In truth, we probably only hiked about a mile or two while taking turns getting pulled by the snowmobile. Still, a mile or two uphill in ski boots and deep snow can be a pretty tough trek, and much of the group was tired by the time we got to the cabin. It took us 3.5 hours. Once we got there, the students made a jump and took turns going off it.
The cabin is just four plywood walls with a wood stove in the middle of the room. It has a picnic table and bunkbed-like platforms for visitors to sleep on. There was an outhouse with no door about 200 feet from the cabin.
After the sun set, we huddled around the stove, had dinner, went over the student handbook, and then went to bed. 
During the night the cabin got a little below freezing. The next morning we woke up to a snow storm. This didn't change the fact that we were leaving, so we had oatmeal, packed up, and headed out. After a short climb/snow mobile tow, we were rewarded with 5.5 miles of gentle downhill skiing as the snow quietly fell on the landscape. I can still hear its light rustling sound. For the most part we were each skiing separately, alone with the mountains. As I skied and took breaks to enjoy my surroundings, I could hear James Taylor's Secret O' Life playing in my head. Those 5.5 miles were among the most peaceful moments of my life.
The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time
Any fool can do it
There ain't nothing to it
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