Grand Teton

Where do I start? How do I write about a trip and make a long story short? I guess I could sum it up with one phrase: We went up and up and up, then came down; FAST, Why? Because it was INSANE! But what fun would it be to sum up a very fun trip into one phrase? So here is another attempt, a very LONG attempt:

The trip was set up months ago by a co-worker. There were six of us on the team. Phil was the organizer then there was myself, my brother Steve, Evan (from work also) and two friends of Phil’s; Jen and Sara, Jen’s older sister. Several weeks ago we did a practice climb up Big Cottonwood Canyon. This was designed to get everyone together and practice on the ropes before the big climb.

So here we are, Thursday morning. I drove up to Jackson Hole with Steve and Evan. Phil, Jen and Sara drove up later that night. Once we arrived in Jackson we headed into the Grand Teton National Park. Our first stop was at the Jenny Lake Ranger Station to pick up our backcountry trip permit. After visiting with the rangers for a bit we headed over to the trailhead to check things out. Once we familiarized ourselves with the parking lot and getting excited about the climb we headed over to the Climbers Ranch. This ranch is located inside the park but ran by the American Alpine Club. It is basically a bunch of bunk houses available for really cheap, much like a hostel. So we were able to secure our bunks for the team and then we headed into Jackson for dinner.

After walking around town for a bit trying to find a good place to eat, we finally settled at the Cowboy Bar Steakhouse. Some elk stakes later we were back at the Climbers Ranch finalizing our backpacks and getting ready for the arrival of the other team members. Around 10pm we were ready for bed and so we hit the sack. Around 12:30am the others arrived and sneaked into the bunkhouse, found their bunks, and before long we were all up bright and early the next morning.

After a bite to eat we were at the trailhead getting the classic “group photo” before the big climb! With heavy packs on we were off. The trail was a good one to start with. Good packed dirt on level ground. Then it began to incline. Soon there was switchback after switchback. As the trail rose in elevation so did our spirits. Every step was one step closer to the summit. Before long we were leaving the front of the Teton Range and heading into Garnnet Canyon. The trail turned from dirt to rock. It was still a good solid trail and before long we were leaving pine trees and squirrels going into high alpine meadows and marmots.

Over a bunch of car sized boulders and stream crossings later we were at the meadow portion of the canyon. We stopped to rest and filter water. Above us lay high peaks, talus slopes, glacier filled coliours and lots of anticipation. As we rested we looked around at the surroundings wondering aimlessly at what direction the trail would send us next. We soon found out; UP!!

I had no idea switchbacks could only be five feet long. I should have counted them as we wondered back and forth going up foot after foot in elevation with every step. It must have been over 200 switchbacks just to raise 800 feet in elevation. Step breath, step breath, step rest ten minutes, step breath. It seemed to take forever! But like every good trail, we soon popped up on top of the bowl and looking into a moraine. Before us laid lots of rock, snow and more trail to walk. But the good thing, before us laid the lower saddle. The lower saddle is a mark on the climb. It is the point we will reach the following day. The point where easy turns to hard. Somewhere between where we were currently standing to the point of the lower saddle was base camp.

Twenty or thirty minutes later we had found our sites and set up tents. We hung out watching the countless number of climbers heading up and down the lower saddle. Some were heading for the summit and many more returning. We timed the ones heading up so in the morning we would know how long it should take us. Before long, night was upon us and 3am was coming quick. We gathered one last time for a team meeting to determine logistics of the climb and in to bed we went.

For those who have never been backpacking, sleeping in a tent with a threat of bears looming around can be rather intimidating. As you lay there in the pitch black tent waiting to fall asleep it is hard not to ponder about every little noise you hear and think about what it could be. I have spent many countless nights in the back woods straining my ear lobes in hopes of avoiding any kind of animal attack. With this comes sleepless nights and hard camping. The solution? Earplugs, especially when your tent mate snores. With that said I was asleep in no time and “patiently” waiting for 3 am to hit.

So I am getting carried away, let me get back to the meat of the story. The alarm goes off, we get up quickly, and out of the tent we went. Steve and I decided to get up earlier than the others so we would have time to cook a warm breakfast prior to leaving. I had banana cinnamon oatmeal and Steve had chicken flavored ramen noodles. Don’t ask me why I remember this. So we ate as everyone else was getting ready. Soon our packs were on and off up the trail we went. Pitch black and being guided by the energizer bunny (hippie slang for headlamps).

