Bench Yurt

See that peak in the distance? That's where we are headed.

The yurt is to the left underneath the snow. Troy dug it out when we got there. I have a whole new respect for Eskimos!

This past weekend Zach and I joined 10 of our friends on a backcountry excursion to the Bench Yurt above Redfish Lake. Geared up with backcountry gear and overnight equipment we managed to hike up to the yurt in 3 1/2hrs with temperatures dropping to -30's! Gorgeous blue skies and great mountain views kept us busy talking and moving. As soon as you stopped moving you could feel the cold creep up your spine. The yurt easily slept 12 after a pasta and whiskey dinner. Ian rightfully called it our circus tent because of the bright canvas roof and walls that need to be taken down in the summer. The floor was creaky old pine logs barely covering the ground below. But lucky us there was a sauna with a little wooden stove that heated right up when filled with splintered logs. Most of us couldn't really handle the intense heat but Willie, Michael, and David tried to out do each other, running into the snow banks to cool off every now and then. More then entertaining to the rest of us. The Sawtooth mountain range is spectacular and more then once did I hear comments on how lucky we are to live here! As usual thanks to Zach for documenting our journey! And thanks to all for a great time and hope to do it again soon!

Of course you can see more great pix on Zach's blog: http://zlatham.blogspot.com/