Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.BlueDevil
07-31-04, 08:21 PM
Ok, so this is going to be a little long, but I'll include lots of pictures to keep y'all entertained!! ;) (PS- 56k modem==NO!!) My GF (Jen) and I just made a trip out to Grand Teton National Park to climb "The Grand" (13,770' above sea level). It was an AMAZING journey, and I wanted to share it with you all.. there were plenty of suprises in store for us.. (mostly for Jen, but that will come later ;) ).
So we decided to go with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. Our trip consisted of 4 days at a "high camp" at 10,800', climbing in the chimneys and pinnacles surrounding "The Grand," and then climbing the mountain itself on the 3rd or 4th day. We started our hike up to high camp at ~6,000' (click on a thumbnail for a larger version)
Here is Grand Teton looming over the bottom of the path..
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/0.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image0.html)
We made our way up, at about 8500', we stopped to take some pictures (in a place called "The Meadows" and to eat lunch). Looking down on the valley below, the scenery was just stunning!
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/4.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image4.html)
Eating a well deserved lunch:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/8.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image8.html)
Up ahead of us was Middle Teton:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/5.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image5.html)
After 6 hours of first hiking on a trail, then hopping over boulders (some up to 15' in diameter), and climbing up the glacier moraine, we finally made the high camp at 10,800', which is situated at the base of Grand Teton (you can almost see the peak- it is just behind the little pyramid you can see in the upper right of this picture, behind the large foreground pinnacle):
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/10.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image10.html)
So, it was time to set up camp.. what an AMAZING view.. Our tent is the closest to the camera. In the upper left corner of the image, you can see "The Fat Bunny" where we did a good deal of climbing.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/11.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image11.html)
Here is Jen just after we climbed the bunny.. We climbed up the dark diagonal crack you can see to the left of her outstretched hands, then around the back side, up to the "ears" We repelled to the right of the ears, a 190' partially free repel. It was quite a rush!!
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/12.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image12.html)
The next morning, we awoke to some beautiful scenery.. the clouds were rolling off the mountain into the valley below:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/13.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image13.html)
On the second day, we had some SERIOUS weather. A very bad thunderstorm moved in at around 6pm, and it hailed from about 6pm till 8pm, leaving a good inch and a half of dime sized hail on the ground. Over night, this hail froze, and rendered the climb impossible, so we had to hold until the 4th day. On the evening of the 3rd day (after climbing lower on the mountain) I snapped a shot of "The Lower Saddle" the first step on our way to the top. Looking at the picture taken from high camp, we had to descent about 300' into the canyon, then make our way up above the snowfield. We then climbed the cliff band you can see, and worked our way around the snow above the cliffs, onto the cupped ridge. We then headed up the ridge to the right, and up onto the mountain. Hard enough to do during the day, we had to do it at 3am, in pitch black (except for the lamps on our heads):
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/14.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image14.html)
When we got up onto the lower saddle, we saw an amazing sight- about 50 or so climbers were following us in the canyon, and you could see their headlamps slowly making their way through the boulder field below. By the time we got to the main part of the mountain, it was sunrise, and we were in for some AMAZING views. As we worked our way around the back (west) side of the mountain to the Upper Saddle, the scenery was AMAZING. Soon we were above the Middle Teton:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/15.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image15.html)
And you could see the shadow of The Grand stretching into Idaho:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/16.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image16.html)
After a good deal of some hairy scrambling, we made it to the Upper Saddle, a small ridge between the Grand, and a small pinnacle at 13,000' called "The Enclosure"
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/19.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image19.html)
Now it was time for the real fun to begin!! The first step was a traverse. The ledge was 12-18" wide, slanted away from the mountain, and was covered in a thin layer of ice. The best part- off the edge was a 1200' drop!! Even though we were roped up, and had little probability of actually getting hurt, it sure go the adrenyline pumping to peer over that edge!! Here we are wondering what the hell we got ourselves into, waiting to do the traverse!!
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/20.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image20.html)
Next we had two 60-80' pitches that were very exposed. At the top of the second pitch, I was routed around a nose, that had a very nice 2500' drop. This time I was hanging out from the nose, at about a 30 degree angle, with my toes on a 1" thick ledge. Here is a shot in the saftey of a nice big ledge, with out guide Rob, pulling up rope from our ascent:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/22.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image22.html)
After the two big pitches, we had about 90 minutes or so of scrambling up the last 500 feet. It was technical enough that we were all roped together, and boy, did some of the exposure get your heart pumping! Soon enough we rounded a bend into the sunlight (finally warmth!! went from about 20 degrees to 45 or so), and climbed the last few rocks to the summit:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/26.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image26.html)
The view from the top was one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen!! It was almost as if you could see the curvature of the earth from up there! You could see for miles and miles in any direction.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/28.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image28.html)
Here is our guide, Rob at the summit. We had two guides- Mark and Rob, both were amazing. Rob was taking Jen, Bill, and I up, while Mark was taking the other three from our group. It was very comforting to know that Rob had summited Everest without Oxygen!! He was a no nonesense kinda guy, which is exactly what we wanted on the mountain. Mark, was amazing as well, very encouraging, and had the comic relief we all needed at times.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/27.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image27.html)
So here is Jen and I, sitting on the summit... it was a loooong emotional climb, but worth every bit of effort..
