Grand Teton Summit Trip

[Brent Ring]

Last week - I spent on a vacation with a couple of friends going to mountain school and summitting the Grand Teton with Exum Mountain Guides, in Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming. It was a great trip, amazing, difficult, enlightening, and challenging. 13770' at the top, over a mile of elevation gain just to the lower saddle, and some great training from Bill Anderson, our guide from Exum, (who is only one of 100 worldwide that hold 3 guide certifications, ski, climbing, and mountaineering).

In any case, it was one of the toughest things I have done to this point in my life, and, at 47, one of the more rewarding, in terms of introspection and learning to push myself to harder limits.

Many thanks to my friends Ken and Randy, and to Bill for helping me achieve that which I might not have otherwise.

Photo is the USGS marker at the top, and myself, with the Grand in the background on the right. I was so tired at the top i snapped that picture only.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brent,

Congratulations! I'll bet it was a challenge!

I first saw the Grand Tetons when I lived near them as a young child. My spirit never soars higher nor do I ever feel closer to my maker than when I'm in the mountains. I miss my youth and elk hunting days.

[Craig D Peltier]

Congratulations! How fun!

[Dave Anderson NH]

Congratulations Brett. I'm sure you enjoyed viewing the sunset from the lower saddle and camping there. The last time I did the Grand I had to stay on the morraine and the early AM start was a bummer. If you want to do it again, the direct start to the EXum is really neat, especially the black wall pitch and the funny off width chimney below it. I'll bet you had a great time on the free rapell on the way down. The Tetons have always been one of my favorite places both for climbing and for some of the extended hikes at the southern end of the range.

[Steve Griffin]

Congrats! That's certainly a accomplishment, even for someone still young like you.

I was up there two weeks ago myself, taking a first timer to the summit. I can see the top from my woodshop, so I can always look out and dream of happy days in the mountains....

-Steve

[Brent Ring]

Congratulations Brett. I'm sure you enjoyed viewing the sunset from the lower saddle and camping there. The last time I did the Grand I had to stay on the morraine and the early AM start was a bummer. If you want to do it again, the direct start to the EXum is really neat, especially the black wall pitch and the funny off width chimney below it. I'll bet you had a great time on the free rapell on the way down. The Tetons have always been one of my favorite places both for climbing and for some of the extended hikes at the southern end of the range.

Thanks Dave. I am hoping to do the full Exum Ridge route next time. Our guide offered that to us this time, but we bailed due to financial concerns. We did the Owen Spaulding this time due to weather concerns. And If I do it, I will be in much better shape, thats for sure - doubling my conditioning steps for sure.

[Brent Ring]

Congrats! That's certainly a accomplishment, even for someone still young like you.

I was up there two weeks ago myself, taking a first timer to the summit. I can see the top from my woodshop, so I can always look out and dream of happy days in the mountains....

-Steve

Thanks for the congrats. I am a bit jealous that you get to live in such a gorgeous location such as that. Obviously you were not part of the group that was affected by the lightning strike. Weather plays such an important part of climbing that mountain. But it is absolutely spectacular at the top.

[Brian Vaughn]

Another option, if you haven't done it yet, is Mount Borah, over in Idaho. Based on your location, it's not a bad drive. It's almost exactly a mile vertical, and the trail is only about 3 miles in length (or that used to be the listed length, I read somewhere that it's 5 miles now) The trail basically goes straight up the mountain, and is pretty brutal, but if you'd like a challenge, it's a fun one, plus there's usually enough people that you won't get into to much trouble, although your legs will be screaming by the time you get down.