Bill Putnam hut
Encyclopedia
The Bill Putnam hut is an alpine hut located in the Adamant range
of the Selkirk mountains
in British Columbia
. It is set on a knoll at the edge of a high mountain meadow and provides access to a great array of mountaineering objectives, but is best known for its spectacular skiing terrain. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada
.
, who later became president of the American Alpine Club for several years and a long-term board member. In 1973 the hut was renovated and considerably enlarged, a project again largely funded and overseen by Putnam. Since then it has been twice renovated and partly rebuilt. The ACC has held its annual General Mountaineering Camp in the Fairy Meadow area four times since 1981, although the hut is avoided and would be too small.
is advisable before starting out. Hiking time on Swan Creek will vary greatly, and may be influenced by significant avalanche debris, heavy brush and other difficulties. Because of this in summer, short helicopter approaches from the logging road aren't uncommon for heavily laden parties.
Overland access in winter has occasionally been accomplished, but is difficult. Normal winter access is via helicopter from a landing pad located near the Trans-Canada Highway
50 km west of Golden. Booking the helicopter well in advance is required and a satellite phone
or VHF radio
(or both) is needed for communication with the helicopter company on flight day. There is no guarantee that the helicopter can fly on the appointed day, so bringing a day or two extra food is recommended.
Food storage is in an uninsulated vestibule on the back of the hut complete with mouse proof storage bins and an unpowered refrigerator. Water is available from a creek 100 metres south of the hut. A tall flagpole marks the water hole. There are several 20-gallon pails in the hut for gathering water.
There are two separate double sinks in the kitchen. Grey water disposal can usually be dealt with directly down the sinks, which drain into a ground sump, but if the system backs up, guests will have to dig a snow-pit to dispose of it. Non-burnable garbage must be flown out at the end of the camp, but food scraps, biodegradables, bones, and paper waste can be burned in the wood stove. There is a large 10-person wood-burning sauna near the main hut. The main supply of wood is located in and around the woodshed by the sauna.
Human waste is dealt with by an outhouse located a short walk behind the hut, but there is a snow-walled urinal located off the trail to the outhouse. Barrels must be flown out by helicopter, so the volume of material put in them should be minimized. Garbage should not be disposed of in the outhouse.
and backcountry skiing
. It is regularly used by the ACC and various club sections for winter ski camps due to its high snowfall conditions and excellent advanced skiing terrain.
The alpine climbing in the Adamants and Gothics areas around the hut is considered superb, and the hut can provide many summers worth of high quality routes on a dozen or more peaks. Two of these, Adamant and Austerity, are over 11000 feet (3,352.8 m).
In winter, the snow tends to extremely large amounts of high-quality powder, providing great ski touring and ski mountaineering opportunities. The terrain is suitable only for strong intermediate to advanced skiers, and beginners should not attempt it.
Adamant Range
The Adamant Range is a subrange of the Big Bend Ranges of the Selkirk Mountains of the Columbia Mountains in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of Columbia Reach, Kinbasket Lake, north of Glacier National Park.-References:...
of the Selkirk mountains
Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. It is set on a knoll at the edge of a high mountain meadow and provides access to a great array of mountaineering objectives, but is best known for its spectacular skiing terrain. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada
Alpine Club of Canada
The Alpine Club of Canada is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for...
.
History
The hut was built by the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) in 1965 as a project proposed and largely overseen by noted author and alpinist William Lowell Putnam IIIWilliam Putnam
William Putnam may refer to:*William LeBaron Putnam , Maine lawyer and politician and United States federal judge*William Lowell Putnam , American lawyer and banker*Bill Putnam, American audio engineer...
, who later became president of the American Alpine Club for several years and a long-term board member. In 1973 the hut was renovated and considerably enlarged, a project again largely funded and overseen by Putnam. Since then it has been twice renovated and partly rebuilt. The ACC has held its annual General Mountaineering Camp in the Fairy Meadow area four times since 1981, although the hut is avoided and would be too small.
Access
Summer access to the hut is via an estimated 4-7 hour hike up Swan Creek, gaining roughly 5,000 feet in about five miles, from a trailhead that begins following a drive of 65 km on a logging road along the banks of Lake Kinbasket a portion of the upper Columbia River. This road is sometimes washed out, and is at other times used by fast-moving logging trucks and so discussion with the forestry company, Evans Forest Products in Golden, British ColumbiaGolden, British Columbia
Golden is a town in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located west of Calgary, Alberta and east of Vancouver.-History:Much of the town's history is tied into the Canadian Pacific Railway and the logging industry...
is advisable before starting out. Hiking time on Swan Creek will vary greatly, and may be influenced by significant avalanche debris, heavy brush and other difficulties. Because of this in summer, short helicopter approaches from the logging road aren't uncommon for heavily laden parties.
Overland access in winter has occasionally been accomplished, but is difficult. Normal winter access is via helicopter from a landing pad located near the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
50 km west of Golden. Booking the helicopter well in advance is required and a satellite phone
Satellite phone
A satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites...
or VHF radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
(or both) is needed for communication with the helicopter company on flight day. There is no guarantee that the helicopter can fly on the appointed day, so bringing a day or two extra food is recommended.
Facilities
The hut is a two story building with sleeping area on the upper level and kitchen and living area on the main floor. It sleeps 20 in summer or winter dormitory-style on foam pads. The main floor divided into a kitchen area and three different living areas, and is equipped with propane powered lamps, two propane cook tops and a propane stove with oven for baking, as well as a wood stove for heating in the winter. The kitchen is well supplied with dishes, cutlery, utensils, pots and pans and bakeware.Food storage is in an uninsulated vestibule on the back of the hut complete with mouse proof storage bins and an unpowered refrigerator. Water is available from a creek 100 metres south of the hut. A tall flagpole marks the water hole. There are several 20-gallon pails in the hut for gathering water.
There are two separate double sinks in the kitchen. Grey water disposal can usually be dealt with directly down the sinks, which drain into a ground sump, but if the system backs up, guests will have to dig a snow-pit to dispose of it. Non-burnable garbage must be flown out at the end of the camp, but food scraps, biodegradables, bones, and paper waste can be burned in the wood stove. There is a large 10-person wood-burning sauna near the main hut. The main supply of wood is located in and around the woodshed by the sauna.
Human waste is dealt with by an outhouse located a short walk behind the hut, but there is a snow-walled urinal located off the trail to the outhouse. Barrels must be flown out by helicopter, so the volume of material put in them should be minimized. Garbage should not be disposed of in the outhouse.
Activities
The hut is known as an excellent base for granite mountaineeringMountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
and backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing
Backcountry skiing is skiing in a sparsely inhabited rural region over ungroomed and unmarked slopes or pistes, including skiing in unmarked or unpatrolled areas either within the ski resort's boundaries or in the backcountry, frequently amongst trees , usually in pursuit of fresh fallen powder...
. It is regularly used by the ACC and various club sections for winter ski camps due to its high snowfall conditions and excellent advanced skiing terrain.
The alpine climbing in the Adamants and Gothics areas around the hut is considered superb, and the hut can provide many summers worth of high quality routes on a dozen or more peaks. Two of these, Adamant and Austerity, are over 11000 feet (3,352.8 m).
In winter, the snow tends to extremely large amounts of high-quality powder, providing great ski touring and ski mountaineering opportunities. The terrain is suitable only for strong intermediate to advanced skiers, and beginners should not attempt it.
Nearby
- The Nobility Group
- Mount Colossal
- The Adamant Group
- Austerity Mountain
- Pioneer Peak
- The Gothics Group
- East Peak
- Gog Pinnacle
- Magog