I posted a cryptic message on our FB page about the Ostrander Hut deadline for a lottery, which is coming up shortly. Here is summary of the pertinent info from the reservation page:
The Ostrander Ski Hut lottery will be held on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013. All entries must be received by 5pm on Nov. 20, 2013. Lottery results will be emailed or mailed out by Monday, Nov. 25… Online reservation form will be available here by Oct. 15…The overnight rates are due and payable with your reservation request. Reservations will not be confirmed without payment. Once you have confirmed reservations, NO REFUNDS will be given (with the exception of park and/or road closures)… The overnight rates cover the total costs for Yosemite Conservancy to manage and operate the hut. Nightly rates are per person/per night as follows: Weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun night) – $55, Midweek (Mon – Thurs night) – $35.
As you will read in a day or two, just before Marshall and I did the Endeavor Team Challenge, I figured out that the best part of the event was training with Marshall, the event itself was just the icing on the cake. People have asked me what’s next and this is it, a winter adventure. I’m putting the Ostrander Hut out there because I’ve always wanted to go there but I’m not committed to it. There are plenty of other choices and I am open to all of them including a renting a house like the one we used at Tough Mudder.
Here is what I am committed to: I would like to create a series of outdoor adventures that allow MDSoF athletes to express their fitness, while some of them will organized events like GORUCK or Tough Mudder, the majority of them will self-organized. The adventures will be appropriate to the level of fitness and experience and be geared for success, and most importantly, fun. Consider this a whitepaper for future adventures, rather than a concrete plan.
The trip would be later in the winter like late Feb or early March to give us time to prepare and train. The trip would have a cabin/home as a base camp for people to hang out if that’s what they want to do. There would be adventures close by. Kids are welcome. The primary determination of the level of adventure is the amount of time spent in preparing and training and not the level of ability/fitness. To be specific, if you want to do the ski/snowshoe to the Ostrander Hut, it doesn’t matter how fit you are, you have to make a effort to attend as many training trips as possible.
The most adventurous part of the trip would be the ski/snowshoe to Ostrander Hut (video) and an overnight (or two) stay. Read some of these stories regarding the range of difficulty of a 10 mile ski. There are many other places in Yosemite to have less committing adventures, like Badger Pass and walks/skis/snowshoes out Glacier Point Rd. We would try to get a home or two at Yosemite West.
So who’s in? Please direct your questions or comments to Saul or Susan or leave them here.
I’m in for any of it! The Hut sounds really cool but I’m also fine with just a cabin somewhere!