By Tristina Bermingham

Methow is located in North Central Washington State and is known for its hiking, biking, and being a mecca for cross-country skiing. We have been there a handful of times before but had never gained access to one of the elusive Rendezvous Huts.

I had some apprehensions about the sheer amount of gear we would need to haul, as well as skiing with a fully loaded trailer on both the ups and downs. My husband and I sat down and had a candid conversation about the logistics and safety concerns of taking one of the dogs and our 2- and 1-year-old daughters in our Burley Encore Trailer while I was 20 weeks pregnant — all with rain in the forecast.

We decided to approach this with a “let’s do it and assume it will be a type 2 fun activity” mindset. Ultimately, we decided to do just one night at the hut and hopefully leave us all itching for more!

Planning a Family Ski Hut Trip

Our goal was to be at the trailhead at 11 AM, and we opted for an early morning departure. Hopefully this would give us plenty of time to ski the 4 miles with 775 feet of gain into the cabin.

The cabins are equipped with:

• An outhouse
• Wood stove
• Bunk beds with mattresses (sleeping up to 10 people)
• Propane oven/range and lights
• Cooking utensils and dishes

You can melt surrounding snow on the wood stove for dishwater and filter it for drinking, which definitely helps in regard to packing logistics.

Skiing with a Burley Trailer (While Pregnant)

We loaded the kids into our Burley Double Encore equipped with a ski attachment (aka skis and poles with a belt for your waist). Both my husband and I have skied with the trailer and kids quite a few times this year, so this was not completely new to us.

The trailer weighs about 25 pounds on its own, and we threw our sleeping bags and food into it as well. I would guess the trailer was pushing 80–95 pounds fully packed with kids. We packed all of our clothes and additional gear into backpacks and went on our way.

It was a relatively uneventful climb up to the cabin despite my earlier concerns about rain. The younger one fell asleep pretty early on or was content to simply look out the window. Our toddler had a harder time being contained the whole time. Snacks are always helpful with this, but it did result in some cold hands.

The trails were busy enough to feel safe while not being overcrowded. There was someone at the trailhead checking for ski passes, so I felt like someone out there knew a family was heading into the hut. Signage was plentiful, and we had no issues finding our way. We also had cell service the whole time — although this is not true for all of the huts.

Arriving at the Rendezvous Hut

The hut was still warm from its previous occupants, which was a welcomed surprise with someone complaining of cold hands and feet!

The kids were definitely tired of being contained by the time we got there, and part of me wondered if the trip was even worth it. In hindsight, I wish we would have been mentally prepared to play with the kids outside once we arrived. Someone had built a small sledding hill by the hut, or we could have brought our toddler’s small Nordic skis and done some easy laps with her.

Lessons learned for next time.

I’m glad we had the hut all to ourselves and didn’t have to stress about disturbing others. With all that being said, at one point my 2-year-old woke up in the middle of the night to a clear sky and the moon shining through the cabin window — which, with the fresh snow outside, felt like a magical experience for both of us.

The Ski Out (And Cold Hands Lessons)

Everyone was in much better spirits come morning, and the kids loved our go-to breakfast of backpacking granola with milk.

My husband took the kids outside to play in the fresh snow while I got us ready for the ski out. The first half mile of trail was not groomed overnight and had a thin icy crust on top, which definitely made the skiing difficult. I stressed about the big descents that were coming, especially with the added weight of towing the trailer, and again worried about my decision to take our family on this adventure.

However, all worries were for naught! Once we hit the main section of trail away from the cabin, everything was freshly groomed and wonderful to ski on. By no means are we expert Nordic skiers, but we had a blast and had a much faster ski out compared to our uphill climb in.

We once again ran into the issue of cold hands and feet with the toddler, so she was pretty upset by the time we got to the truck. A new boot solution and additional hand warmers will for sure be in our future.

Why Type 2 Fun Is Worth It with Kids

Overall, this was a fantastic trip. It had some challenges on day one; however, I would definitely do it again with children.

