Mel, I think you were talking about climbing the Grand Teton. The most popular route is the Owen-Spalding route and you're certainly capable of climbing that. Here's a recent article on it:
From the NY Times:
And here's a fairly clear route description of it:
It's mostly hiking uphill for a few miles to the Garnet Canyon camping area. Then 1500 vertical feet of slogging up a rocky trail through a moraine to the lower saddle where most people spend the night. This route description starts there at the lower saddle. The climbing itself is way easier than anything you're doing at the gym
5 comments:
no comment from Mel? That is odd.
Looks totally do-able. Others may not agree but I like the mountaineering aspect of it. I think the plan for this assent is September 2009. Intersted?
Wow-that looks so cool! And a bit challenging mentally(belly crawl area)! I can't wait...look out 40.
(Lisa did you go through all the photos?)
not yet, Richard interest level is evident in his use of the word "slogging".
Lisa, I did use the word "slogging" and I need to be more careful in how I use that word. Most mountaineering to me is 'slogging' in the sense of putting one foot in front of the other for a few hours (or days.) That doesn't mean climbing the Grand, for example, isn't quite an accomplishment and it doesn't mean it isn't a worthwhile goal.
So when we talked about it briefly at VE, it sounded as though I was disparaging of the idea and I didn't intend it to be. What I was trying to say, in a clumsy, short-hand way, was climbing the Grand is not a big technical rock climb if you go up the Owen-Spaulding route. There are very hard, technical routes up the Grand. It depends on what you want to do. For an introduction to mountaineering, it's probably one of the better climbs because:
1. It's a dramatic looking mountain
2. It's a fairly short time commitment. You can do it in one very long day or at most within 3-4 days, depending on the weather.
3. The commitment - meaning you can get off quickly - isn't as great as very remote mountains.
4. There are other people around to help if you need it. Of course, they could also cause you some delays at certain bottlenecks. But, all in all, having more people around is safer.
5. It is a true mountaineering experience - esp if you camp instead of just going from the parking lot - in these senses: A. You need to be self-contained. B. You need to carry rock climbing gear & some ice/snow gear. C. You will use your skills of navigation, rock climbing, backpacking, weather forecasting, nighttime travel, rappelling, and, maybe, ice/snow travel.
6. It's quite an accomplishment
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