Benson Hut
Anderson Peak
Elev: 8400 ft
Miles: 26
Trip: 477
A long, foot-thrasher off a day brought us to this cool Sierra Club ski hut overlooking the valley. We have our sleeping bags spread out on the top floor near the window, which has a doorknob on it for those winter days when snow covers the first-floor door. The outhouse also has a high-rise theme; a ladder takes you to the elevated little room with a skylight for ventilation and views. After exploring all this (and taking many fun photos) and eating a late dinner, I am EXHAUSTED and only have energy to jot down some highlights from today. Here they are, in highs-and-lows format:
Low: Having to use DEET before 9am. High: Finally getting into enough wind to escape the mosquitoes.
Low: Realizing that my rotting bag of spinach has contaminated my other food with its rancid smell. Highs: The jagged mountains around Twin Peaks and walking beneath ski lifts in summer.
Low: The sharp, jumbled rocks that tortured my feet the last mile to the hut. High: Finally getting to Benson Hut and setting a personal record for miles walked in a day and climbing over a MILE in vertical elevation gain.
More Highs: Seeing two (possible) peregrine falcons; a baby bird hopping through the brush by Tinker's Knob; evergreen trees striped with lichen look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book; a small raptor hovering like a glider over the ridge we walked along
Shaggy says:
Today was amazing. We had a goal of hiking 26 miles to a Sierra Club hut. In between us and the hut lay three climbs, equaling over a vertical mile. We hiked around three ski areas today. Its funny how many ski resorts I have hiked around. The CDT goes through a few, as does the AT. I could probably say I have been to some of the best ski areas in the country!
It was also really cool seeing Lake Tahoe all day. Its such a beautiful lake. The Tahoe Rim Trail looks amazing, we met several folks hiking the rim trail today, all seemed to enjoy it.
The hut is amazing. The crest was even more amazing. I feel extremely lucky to be here and to be doing what many only dream of doing!
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| Twin Peaks. |
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| A perfect day for walking. Just like every other day... |
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| Rocks that say "This way!" |
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| Sigh. |
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| Don't feel bad for this fly. He may look cute, but he is MEAN and he BITES. |
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| Walking under ski lifts in the summer. It always feels a little like sneaking through someone's backyard. |
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| If I could paint, I'd have enough ideas to last several lifetimes. |
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| Benson Ski Hut. Not bad for a little hut, right? The top window is also a door, for those 12-ft snow drift days. |
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| Made all the pain go away. |
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| Something about this outhouse made me giggle... |
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| Why do these trees look like Who-Firs? I've never seen lichen like this. |
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