Red Tit Hut
(Taken from the ACC Vancouver Section website)
History and Location
The F.J. Green Shelter, affectionately and more commonly known as the Red Tit Hut, was erected by the Vancouver Section of the ACC in 1968, in the Serratus-Dione Col in the Tantalus Range. Apparently it was originally installed on Mt Robson and avalanched, which didn't improve its waterproofness.
Access
The approach to the hut is a challenging 6 hour hike up steep meadow, scree and snow from the Tantalus Hut at Lake Lovely Water. Note that this is a climbers’ route and no actual trail exists. (Follow the trail around the north side of Lake Lovely Water to Lambda Lake and then on to the so-called Russian Army Camp. Traverse northwest into the large basin below Mounts Pandareus and Serratus and ascend to the Ionia-Serratus Col. Cross to the north.) The approach can be shortened to about 4 hours by paddling across Lake Lovely Water to begin hiking at the lake's northwest corner. (A rowboat and canoe are available at the Tantalus Hut by prior arrangement.)
The Hut
The hut consists of a prefabricated spherical shell of white fiberglass panels, with an entry hatch, set on a wooden platform. The original central red ventilation shaft (which gave the hut its name) was lost some years ago in a windstorm and is now replaced with a simple red dome. The hut is a very basic high-altitude emergency shelter with no cooking or heating or sanitary facilities. Nevertheless, the hut does provide a good base for climbs of Mounts Serratus, Dione and Tantalus. The hut sleeps 4 to 6. (A few small flat tent spots exist among the rocks nearby.)
The Red Tit Hut was removed during the summer of 2009, as its function has been replaced by the nearby Haberl Hut.
Jim Haberl Hut Project
Over the years, the Red Tit Hut has repeatedly suffered damage by weather and been repaired. It is now in poor but useable condition. The ACC, in partnership with the Jim Haberl Memorial Trust Fund Group, has built a replacement hut. The new hut is called the Jim Haberl Memorial Hut, in honour of mountaineer and guide Jim Haberl. If you would like more information about the new hut you should contact the Vancouver section ACC.
