearly 7 of the 9 miles between Crane Park and the hut.
Staying on the "trail" was challenging. Once in the Holy Cross Wilderness section of the route, the friendly blue blazes that mark the route disappeared on this (apparently) seldom-used approach
Breaking trail on the N. facing slopes was brutal. Skinning through bottomless snow made for tough going.
Beckie approaching Porcupine Gulch on the way to Uncle Bud's Hut
The final climb to the hut was tough. We had to take off our skis and posthole our way through the sparse snow for 600 vertical feet
Mt. Massive at sunset, more than 7 hours after leaving the car
The eastern flank of Galena Mountain
RCR
Almost there...We made it to the hut just before dark. Finding it was a challenge to the end. We had to use the GPS to locate it
Sunrise on Mt. Massive
Uncle Bud's Hut
Our goal was to travel to the 10th Mountain Division Hut via the Continental Divide. The plan would keep us above 12500 feet all day
Galena Mountain from the S. Ridge. Sparse snow, but enough to skin most of the way up
RCR with the Mt. Massive massif to the south
Sastrugi
Admiring the view on the way to the summit
Galena Mountain
Hiking near the top
Hiking around a genderme on the ridge
RCR kicking steps up a steep section
On the ridge, only 5 miles to go...
The east face of Galena with Mt. Massive in the background
Beckie on the ridge
RCR
On the windswept ridge, with the Maroon Bells to right of center
The ridge was pretty dry, and we carried our skis for the entirety of the 4+ mile ridge to Homestake Peak. Homestake is the one over my left shoulder, a LONG ways away...
The journey to Homestake begins with a single step
Typical conditions along the Divide
A cool cairn on one of the summits on the ridge. We summited all of the peaks along the route