Think nighttime snuggling as coyotes sing lullabies. This is mountaineering the easy way. The backcountry of the Sierra, Rocky and the Adirondack mountains of the United States and the Swiss and Italian Alps are dotted with simple shelters available to the public overnight. You can cross-country ski, walk or mountain bike without lugging a humongous pack or sleeping on the ground. Instead, you spend each night at a rustic accommodation.
Most shelters have bedrooms or dormitory-style quarters with bed platforms and foam mattresses.
Those that don't serve meals provide utensils, cookware and basic kitchen facilities. Or you can contact hut managers directly and plan your own trip. Grace Lichtenstein, who lives in Corrales, N.M., is a former New York Times Rocky Mountain bureau chief. Copyright 1999-2001 MyPrimeTime, All Rights Reserved. Inc. The names of actual companies and their products mentioned on this site may be the trademarks of their respective owners.