The Yurt

We met our group of 20 at the Clock Tower on Solitude Mountain at 5 pm last night.  Our guide outfitted us with either snowshoes or cross country skis, but we also had the option to walk without either because the snow was already pretty packed down.  Brian and I decided to try our hand at snowshoeing since neither of us had ever done it before.  (We were the only ones that decided to try anything.  Everyone else walked in the snow boots they were wearing!)

We started our walk up the snowy mountain with the rest of our group, for we were walking to The Yurt, our dinner destination which was located in the middle of the woods.  The walk was beautiful!  The snow was billowy and perfect, and the evergreen trees were so secluding that they created a perfect retreat.

When we arrived at the Yurt, we saw a round, 20' diameter tent which was nearly completely covered by snow.  (We also saw the outhouse which was our only "restroom" option.)  This is where we would be dining tonight! 

When we entered the Yurt, there were two long tables that sat perpendicular to each other, a hole in the center at the top of the tent which we learned is usually open for the fire that is in the middle (ours did not have that), and an area set up for our chef to whip up our five course meal.  It was unlike anywhere we have ever been or eaten, and it was fantastic!  The atmosphere was just incredible and totally worth the trek!

Over the course of about 3 hours, our chef concocted a five course meal for everyone in the Yurt.  We started with a soup, followed by a small appetizer, followed by a salad, then an entree, and a dessert.  I took a picture of the soup and forgot to take a picture of the rest of the courses!  And they were so unique that I couldn't tell you anything about them except for the fact that the small appetizer involved a scallop, the salad had arugula and pear, the entree was some sort of lamb, and the dessert had a delicious fruit from the pear family. 

Brian really enjoyed the menu.  I, on the other hand, am kind of embarrassed to admit that my pallet is extremely bland, so while I absolutely loved the atmosphere, I didn't absolutely love the menu.  Still, we had an amazing time despite my lack of mature taste buds.

Our dinner lasted well into the evening, and on our walk back down the mountain we were accompanied by the brightest stars and planets speckled against the beautiful, clear night.  I can honestly say that the quiet, private, amazing walk down was one of my favorite parts of our Yurt adventure.  It was so peaceful, and if I had a higher cold tolerance, I would've stayed on the mountain even longer and stargazed...if Brian wanted to join me, of course!

We were so happy that we got to experience such a unique dining atmosphere.  It really was amazing, and again, it is something that we would highly recommend to adventurous travelers and diners!