Hiking the Grand Teton

[Scott Card]

I have never been to the top of the Grand Teton. I have been there many times and it just seems like it is time to go to the top. I would appreciate any advice particularly about permits, one day or two trip, helpful hints...etc. I want to go later this summer. 94779

[Iceaxe]

The Grand was on my bucket list and I climbed it once about 20 years ago. It's more then a hike as the routes from the upper saddle to the top are all technical, some more then others. A 200' rap to get off the top. Doing it in one day would be brutal for an old man like me. Get an early start to beat the afternoon thunderstorms, I believe we started from the lower saddle at 2 am and were sitting in the upper saddle at sunrise. This also put us at the front of all lines and bottlenecks from all the other climbers.

The Mount Olympus West Slabs are a great warm up.

It's been so long ago I can't be much help, but I do remember permits were a PITA.

[middlefork]

As far as I know permit is not required for one day trips. Back Country permits are required for any overnight stay. Of course the first time I climbed it was 1966.
This link will give some good information.

http://tetonclimbinggrand.blogspot.com (http://tetonclimbinggrand.blogspot.com/p/owen-spalding-2013.html)

[Iceaxe]

Climbing The Grand was what really got me back into the outdoors after starting a family life and all that entails. Here is the story I wrote about my climb up Grand Teton.

Extreme Picnic
https://www.climb-utah.com/Misc/teton.htm

This was also the first trip report I ever posted to the internet and is the beginning of what would become Climb-Utah.com.

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[BasinCruiser]

I've had this on my bucket list, too. I've been contemplating the logistics of doing it in a day vs. overnight. I don't do so well sleeping while backcountry camping - that little air mattress just keeps me awake all night long and I get no rest or relaxation during the night. I get up in the morning more tired and worn out that I was when I went to bed the night before. For me, I don't see much advantage of packing 50+ pack (on top of my day pack and rap gear) up several thousand feet to camp, getting my legs extremely worn out carrying that much gear with that much elev gain, to lay down and not get any rest during the night, then have to get up the next morning and still climb the peak, come down and then have to haul all of that gear back down several thousand feet, vs. leaving early in the morn (i.e. 2 am) at the TH to take a few hours to get up the normal camping spots minus the 50+ lbs of camping gear.

[Iceaxe]

^^^The biggest problem with leaving the trailhead at 2 am is it puts you on the summit just in time for the afternoon lighting which is almost a daily occurrence in the summer.

A 65 year old friend of mine climbed The Grand last year and he hired a local climbing bum to carry all his gear to base camp for $100. Food for thought.

[middlefork]

Just another easy day for a lady.

https://www.climbing.com/news/speed-records-broken-on-iconic-peaks/

[Scott Card]

Thanks everyone. You are all bringing up the issues I need to resolve. As for an "easy day".... Hmmm. I won't be trying to break any speed records. That is nuts. I am torn between just busting this out or doing an overnight. I am leaning towards doing this hike as an overnighter due to route finding and my unfamiliarity with everything. The day trip seems brutal and with my knees I am counting on not moving slowly but also not sprinting up and particularly not down the mountain.

The first time we did Heaps we did it as an overnighter. I will never do that again. I also don't regret doing it as an overnighter based on the time of year and unfamiliarity of the canyon. If this were my second time, I would mostly likely bust it out light and fast. Paying a guy to carry my pack may be the ticket! More research......

[BasinCruiser]

What is the climb like from the saddle? Is climbing gear really necessary, recommended, or mostly overkill? I've seen videos of people doing it with guide groups where they have people roped up, mostly along the belly crawl. Is there basically the belly crawl, and then a chimney or so to climb up? That belly crawl looks similar to Capital's knifes edge, with a wall on one side and overhang. I've done all of the 58 of the Colorado 14ers, which had many 4th class climbs and a couple 5th class moves. If one were to do this- i.e. the middle of August if there is no snow - that is relatively comformable doing chimneys, is climbing gear (rack, cams) necessary, or is rope and harness to rap back down sufficient?

[middlefork]

It depends.
In dry conditions it is pretty easy. But it is north facing and can be icy at any given time. Big penalty points if you screw up. If going solo you can self protect with a cam or two on a leash.

[BasinCruiser]

It depends.
In dry conditions it is pretty easy. But it is north facing and can be icy at any given time. Big penalty points if you screw up. If going solo you can self protect with a cam or two on a leash.

Thanks. That's kind of what I thought. When dry, it should be straight forward. i won't be doing it solo. Just wondering i need to learn and practice with setting cams and such and leading a climb with a rack.

[middlefork]

Last time I climbed it there was some old fixed gear you could clip and you could thread some slings if you needed to. But it has been awhile.since I was there.

[Iceaxe]

Last time I climbed we were snowed on in August and the north facing side of every rock was ice coated until about 10 am... so there is that.

[Iceaxe]

A Grand Teton story... we're camped in the Lower Saddle preparing for an early morning assault on the Exum Ridge. Suddenly about 5 pm some clown shows up wearing shorts, tee shirt and running shoes heading up. I walk over wearing all the latest gear, looking like I just stepped off the cover of Rock & Ice, to inform the clown he probably doesn't belong here dressed like that... just as I reach the guy he turns around and smiles at me and I recognize it's Alex Lowe... thank God he turned around before I could make a complete ass of myself.... LOL....

[Scott Card]

Well, here is the update on my Grand adventure...... it didn't happen. We quite literally couldn't find a place to stay or reserve within an hour of the trailhead. Most everything was closed due to Corona. I bailed on the trip. So my partner decided to gamble and go anyway with his sons and try to sleep at the trailhead parking lot in his truck. He did and didn't get any sleep -- the reason I decided not to go. I did not want any part of trying to summit basically 7 miles up and 7000 feet of elevation gain on no sleep. Anyway, he started the hike passing and seeing several dozen hikers and campers. He got to just below the lower saddle and saw A LOT of people ahead of him. He stopped to talk to a guide who was descending, having summited the day prior, and asked him about the crowds. The guide said that having guided for 32 years on the Grand that he had never seen so many people on the mountain in a single day. He estimated 200 people ahead of him attempting to summit. Needless to say, my friend decided to bag the idea of trying to summit the mountain given the choke points, the tiny area that is the summit, and the rappel necessary to come off the top.

My friend estimated on the way down the mountain that he passed an additional 300 people headed up the mountain. Yikes!!! On a side note, my friend's son counted, I believe he said something like 39 people who masked up when they saw them approaching on the trail. :roflol:

I will again attempt the The Grand next summer when everyone is back in Disneyland.