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A blast from end to end

The snow was perfect, the air cold and the huts warm. Three of us skied from Rt 27 trailhead in to Stratton Brook on Sunday afternoon, then on to the other three huts on the next three nights, skiing out from Grand Falls to the West Forks trailhead on Thursday. We were the only guests at Stratton Brook. From there to Poplar is a short day – got there for lunch so we had a short nap and then went back out for an hour ski before supper. The leg from Poplar to Flagstaff is rigorous, but with good snow we did it in 5 hours or so. We stopped for an hour at the halfway yurt, built a fire in the stove, ate lunch, changed our socks, etc. We then enjoyed a fabulous downhill and a leisurely meander to Flagstaff. We shared the hut with 24 6th graders, which turned out just fine. The leg from Flagstaff to Grand Falls is not difficult until the last mile, so save some energy. Once again, we were the only guests. It was our second time at Grand Falls, and it is our favorite hut. The toughest day is the leg out to West Forks. It took us 6 hours, including an hour for the last mile which is straight up herringboning. The staff and food were all great. The hut systems worked well except that the drying room at Flagstaff was cool and the generator ran all night.