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/24.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image24.html)
Especially, since I had been planning to propose up there, for 6 months. I snuck out the ring, let her know how much she means to me, and told her I wouldnt really be on top of the world, until I knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/25.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image25.html)
She said "Yes!" :) A shot of the ring is at:
http://www.dobossy.com/images/ring.jpg
So we decided to go with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. Our trip consisted of 4 days at a "high camp" at 10,800', climbing in the chimneys and pinnacles surrounding "The Grand," and then climbing the mountain itself on the 3rd or 4th day. We started our hike up to high camp at ~6,000' (click on a thumbnail for a larger version)
Here is Grand Teton looming over the bottom of the path..
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/0.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image0.html)
We made our way up, at about 8500', we stopped to take some pictures (in a place called "The Meadows" and to eat lunch). Looking down on the valley below, the scenery was just stunning!
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/4.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image4.html)
Eating a well deserved lunch:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/8.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image8.html)
Up ahead of us was Middle Teton:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/5.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image5.html)
After 6 hours of first hiking on a trail, then hopping over boulders (some up to 15' in diameter), and climbing up the glacier moraine, we finally made the high camp at 10,800', which is situated at the base of Grand Teton (you can almost see the peak- it is just behind the little pyramid you can see in the upper right of this picture, behind the large foreground pinnacle):
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/10.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image10.html)
So, it was time to set up camp.. what an AMAZING view.. Our tent is the closest to the camera. In the upper left corner of the image, you can see "The Fat Bunny" where we did a good deal of climbing.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/11.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image11.html)
Here is Jen just after we climbed the bunny.. We climbed up the dark diagonal crack you can see to the left of her outstretched hands, then around the back side, up to the "ears" We repelled to the right of the ears, a 190' partially free repel. It was quite a rush!!
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/12.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image12.html)
The next morning, we awoke to some beautiful scenery.. the clouds were rolling off the mountain into the valley below:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/13.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image13.html)
On the second day, we had some SERIOUS weather. A very bad thunderstorm moved in at around 6pm, and it hailed from about 6pm till 8pm, leaving a good inch and a half of dime sized hail on the ground. Over night, this hail froze, and rendered the climb impossible, so we had to hold until the 4th day. On the evening of the 3rd day (after climbing lower on the mountain) I snapped a shot of "The Lower Saddle" the first step on our way to the top. Looking at the picture taken from high camp, we had to descent about 300' into the canyon, then make our way up above the snowfield. We then climbed the cliff band you can see, and worked our way around the snow above the cliffs, onto the cupped ridge. We then headed up the ridge to the right, and up onto the mountain. Hard enough to do during the day, we had to do it at 3am, in pitch black (except for the lamps on our heads):
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/14.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image14.html)
When we got up onto the lower saddle, we saw an amazing sight- about 50 or so climbers were following us in the canyon, and you could see their headlamps slowly making their way through the boulder field below. By the time we got to the main part of the mountain, it was sunrise, and we were in for some AMAZING views. As we worked our way around the back (west) side of the mountain to the Upper Saddle, the scenery was AMAZING. Soon we were above the Middle Teton:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/15.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image15.html)
And you could see the shadow of The Grand stretching into Idaho:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/16.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image16.html)
After a good deal of some hairy scrambling, we made it to the Upper Saddle, a small ridge between the Grand, and a small pinnacle at 13,000' called "The Enclosure"
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/19.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image19.html)
Now it was time for the real fun to begin!! The first step was a traverse. The ledge was 12-18" wide, slanted away from the mountain, and was covered in a thin layer of ice. The best part- off the edge was a 1200' drop!! Even though we were roped up, and had little probability of actually getting hurt, it sure go the adrenyline pumping to peer over that edge!! Here we are wondering what the hell we got ourselves into, waiting to do the traverse!!
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/20.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image20.html)
Next we had two 60-80' pitches that were very exposed. At the top of the second pitch, I was routed around a nose, that had a very nice 2500' drop. This time I was hanging out from the nose, at about a 30 degree angle, with my toes on a 1" thick ledge. Here is a shot in the saftey of a nice big ledge, with out guide Rob, pulling up rope from our ascent:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/22.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image22.html)
After the two big pitches, we had about 90 minutes or so of scrambling up the last 500 feet. It was technical enough that we were all roped together, and boy, did some of the exposure get your heart pumping! Soon enough we rounded a bend into the sunlight (finally warmth!! went from about 20 degrees to 45 or so), and climbed the last few rocks to the summit:
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/26.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image26.html)
The view from the top was one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen!! It was almost as if you could see the curvature of the earth from up there! You could see for miles and miles in any direction.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/28.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image28.html)
Here is our guide, Rob at the summit. We had two guides- Mark and Rob, both were amazing. Rob was taking Jen, Bill, and I up, while Mark was taking the other three from our group. It was very comforting to know that Rob had summited Everest without Oxygen!! He was a no nonesense kinda guy, which is exactly what we wanted on the mountain. Mark, was amazing as well, very encouraging, and had the comic relief we all needed at times.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/27.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image27.html)
So here is Jen and I, sitting on the summit... it was a loooong emotional climb, but worth every bit of effort..
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/24.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image24.html)
Especially, since I had been planning to propose up there, for 6 months. I snuck out the ring, let her know how much she means to me, and told her I wouldnt really be on top of the world, until I knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.
http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Thumbnails/25.jpg (http://mdobossy.student.princeton.edu/~nero/TheGrand/TheGrand-Pages/Image25.html)
She said "Yes!" :) A shot of the ring is at:
http://www.dobossy.com/images/ring.jpg