TRAIL TRACKS EDITORIAL
Hut systems for America? Imagining new backcountry lodging for America’s National Parks
By Mathias Eichler, The Outdoor Society
L
et me take you on a journey. Imagine your next vacation. It is at one of our great National
Parks of the West. You know that feeling, you’ve been here before. The entrances often feel like a gateway to from your everyday life, rejuvenating and refreshing— it’s your vacation destination, and it’s not Disneyland. The roads in the park are long and winding. You drive through old growth forests, along majestic streams, and travel until you reach the main lodge.
Now, in real life, the lodge or visitor But this time, in our imaginary jour- ney I am taking you on, it’s just a pit stop where you leave the car behind. What you’re after is a backcountry hut the wilderness. After a brief rest at the main visitor center your trip really begins. You and your family grab their backpacks and
You’re now going to say, that this is
already possible, what’s the big deal. But wait up. In the current state you need to bring full survival gear, bear canisters for food, sleeping bags, and rain gear. Gas stove, dehydrated trail - tion device for the water you need you can’t carry. That’s a lot of gear which needs to be purchased and mastered. You might enjoy “roughing it,” but even the minimalists I meet are secret gear lovers and spend lots and lots of cash It’s prohibitive for many families. It’s a status divide that shouldn’t be there. The current experience includes
remote campsites, with little infra- structure, but here in our vision a fully managed backcountry lodge awaits you. A hut, not luxurious, but catered and managed, with beds, electricity, and water. Hardly possible to pull of with today’s infrastructure, but tag along. This backcountry hut will be your basecamp for a few days and
Way marker outside Enzianhütte (1804m) Important to note: no mileage is listed, but time it takes to reach destination. (photo by Mathias Eichler)
destination for today.
The well-marked trail makes the adventure enjoyable for your family. Your backpacks are light, because you only need to focus on the essentials you’d need for a day hike, plus a
DAV (Deutsche Alpenverein) hut is one of the largest in their hut system with 300 beds. This hut, first established in 1885, sits right outside Hohes Licht, one of the highest mountains of the German Alps. (photo by Mathias Eichler)
34 SPRING 2016
AmericanTrails.org
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