January 2012 Newsletter
In This Issue
- Trips, Trails, & Tours
Glade Skiing On McCue Ridge - High Camp Happenings
Apres Ski – Relaxing in the Day Lodge - Cabin Fever!
Your monthly opportunity to win a free night in one of our cabins! - Rainy Day Reviews
Born to Run - Yesterday
Early Renovations (part 1 of 3)
Calendar of Events
- JANUARY 1-12
“Holiday Hangover” Midweek Special - JANUARY 6-8
Family Weekend - FEBRUARY 3-5
Family Weekend - FEBRUARY 12
13th Annual Candlelight Gourmet Valentines Dessert - FEBRUARY 20-23
Family Special – Kids Stay Free
Cabin Availability
JANUARY - FEBRUARY
Limited availability on the following weekends: January 6-8, January 13-16, and February 3-5.
Good availability on all Sunday-Thursday nights with the following exceptions: January 15 and 22 and February 19.
Click “Booking Information” on the Scottish Lakes Website Home Page for specific details of cabins available plus our reservation form.
Weather and Other Stuff
Note: The following links leave this newsletter.
Quick 7-Day High Camp Weather Forecast
"High Country Cache", our Scottish Lakes High Camp Blog.
News Flash!
Cabin Available This Coming Weekend!
Open all three nights, January 6, 7, 8.
One night reservation okay.
Specials!
January “Holiday Hangover” Midweek Special!
$159 per person for two nights and full transportation. Valid January 1-5 and January 8-12.
February Family Special!
Free lodging for all kids, age 5-17, from Monday, February 20 – Thursday, February 23. (many school districts are closed during this week). By the way, children, 4 and under, are always free.
February Sweethearts Special!
$359 per couple for two nights and full transportation. Our cozy couples cabins include full bedding. Valid any Monday-Thursday nights between January 30 – February 16.
Trips, Trails, & Tours
Glade Skiing On McCue Ridge
Perhaps our most popular half-day trip for experienced backcountry travelers is the McCue Ridge tour. The four mile counter-clockwise loop uses High Country and Ridgetop winter trails to gain about 1,000 vertical feet to the ridge crest. Along the upper reaches of Ridgetop trail, one can enjoy great views of many snow-capped peaks to the north, including majestic Glacier Peak.
At the ridge crest the loop enters the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Upon reaching this crest one may be tempted to extend the adventure by taking the 1 1/4 mile side-trip northwest to High Point where grand vistas of the High Meadows can be enjoyed. Otherwise, the downhill route takes off to the southwest from the crest and is well-marked with bamboo poles (always removed in late spring) thanks to permission from Wenatchee National Forest. Following a brief stretch of relatively flat terrain, the loop route reaches the more exposed edge of McCue Ridge where incredible views abound, both close-up of the rugged Chiwaukum range to the west, and far to the east into the coulee country of Central Washington. It's here that the real fun begins, especially for telemark and AT skiers. Long, relatively steep, open slopes, dotted with alpine fir, make for fantastic skiing, especially on those great powder days. Snowshoe travelers might take longer to descend these slopes than skiers, but still get to experience the rewards of the winter wilderness. Following this descent and then a few "ups and downs", the route arrives at the summit of Wild Bill Hill, located 600 vertical feet above High Camp. Several challenging fall lines offer the skier one last rush, or the trip can be extended in more gentle fashion along High Road before using one of the many connecting trails to return to the lodge and cabins.
High Camp Happenings
Apres Ski – Relaxing in the Day Lodge
Without a doubt the most popular indoor gathering place at High Camp is our day lodge. Both classy and rustic, the lodge provides a warm and inviting place to relax with family and friends. Whether it’s quiet conversations around the wood stove, or playing one of our many popular board games, the day lodge offers a comfortable space to unwind after a day of outdoor adventures. In addition to our large collection of games and puzzles, the lodge always has current mountain magazines, a large collection of mountain reference books, plus a wide selection of used paperbacks to choose from and even take home. Open from 8 am – 9pm daily, complimentary hot drinks are also available.
Our day lodge was remodeled in the late 1990’s, including a dramatic addition which was completed just in time for a grand party on the night of the Millennium celebration. During the last decade the expanded lodge has been home for countless special events, including indoor weddings, family reunions, graduation celebrations, corporate retreats and other workshops. Our popular and very well-attended Saturday night pot-lucks throughout the winter are made possible by our modern kitchen, which features hot and cold running water, a double sink, large cooking counter, Garland six-burner gas range with oven, and solar lighting.
Cabin Fever
Your monthly opportunity to win a free night in one of our cabins!
Win any available cabin for you and all your guests on any non-holiday Sunday- Friday night this winter! (transportation not included). Check the availability calendar and pick the date!
Winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries received within 24 hours of exact time of newsletter distribution.
Email your five-answer entry to hicamp@scottishlakes.com. Winner's name will also be posted on the "Breaking News" section of our website.
This month's questions...
- The summit of Wild Bill Hill is approximately how many vertical feet above High Camp?
- Name the highly elusive native tribe of Northern Mexico reputedly capable of running unbelievable distances.
