Grand Teton, at 13,775 feet (4,199 m), is the highest point of the Teton Range, and the second highest peak in the U.S. state of Wyoming after Gannett Peak.
After my season ended at Glacier Park Lodge, I Traveled to Bozeman MT. Mike lives there with some friends and we decided to climb Grand Teton! A few days later we arrived at the Lupine Meadows trailhead where we spent a cold night outside, under the stars. The plan was to wake up and get started around 3 am, this is known in the climbers world as “an alpine start”. In order to climb this mountain in a day, we had to move fast and start early.
The hike to the lower saddle went by fast, we moved with little rest through the darkness and as light came on we gained energy. The lower saddle was really cool; there were permanent tents there that people stay in who are also trying to summit this amazing mountain! We took a quick rest here and began the ascent to the upper saddle of Grand Teton!
This consisted of some simple climbing and route finding. Next thing I knew, we were sitting at the upper saddle getting our harnesses on. We had carried two ropes, but once at the upper saddle we decided to leave one there. This decision meant that instead of two teams of two climbing the pitches, we would have one person leading and placing protection in case of a fall and the group would climb after him. This decision helped us to save a couple hours on the ascent.
After the leader climbed the rock pitch, we tied an overhand knot and tied into the rope around 15 feet from each other. We were climbing at the same time, on the same rope. This means if one of us falls, we will all get pulled off the wall. Climbing with confidence, we finished all the pitches and enjoyed the scramble to the summit! Standing on a summit is a very bitter sweet moment. You feel that you have completed your goal, the feeling is total elation. Although in the back of your mind, you are tired as hell and dreading that long hike back to the car.
Shortly after our summit celebration, we began descending to the rappel station. After two 30 meter rappels we arrived at the upper saddle.
We started hiking back, all physically wasted and craving a cheese burger.
We reached the car at 8pm, just as darkness was spilling into Lupine Meadows. We immediately drove to Jackson Hole, for a celebratory dinner. We were dirty, smelly and tired as hell this was quite the contrast to most people enjoying an evening in Jackson Hole. After walking into several restaurants, we decided to go too just about the only place that could satisfy our craving…..Dairy Queen. After our meal, we drove to the nearest National Forest entrance. We parked our car and set our sleeping bags in the grass. Seemingly moments after laying down and closing my eyes, it was morning. I stood up to sore legs, with a giant smile on my face.