I think it is important for myself to have low expectations and really prime myself to find massive joy during the good times. I have found benefit in viewing microadventures such as this as “type 2 fun” compared to similar hut trips we might have done with fellow adults prior to having tiny humans.

Regardless, it is so worth it to me to get out of the daily grind of house chores, parenting, and work to simply focus on intentional time with our children and share the love of activities and adventuring with them.

I laugh because in the moment my toddler was cold and cranky, but after the trip she tells people how excited she is to go cross-country skiing and how she wants to go back to the hut.

Overall, I cherish and feel extremely grateful to get outside and continue to adventure with my family in any way, shape, or form we can.

My Gear Guide

What the Kids Wore

• Wool base layers
• Fleece sweaters or jackets
• Patagonia Quilted Joggers (insulated)
• Reima snowsuits
• Mittens (when I can manage to convince the toddler to keep them on)
• Hats

I highly recommend bringing hand warmers. I haven’t had much luck with the rechargeable ones, so thus far it has been single-use, old-school warmers for us. The 2-year-old’s hands and feet got cold. I have yet to figure out a bomb-proof boot for when she isn’t actively running around. The younger one appeared to have no complaints.

Packed Kids Gear

• 1 set of extra base layers (in case of emergency blowouts/potty incidents)
• Synthetic base layers to be used as pajamas or extra layers
• Extra socks x2
• Spare fleece layer (forecast called for rain — otherwise I may have left these behind)
• 1 stuffed animal per child
• Pacifier for 1-year-old
• Yoto player (white noise/entertainment/Bluetooth speaker for music)
• 1 book
• Collapsible travel toilet
• Disposable diapers (we typically use cloth, but for a 1-night trip disposables are easier and lighter; I plan for 6 diapers/day and pack everything out)
• 1 small toy for the 1-year-old
• Soft carrier to use around the hut
• 3 coloring pages and 4 crayons

Additional Gear

• Double quilt by Zen Bivy (1 adult + 2 children sleep in this in a bunk)
• 20-degree sleeping bag or quilt for other adult
• Inflatable pillows x4 (1 per adult, 1 for toddler, 1 for pregnancy belly lol)
• Headlamps
• Small light for toddler entertainment
• Battery bank/phone chargers
• Kid walkie-talkies (endless entertainment while stuck in the trailer)

Safety Gear for a Winter Hut Trip

• Garmin InReach
• 2-person emergency bivy
• Foam pad (for snow trailside diaper changes; helpful for breastfeeding too)
• First aid kit for adults, children, and dog

Ski Setup for Pulling a Trailer

We use NNN BC cross-country ski setups to pull the trailer. In my experience, lighter/smaller skis can’t handle the extra weight of pulling a trailer.

We use: NNN skis with plastic edges for skiing with the dog

Trip Takeaways & Safety Considerations

Ultimately, we totally lucked out and had great weather — the forecasted rain turned into a couple inches of snow overnight. The ski in was pretty manageable for me even while being pregnant (I give our dog major kudos for his help).

Future considerations:

• Both adults having NNN BC skis with plastic edges
• This would allow us to switch off pulling the trailer and use the dog for a power boost
• Considering Altai Hok skis or an Alpine Touring setup if trail conditions were ungroomed or steep
• Trying fabric “skins” for additional traction
• Towing in a pulk sled for hut play
• Bringing toddler Nordic skis next time

For this specific trail, our skis were fine.

Additional Resources

Kids Base Layers:
I love Woolino (pricey). Wooly Tots is another brand we use. REI synthetic base layers are reasonably priced and comfortable.

Reima Gear:
I love this brand. They stack discounts, so if you can find a code and shop during a sale, it helps. Their clothes are meant to grow into and last multiple seasons.

• https://www.bcbackcountryfamily.com/blog/methow-valley-push-through-to-the-rendezdous
• https://www.rendezvoushuts.com/
• https://methowtrails.org/

At The Mothership Collective, we share stories, experiences, and resources to support parents and caregivers, but our content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always reach out to a qualified healthcare provider with questions about your health, pregnancy, postpartum experience, or your child’s well-being.