- True or False: Used paperbacks from the lodge may be taken home by guests in the event the book cannot be finished before departure date.
- What is the total price (before tax) for a couple taking advantage of our February Sweetheart Special?
- Back in Fall, 1994, the sight of a huge flatbed trailer piled high with debris and then covered with old foam mattresses reminded Chris of what fictional character?
Rainy Day Review
Born to Run
By Christopher McDougall, 2007
Reviewed by Don
Any chance your New Year’s resolution involves exercise? More specifically, are you looking for ways to motivate yourself to do more running in 2012? If the answers to those questions happen to be “yes” then I strongly encourage you to download Born To Run into that new Kindle you found under the tree on Christmas morning. (oh yeah, you could also head for a bookstore or library and probably find a copy)
Simply put, Born to Run was such a great read for me that I read it cover-to-cover twice! The story chronicles Christopher McDougall’s journey of discovery into the fabled Copper Canyon of Mexico where he encounters the Tarahumara, a highly elusive native tribe reputedly capable of running unbelievable distances. Driven in part by his desire to become a better runner himself, McDougall’s quest brings him in contact with many fascinating characters, including the mysterious American known as Caballo Blanco.
Throughout the book stories abound of long-runs and personal challenges, including a 100 mile race on high elevations trails in the Colorado Rockies, an even longer marathon through the scorching heat of Death Valley and of course various runs up and down the dizzying maze of paths of the Copper Canyon. The author explores anthropological questions related to human’s running abilities, and draws some remarkable conclusions about significant differences in running capacities between our long-ago ancestors and people of today. McDougall makes a very striking argument that most recreational runners today might greatly benefit from a radical change in both method and footwear!
It’s highly unlikely that you will be able to avoid putting on those running shoes and enjoying a long run immediately after finishing this book. And, actually, you might find yourself tempted to take that long run and even leave those fancy, expensive cushioned shoes right in the closet! The fact that one of Nike’s current best-selling shoes is marketed as “the next best thing to running barefoot”, suggests that things are really changing in the world of long-distance running. Born To Run just might be the very best book available to really gain an understanding of these changes.
Yesterday
Early Renovations (part 1 of 3)
Chris recalls some of the initial efforts to renovate High Camp in the mid-90’s.
High Camp, in 1994, was a very basic , rustic back country destination only an avid hard core skier could love. There were roofs of wood or tarps, no insulation, thick plastic windows, inefficient wood stoves and dingy cabins. It had great potential, but was not clean or comfortable. We needed to renovate High Camp but still keep the rustic back country feeling that truly was the essence of the resort. That first fall we hauled out the boxes of junk and went through them, gleaning what we could to use in the cabins. Most of what we found was worn and dirty from mouse infestation. There is this vivid memory I have of a huge flatbed trailer piled high with debris then covered with old foam mattresses all tied down to keep the load in place. It looked as though we were towing the Pillsbury Dough Boy to the dump! One land fill even turned us away and we had to drive many miles to another. Although the renovation task was quite formidable, it was also cleansing.
There were run-down structures used for storage throughout High Camp that detracted from the rustic back country feeling. These structures were dismantled, reusing as much of the wood as possible in rebuilding. In one instance we pulled as many nails as possible out of a convoluted, two story shack built around an old tree stump and then tied a rope to a top beam and pulled it down with a truck. In its place we built a new cabin which we would consider our prototype. It was insulated and had a metal roof, there was a long counter in the kitchen area with room for a table, a loft with mattresses plus built in double bunk beds on the main floor for sleeping. We put in windows that we had scavenged from a trophy home in the Seattle area. We had a garage full of these windows, all sizes with double pane class and white trim, plus some glass doors. All our new structures were designed with these high style windows in mind. In some cases the doors were cut in half lengthwise and installed sideways for a narrow long rectangular view. We sewed curtains for these windows and bought pillows, pillow cases and dish towels to put out for guests. We were especially proud of the mint we put on each pillow, since we were such a classy place!
The new mattresses we ordered for all the beds in High Camp were made of high quality foam and covered with plastic for easy cleaning. There were so many odd-sized beds in those early structures that we had to order each mattress made to custom measurements. From then on all new beds in High Camp were built to the traditional single or double size. The mattress order of about 25 mattresses finally arrived in late November and the snow had already started falling. The challenge was getting them up the 8-mile road through the snow. We used our snowmobile, the old Thiokol, and stuffed the rest into the back of the new old Tucker Sno-Cat we bought. By the time the entourage got to High Camp it was dark! Some of the mattresses had slipped off the back of the rigs and couldn’t be recovered until morning; the plastic had caused them to slide off the steep snowy road. The ones that arrived at High Camp were carefully sorted, matching the exact measurements with the cabin bed they were meant for. We worked late into night in a blizzard. Carrying mattresses to the upper cabins was particularly challenging! In several instances we had to distribute new mattresses to cabins so people could go to sleep! The cabins changed instantly as the new mattresses were set into the bunks, and we were thrilled with the result.
Click here to make your online reservation
High Country Adventures, PO Box 2036, Leavenworth, WA 98826
hicamp@scottishlakes.com 509-763-3044
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