I don’t know what it is about hiking while the sun is down but it makes a hike so much more enjoyable. Before long we found ourselves to a point in the trail that makes this climb so unique. Before reaching the lower saddle we have to climb a small but easy rock face. There were a few ropes with knots hanging. One at a time we went up the pitch. It was fun but slightly challenging. After we were all up it was a short hike up a switch back to the saddle.

At this point we stopped and rested. There was a spring so we filled up on water. Steve decided his legs were not getting the excitement they needed and decided to turn around. His decision was based on the possibility of running out of energy at a critical point in the climb and put the team in danger. I imagine it was a hard decision to make but we all respect him for taking that step early in the day. For me personally it hurt deeply having to face the fact I was not going to enjoy the summit with my brother. For a few seconds I actually considered turning around with him. What’s the point of going on if I can’t have him with me on the top? But he assured me he was OK and to continue, so we did.

From the lower saddle we passed the Exum huts and continued climbing in elevation to the upper saddle. Exum is the name of a guide service that contracts with the park service. They have lots of business on the mountain and anyone who is anyone in the climbing world knows Exum. On and on we went taking each step higher and further up the mountain. By the time light was starting to show on the horizon we were getting close to the upper saddle. Right before sunrise we found ourselves arriving at the upper saddle, about 13,000 feet in elevation.

Now the fun begins. From this point the hike turns into a climb. Unfortunately there were two teams already on the next area we planned to climb so it was time to sit back and wait our turn. It was good to rest anyways. Phil always gets nauseous at this point so we hung out until the other teams were of the pitch and Phil was feeling better. After thirty minutes we were ready to go on. The other teams were off the section we were ready to do. So Phil went first and up and out of sight he went. Before long we were at a stopping point again because we caught up to the other teams.

So this first section is called the Belly Roll. It’s called this because it is about a twenty foot traverse across a very scary section. It is a thin undercut ledge that you have to actually crawl under to get across. To make things even worse the ledge sticks up a bit. So with one side of your body crawling on the inside ledge the other side of your body is crawling on the outside of the ledge. Did I forget to mention the outside of the ledge has a few thousand feet drop-off to the VERY bottom of the mountain? Let me move on, no need to focus on this anymore, I already have nightmares from this.

Getting to the end of the traverse we would clip into some anchors that were placed by Phil. Here is how the multi-pitch climb worked. Phil would go first and lead the pitch with Evan belaying him from below. He would place gear or what the climbing world calls “protection.” When he arrived at the end of the pitch he would place several anchors and then tie himself in. He would then take the rope and “belay” the next climber, which was Evan. Evan would then climb the route and “clean” the anchors as he moved to the top of the pitch. At this point the anchors would be given back to Phil for the next climb. Evan would then belay the next climber. Usually it was Sara that would follow. Because there was five of us climbing two ropes were needed. So Phil would be at the top of the rope, Evan would tie into the middle and Sara would tie into the end of the rope. As Sara would move up the pitch she had the beginning of the next rope. Once she arrived at the belay station, or top of the pitch, she would then belay me up. I was usually tied into the middle of the second rope. Once I was atop then Jen would be tied into the end of the second rope and make sure everything was cleaned from the last anchor. At any point of the climb we were all tied in and anchored to the rock. But do you think this made it easier on me and the being afraid of heights issue?

So as we followed the team before us so did other teams behind ours. This is how it went for three or four more pitches. Almost every pitch brought something interesting. If it wasn’t a jogger coming down and climbing over us it was another team trying to pass us on a col next to ours. The mountain was packed with people and it was almost to the point of being dangerous. Some people, not even equipped with climbing gear, were climbing over us to get to the top. I thought for sure I was going to see an accident, the kind that comes in the form of a body falling very fast and landing very hard at the bottom. Luckily Phil would not budge on the route or game plan and our team was very safe. It was just everyone else that was being risky. But at no time were we ever in danger.

Another interesting point in the climb was the Owen Chimney portion. Because of the north-

western facing slope we were climbing, this chimney still had snow and ice on it. This made climbing it a bit of a challenge. We succeeded in it and soon found others climbing it without any protection. I will tell you about them later. We soon found ourselves less than a few hundred feet from the summit. From this point it was a class 4 scramble to the top.

Let me tell you about the mad dash for the summit. With many people coming up the mountain every which way and sideways the top could only hold so many. Imagine placing two sedans end to end, this is how much space there was atop. Now place 28 people in that space and you have our summit celebration atop the Grand Teton! With it now being around 1 pm, the sky turning dark with thunderstorms, it was time for the mad dash to get down. We only spent a few minutes enjoying the windless views. Long enough to send out our text messages and attempt to call our spouses and friends. It was so crowded we actually had to ask a person to step off the BM marker to get a picture of it.

