A cold December night at the Tagert Hut.
For our first hut trip of the season Anna-Lisa and I headed over to Aspen and skinned up to the Tagert Hut from Ashcroft. We had the place all to ourselves for one night so we made the most of it by staying up late, cooking a nice dinner, drinking some whiskey and doing our best to fill the place with holiday cheer. After all, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
On our way up the Castle Creek drainage.
Named after Billy Tagert, a rancher, stage line owner and mail carrier who lived in the Aspen area in the early-1900s, the hut was originally a dam-keeper cabin for a nearby silver mine hydroelectric plant. It was used as a backcountry ski cabin as early as the 1930s and was renovated in 1960, then again in 1999.
Even more updates were done in the last decade to arrive at today’s Tagert Hut – a quaint, cozy little cabin with some really cool architecture that technically sleeps seven, although four or five is probably a more ideal party size. The slightly larger Green-Wilson hut sits only a few hundred feet to the southeast of Tagert.
Thirteener Star Peak at the head of the Ashcroft valley seen on the approach.
Dashing through the (new) snow near the Pearl Pass road split.
The skin in took us a few hours (one-way stats are 6 miles and 1,700 ft or so) and we felt lucky to have decent weather and avalanche conditions for a safe approach. One thing about the Braun huts around Aspen is that they’re not a guarantee from an avalanche standpoint. The route to Tagert crosses directly underneath a few large avy paths that on the wrong day could be problematic for sure.
Anna-Lisa shoveling the new snow off the outhouse walkway out back.
Mt. Crumpit (aka Malemute Peak) seen from the back deck (taken the next morning).
A little pre-dinner yoga for Anna-Lisa. Very Aspen indeed.
After getting the decks shoveled, the wood chopped, and the fire going, we settled in and broke out the whiskey and board games.
Working the puzzle. We didn’t get very far with it…
Add in some classic Christmas tunes, a strand of lights and some hand-sewn stockings courtesy of our friend Vonda, and suddenly the place felt pretty festive.
The chef at work as night falls.
Dinner is served. A Thai noodle chicken stir fry.
The nighttime temps dropping below zero and clear skies above staged things perfectly for the rise of the full Cold Moon. With the peaks, trees and snow slopes outside illuminated by moonlight, it was nice to just sit and look out the windows with some hot tea (and of course, more whiskey after that).
Baby it’s cold outside! Keeping the fire going all night was a must.
Time to hit the sack. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The next morning after a pancake and bacon breakfast we buttoned things up and headed on out. Although we didn’t do much skiing it was great to finally visit the Tagert Hut and spend a night away from it all cozied up with my favorite person in the world. Here’s hoping people are finding joy this holiday season and spending time with their favorite people as well.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Cool hut. Below zero demands whiskey. ORB’s woulda froze it sounds. If Castle’s EF is ever on the docket, a return to this place will be as well.
Yeah would be fun to spend a night or two there or in Green-Wilson and ski Castle and Greg Mace some spring. Friends/Star as well. Lots of huts to visit!