Keith’s Hut: A Functional Coffee

Before this trip, Keith’s Hut was a distant memory. You see, this hut is popular in winter with backcountry skiers. That’s something we used to do most weekends in winter, but seldom do now that we have two young kids. So when we were planning a weekend fall trip with friends and they suggested Keith’s Hut, we were quite excited to revisit it. 

After the long drive we arrived to the trailhead to find just a couple of cars there. This meant we could happily leave our (backup) tent in the car – there would surely be space in the hut. We set off at a good pace. Kai was a trooper, a happy camper despite his broken arm which he insisted on hiding under a long sleeved fleece, even though it was t-shirt weather. The first section was muddy, and… naturally, Kai went for a slide in the mud, broken arm and all. Shortly after that we came to a narrow log bridge with a metal cable for a handline, quite the attraction for the kids.

We climbed up through the forest till we reached the area of the landslide. In May 2019 two landslides devastated the side of Joffre Peak. This included much of the trail to Keith’s Hut. After an initial closure, the area was reopened and volunteers marked a new section of trail through the landslide debris (thank you!). Hiking this section was surreal – we kept noticing signs of the immense devastation, such as crushed trees. The debris was for the most part easy to hike on, and at least opens up the views. 

We re-entered the forest, climbing again, till we reached the moraine (the old edge of the glacier). Soon after, we could see the fast-receding Anniversary Glacier above us. Then we arrived to the beautiful and marvelous and empty hut, our home for the weekend. The kids were excited to explore the hut and its surroundings. A bit later we found the convenient water spigot a short distance away. During dinner, which we cooked and ate on the front balcony, we marveled at the views. Then it was time to get into our cozy sleeping bags on the 2nd floor, and drift off for the night. 

On Sunday we woke up to another beautiful day. After some back and forth we decided to all hike up the ridge next to the hut to a scenic spot known as Motel 66 (due to its elevation of 6600 feet). The trail was scenic which made it easier to motivate the kids. When we found some snow and frozen puddles – excellent play material, spirits lifted (gummies helped as well, of course). The top of the ridge was very windy so we hunkered behind some rocks to have our lunch. It is a wonderful spot with close up views of multiple snowy peaks, including Joffre and Matier which loomed above us.

As usual, the way down was much faster, and soon enough we were at the hut, packing up and fueling up for the hike out. With many snacks, we made it out to the car in the early evening. I was happy to find no damage done to our Modo – there had been some vandalism directed at cars at trailheads in this area.

Our conversation shifted quickly to the all important subject of dinner, especially with the long drive ahead. We knew immediately where we’d want to stop, our favourite eatery in Pemberton – Mile One Eating House. They have excellent local burgers on brioche buns and potato wedges. I asked for a coffee, and was told that they are sorry but they only have coffee brewed several hours earlier. I explained that I need it for functional reasons and don’t care how stale it is. The server came over, telling us that he has my “functional coffee”, which he found quite entertaining. It was also free. I was just happy to be able to drive us safely and alertly back home… Thanks to that functional coffee!