{"id":47105,"date":"2000-01-01T12:42:31","date_gmt":"2000-01-01T19:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=47105"},"modified":"2025-01-21T13:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T20:26:13","slug":"grand-teton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2000\/01\/01\/grand-teton\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Teton"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Wyoming
\n8,880 feet\/5,754 meters
\nTrip Report September 5, 2000<\/h3>\n

The Grand Teton is the highest peak in Wyoming’s Teton range. I summited it on September 5, 2000, to hone my technical climbing skills in preparation for Ama Dablam. The descent involved 5.6 to 5.8 rock climbing and some serious rappelling. I used the Jackson Hole Mountain Guides (JHMG).<\/p>\n

We left the Lupton Meadows parking lot around 10:15 on Monday, September 4; after a six-hour hike with an elevation gain of about 4,000 feet, we arrived at JHMG’s High Camp, 400 feet below the lower saddle. We ate dinner and went to bed at about 8:00.<\/p>\n

After a highly windy (gusts over 50 m.p.h.) but clear night, we left High Camp at 3:15 AM. The first three to four hours were spent reaching the actual climb. Scree and easy rock made up most of the early part of the Grand. After the “Eye of the Needle,” we started to rope up and continued up the Owens-Spalding route. The more technical Exum route was deemed dangerous with ice and snow from two nights ago.<\/p>\n

The climb continued with severe exposure before the final 300-foot scramble to the summit. Tuesday, September 5, was absolutely glorious\u2014clear with bearable wind and moderate temperatures. The view from the summit of the Grand brought unobstructed views of Jackson Hole and Idaho. Besides a large packrat, we had it all to ourselves for about half an hour.<\/p>\n

We started down at about noon. The two rappels we took were fun and a welcome break from the down climbing. The second rappel was about 200 feet with 100 suspended in the clear air- fantastic! With the rappelling being the highlight, we continued back to High Camp and down to the parking lot – a nice 15-hour day.<\/p>\n

My overall impression is that The Grand is worthy of its label. It is demanding and tricky. I found myself “leg weary” several times and the trek from the summit to the car was long and demanded careful attention to avoid a grave mistake. There are many spots of impressive exposure where you are clinging to an 85-degree rock wall with nothing to stop you for a few thousand feet.<\/p>\n

It is remarkable that it was first climbed in 1898. Even more amazing is that on a nearby peak of 11,000 feet, remains of a spiritual structure built by Indians have been found. To think they climbed these mountains in moccasins makes me feel completely unworthy.<\/p>\n

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