A famous quote by one of America’s top mountaineers, Ed Viesturs, “Getting up is optional, getting down is mandatory! Ya I made the summit, but it wasn’t over yet. As quick as we went up we were heading down. The nice thing about going down is it’s a different style then the way we came up. Usually when you climb up you rappel down. So off to the rap stations we went. The nice thing about the mountain is you climb up one way then rap down another. This helps so you don’t come down on those trying to come up. The first belay was about 60 feet high. Was I intimidated? Hell ya I was! Going up was easy having my psyche being influenced by looking at the rock and not down the thousands of feet below. However, rappelling is a totally different game. Try falling backwards placing all your trust on a rope and looking behind you and seeing nothing but air and space going on for miles. That was intimidating for me.

But I conquered! Luckily I have a very loving wife who took me rappelling for my birthday in June. I felt totally comfortable rappelling and after the first few feet of dropping actually enjoyed it. Maybe it was the simple fact I was getting off the mountain in a very fast way? From the bottom of the first rap there was a small scramble over to the next and final rappel. This final one was a big one too, 120 feet down to the upper saddle! As I started over I could not see the bottom of the rap. This is because you come down off an overhang and then free-fall for half of the rap. As I was going down I was looking out over the range. IT WAS MASSIVE! And I was HIGH UP!! A few yells and whoops and I was soon on the bottom unclipping, grinning from ear to ear! As fast as it was there it was all over.

After collecting all the ropes and stowing the gear we began our decent down to the lower saddle. It was much easier going down the talus slope in the daylight versus being in the dark. Before long we were at the lower saddle and then down the knotted ropes. After leaving the upper saddle and before arriving at the lower saddle I was able to make contact with Steve back at base camp. Luckily we all had the little Motorola FRS radios. This really made the climb easy. You have no idea how hard it is when multiple teams are yelling the same commands. It becomes very easy to make a mistake and have someone think your off the rope when your not. With our radios on and clipped to us the communications were easy, and it made our climb VERY safe.

I let Steve know where we were and how soon we would be back. And within the time allotted we were back at camp; soar, tired, and filled with joy from summiting. Since our permit only allowed us one night on the mountain it was time to pack up camp. There were other hikers coming up that were patiently waiting for our spots so without wasting time we were loaded and on our way.

I would like to say it was easier hiking out than it was hiking in. Pack had to be lighter due to eating all the food. It was down hill versus uphill. But because of the intense hike to the summit and back I was sore. And one thing made it even worse for me. My knees! The grade of the trail going down on some spots was just enough of a steep pitch to send burning and shooting pain through my knee with every step. I took my time and made sure each step was a solid step to avoid any extra twisting. Though it didn’t seem to help some parts of that blinking trail got the best of me. But like always, I survived to tell about it. Sometimes I wonder if I’m not the poster child for Ibuprofen.

While on the summit someone mentioned Bubba’s BBQ in Jackson Hole. Once Phil heard the words he was dead set on getting there before closing. Once we were on our way out we could sometimes see him on a bend almost running. I had no idea but soon found out. We heard the place closed at 9 pm. We figured we would barely catch the closing. Soon found ourselves hiking in the dark once again, which only meant one thing; it was after 9 pm.

Steve, Evan and I were the slow ones getting out. Phil, Jen and Sara were way ahead of us. Seeing Phil’s excitement for the BBQ I figured we would get back to the trailhead to find a note stating they had already left and would save us a seat. But to my surprise we were actually only minutes behind them. We arrived at the trailhead around 9:30pm. As we began to load the cars of our packs the heavens opened and rain fell upon us. It was almost like someone was waiting for us to get out before having it rain.

On to Jackson Hole we went. As soon as we drove out of the park the rains stopped. Into town and figuring Bubba’s was closed we headed for a Wendy’s. As luck would have it, Bubba’s was next door and they had their open sign on. Phil walked inside just in time to get a table before the sign was turned off. So we enjoyed a big BBQ dinner in celebration of our climb. I am sure the staff understood of our stench and dirtiness. I didn’t care much; I had an appetite that was screaming for more.

After dinner Phil, Jen and Sara got a room being too tired to drive home. Since Steve was able to catch 8 hours rest at base camp he was in the condition to drive home. So that is what we did. With one stop in Idaho Falls to get fuel and load up on Pepsi’s it wasn’t till 4 am I found myself crawling into the shower at home. You think Christy was going to let me climb into bed smelling like I did? Tried it once, didn’t work!

