Grand Teton National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Grand Teton climb - Owen Spaulding Route
Our first big adventure together was the Grand Teton. Both Laura and I had been dreaming of climbing the dramatic peak for years but never had made it happen. The first time we met, I told her I had a trip planned just a few months away. Her eyes got wide and she immediately knew that she had to get in on the trip (probably the main reason why she went out with me again).
Ike, Ethan and I were driving back from slot canyoneering in Utah over thanksgiving 2015 when I mentioned The Grand as a summer trip. I knew that we were a strong group having climbed quite a few mountains together, the latest being the Little Bear - Blanca Traverse in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado. Both of them both jumped at the idea and by the following night, Ike had sent us both a message showing the Upper Exum Ridge as a proposed route. We agreed to dates, reserved backcountry permits and the plan was set...or so we thought!
Fast forward a month and suddenly Laura is now in the picture. I tried to tell her that we already had plans and that I would go back with her another time, but she wouldn't hear it. So here we are, Ike and I are driving north to meet Ethan in two days. Laura had to work Friday so she was making the trip up after work so we could get on the trail the following morning.
With some spare time to burn, Ike and I hung out at Jenny Lake, camped a night, and spent a day in Yellowstone exploring the Geyser Basin. That night Ethan showed up and the following night, Laura finally made it blasting into the campground at 100 mph with her mother in tow. "We made it!! 8 hours!!!" Laura and I slept outside the tent under the stars and enjoyed each others company, taking in the sights and talking about our upcoming climb.
The next morning we all woke up early and packed our bags. We headed up into Garnett Canyon to where we would start our climb just below the saddle between The Grand and The Middle Teton. Time went quickly as we ascended to camp, and along the trail we were even lucky enough to see a black bear cruising the path. The wind was extreme so we all ate dinner and headed for our tents. With the wind blowing and the tent sides beating us repeatedly, we knew we wouldn't be getting much sleep so instead of laying there quiet, we spent the night BS'ing about who knows what.
Before we knew it, it was 4 am and the alarms were blaring. The four of us headed off into the dark and cold, Laura with only one glove after somehow losing one the day before. We knew it was going to be a tough day with the wind, but were all determined to push for the summit. As it turned out, we were the only group that made a summit attempt that day. Everyone else bailed due to wind. Just above the saddle, about an hour into our day, I spotted a stray piece of material across a rock field. I joke that I planted it to look good, but this stray glove just so happened to be hanging out there waiting for us - and it was even the same hand as the one Laura had lost just a day before. So, in the dark, we headed up and up and up and somehow we ended up too high. We were about 600' above the gully we needed to cross to get to Upper Exum Ridge. Already cold and with numb hands, we discussed our options as a group and ultimately decided to switch to Owen Spaulding route, the standard for The Grand. We had all read plenty about the route so we mostly knew where we were heading so changing the route up wasn't a huge deal. A few hours of climbing and navigating later, we made the summit! The four of us were very happy to have made it but only spent about 15 minutes up top due to the wind. We headed down, packed up camp and made the long hike out the same day.
We hung out at camp for the night and all headed home the following day, Laura and I both wondering, what's next?
Our first big adventure together was the Grand Teton. Both Laura and I had been dreaming of climbing the dramatic peak for years but never had made it happen. The first time we met, I told her I had a trip planned just a few months away. Her eyes got wide and she immediately knew that she had to get in on the trip (probably the main reason why she went out with me again).
Ike, Ethan and I were driving back from slot canyoneering in Utah over thanksgiving 2015 when I mentioned The Grand as a summer trip. I knew that we were a strong group having climbed quite a few mountains together, the latest being the Little Bear - Blanca Traverse in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado. Both of them both jumped at the idea and by the following night, Ike had sent us both a message showing the Upper Exum Ridge as a proposed route. We agreed to dates, reserved backcountry permits and the plan was set...or so we thought!
Fast forward a month and suddenly Laura is now in the picture. I tried to tell her that we already had plans and that I would go back with her another time, but she wouldn't hear it. So here we are, Ike and I are driving north to meet Ethan in two days. Laura had to work Friday so she was making the trip up after work so we could get on the trail the following morning.
With some spare time to burn, Ike and I hung out at Jenny Lake, camped a night, and spent a day in Yellowstone exploring the Geyser Basin. That night Ethan showed up and the following night, Laura finally made it blasting into the campground at 100 mph with her mother in tow. "We made it!! 8 hours!!!" Laura and I slept outside the tent under the stars and enjoyed each others company, taking in the sights and talking about our upcoming climb.
The next morning we all woke up early and packed our bags. We headed up into Garnett Canyon to where we would start our climb just below the saddle between The Grand and The Middle Teton. Time went quickly as we ascended to camp, and along the trail we were even lucky enough to see a black bear cruising the path. The wind was extreme so we all ate dinner and headed for our tents. With the wind blowing and the tent sides beating us repeatedly, we knew we wouldn't be getting much sleep so instead of laying there quiet, we spent the night BS'ing about who knows what.
Before we knew it, it was 4 am and the alarms were blaring. The four of us headed off into the dark and cold, Laura with only one glove after somehow losing one the day before. We knew it was going to be a tough day with the wind, but were all determined to push for the summit. As it turned out, we were the only group that made a summit attempt that day. Everyone else bailed due to wind. Just above the saddle, about an hour into our day, I spotted a stray piece of material across a rock field. I joke that I planted it to look good, but this stray glove just so happened to be hanging out there waiting for us - and it was even the same hand as the one Laura had lost just a day before. So, in the dark, we headed up and up and up and somehow we ended up too high. We were about 600' above the gully we needed to cross to get to Upper Exum Ridge. Already cold and with numb hands, we discussed our options as a group and ultimately decided to switch to Owen Spaulding route, the standard for The Grand. We had all read plenty about the route so we mostly knew where we were heading so changing the route up wasn't a huge deal. A few hours of climbing and navigating later, we made the summit! The four of us were very happy to have made it but only spent about 15 minutes up top due to the wind. We headed down, packed up camp and made the long hike out the same day.
We hung out at camp for the night and all headed home the following day, Laura and I both wondering, what's next?
 |
| Photo credit: Ike B. |
No comments:
Post a Comment