That’s the meat of the story. That is the trip in a net shell. Yes it was a long read, but I am not done yet. Now the emotional aspect of the climb; here is where one comes face to face with a situation and “meets god” if you will. After attempting Gannett several weeks ago in the Wind Rivers and now climbing the Grand, something has come over me. I have spent this summer learning, experiencing, and seeing many new things. Have I got your interest yet? Severe heights! NO MORE, NOT FOR ME!!!!!!

Yes I knew what I was getting into. But somehow the size and capacity of the mountains are always diminished in photographs. Being there in person and seeing the outdoors with your own eyes gives you the real aspect. Don’t think I didn’t have fun on my trips, I am merely saying some stuff has happened and I am seeing my limits. Some situations I witnessed first hand, some I imagined happening; and certain situations happening on the home front.

I will never do a big wall climb, especially one where many people are present. Multi-pitch climbs in the Cottonwood Canyon’s are still within my capability and enjoyment level, as long as they are under a 5.8 rating. I am still looking at achieving my goal of completing the 50 state highpoints. Hopefully I can achieve that goal sooner than later. However, there are still many lakes and rivers that are calling my name! With that said, the heights got to me on this one. Slot canyons, here I come!!!

Maybe someday if you invite me and the wife over for a “Grand Teton Brewing Company Teton Ale,” I just might give you the story behind the story. I think it could only be told over some beers! At least that is how Christy heard the story, the day I came home safely to her!
Now for the pictures:

The pic above shows the view driving into Teton National Park. The pic below is what we saw standing by the front door of our cabin at the climbers ranch.

Here is a view up close of the peak. You can see the lower saddle to the right. The upper saddle is behind the peak and you can not see the routes we climbed to the summit.

This is the cabin we all stayed in at the climbers ranch. Not bad for $20 a night uh?
At the trailhead. From left to right: Phil, Dan, Steve, Evan, Sara, and Jen.

This was taken prior to entering Garnnet Canyon.

As we turned the corner and headed up canyon we could see this peak off to the left. I believe it is Nez Perce Peak.

This is prior to arriving at the meadow. You can see the meadow down in the left hand corner. The saddle is the beginning of the moraine area. So ya, we have to hike up past the waterfall and over the saddle to where base camp awaits.

Closer view of the waterfall. This is all from glacier run-off.

If looking at the waterfall then turning left, this picture is off the area on the other side of the meadow.

Once we got up and over and into the moraine, this is the view we got. Camp is somewhere in the middle of the picture. Directly above the snow field to the right of it is a small cliff where the ropes are at. Above that is the lower saddle where the Exum huts sit.

Here is a good pic of our base camp. Steve is standing next to our tent. The other tent is Sara and Jen's. Evan and Phil's is behind the photographer.
Looking south from camp:

Team meeting prior to bed. It was taken at 7:13 pm.

Here is the beginning of summit day. 3:30 am. Steve is cooking noodles as Jen and Sara are awaking and getting ready.

This is one of three ropes prior to the lower saddle.

Just before we arrived at the upper saddle as dawn was coming:
The picture above is looking west of the lower saddle and out into Idaho. If turning around and looking east, this is the view we had. Look really close and you can see another climber on the ridge about 2/3rds of the way up. No, this is not the direction we were heading. The climber is on the Upper Exum route.

Here I am on the upper saddle waiting for our turn on the Belly Crawl.
After the first traverse we had our first pitch. The pic below shows Evan coming up, about half way into the pitch. I believe the next pic shows the Owen Chimney, which was our second or third pitch. This is the pitch that had ice and snow on it. About where Phil is located is where the ice is.
Here is the Jogger about to come down on Jen. The Own Chimney is behind us.
The mad dash for the summit.
And at last, me on top of the freaking peak!! This next pic shows Evan coming down the 120 foot rappel. He is already about a third of the way down.

Here is a look back up to the upper saddle, already on our descent to the lower saddle. Evan is in the pic to give somewhat of a size comparison. Didn't help much!

Looking down to the lower saddle you can barely see an orange hut. That is the Exum hut.

Just a picture showing the weather; nothing more, nothing less!

Arriving at the lower saddle:

Looking back towards the upper saddle from the lower saddle. If you look close you can see several teams coming down on the scree field:

Halfway back from the lower saddle to base camp. That is Sara in front of me. Packing up and heading out:

And finally, Bubba's BBQ!!!!!!

So in years past I have made a video of all my big hikes for the year. This year should complete a trilogy. 2007 was the Utah County Highpoints celebrating my 30th birthday. 2008 was Mount Whitney (oh ya baby!!). 2009......This will be an interesting title and video...Any suggestions? Please comment and help me title it and give me some ideas. After all, what point is scrapbooking if others can't enjoy it.