Tetons part 1 of 6: Climbers' Ranch to the Meadows

Part1 Part2 Part3 Part4 Part5 Part6

This is the first of six blog entries about my first trip to the Tetons.
Minute, boring details have been included for those planning trips there
(as if there weren't enough minutia-filled Tetons trip reports out there on the internet).
I attempted to write it w/ a mixed (climber/non-climber) audience in mind, hence the hyperlinks.

Names have not been changed to protect anyone.

Animals were not harmed but may have been slandered.

The drive from Brooks Lake to The Grand was scenic.
It dodges the summer touron traffic in Jackson Hole.
I highly recommend this route
(as opposed to driving south to north through Jackson).

My first view of The Grand on July 29th.

Dusk at the pavilion of The Grand Tetons Climbers' Ranch

The next day, I checked out the area immediately around the ranch.

There is a faint trail (with several Aspen groves) that runs from behind the Climbers' Ranch to Taggart Lake Trail (pictured above). Instead of starting from the Climbers' Ranch, many people start their trip from the trailhead at Lupine Meadows.

Later on in the day I drove into Jackson to pick up my partner.
He arrived in Jackson from Flagstaff by way of bus and shuttle.

When I began planning this logistics of this trip back in March, I had no specific partner in mind. At Sushifest, I met many climbers from various parts of the country and kept in touch with a several, including Mr.E. I brought up the idea of partnering up to climb the Tetons. He was very interested, especially since, like me, he had never been there. I told him I'd take care of all the food, most of the gear, and all the red tape.

Although we had never climbed together, I got the impression he had a lot of alpine experience, especially in the Cascades. One of his proudest accomplishments was getting published in the Alpinist. And I thought getting published in the Potomac Mountain Club newsletter was a big feat! (kidding y'all).



The next day was the start of the trip.
Since my partner had more experience with alpine climbing
(fast & light using minimal gear), he picked out the climbing gear.



I went to the Jenny Lake Ranger Station the day before to pick up the six night permit. In hindsight six nights seems excessive. However, having never really been at any significant altitude for an extended time, I wanted to be as acclimatized as possible. And I had driven cross-country for this climb, so why wouldn't I want it to last as long as possible?

The permit gave us two nights at the Meadows,
two nights at South Fork of Garnet Canyon,
and two nights at the Lower Saddle.



Since we only had to get to the Meadows, we got a late afternoon start.
The purple line was our way up for day one.


The Grand and its reflection in the clear waters of Taggart Lake.



Looking back on Bradley and Taggart Lakes


Putting the pack back on after a break.

My partner, the superfit alpinist who spent weekends schlepping gear and putting up sport routes at 6,000 ft elevation, was way ahead of me, the less-than-superfit (sub)urbanite lowlander.

Not long after this moment, a couple on their way down told me that my partner "sure was testy". Apparently, as he went up and they came down, they were given a stern lecture on how the person with the bigger load on their back has the "right of way".

I apologized profusely.

This is what (literature) people call "foreshadowing".



Back on the trail... Grouse

There was abundant wildlife on the trail: deer, grouse, squirrels, jack-0-lopes, etc. Sometime before or after this moment as I was walking alone, I heard some heavy noises in the woods to my right. It sounded like hooves didn't I think moose would be this high up. I expected to see extra large deer as I looked up. Instead of deer, there was a big fuzzy brown thing with a snout-
a bear.

This is what (literature) people call "foreshadowing".
click here for spoiler

It suddenly occurred to me that, unlike everyone passing me on their way down, I did not have any bear spray.

Bear sightings 20 ft away on unfamiliar terrain are very exciting events (exciting, not as in "wow, cool" sort of way, but more as in "oh shit!" kind of exciting). I walked as fast as I could clapping my trekking poles together over my head rambling loudly in gibberish. I eventually met up with another woman from Colorado who was a Tetons veteran. She declared that I was now "initiated".



Dusk was coming in fast as I approached Garnet Canyon.

By the time I made it to the Platforms (1st camping area, closed due to Forest Service work), it was just about dark. By then I also ran out of water & was sucking wind. For 1st time trip planners, the Platforms seems like an attractive place to camp, but it can be a bear magnet.

My partner who was long gone, failed to look at the map before taking off, missed the sharp left turn, and ended up at Surprise Lake.

As I negotiated the boulder fields ran over a fast moving creek, my thermarest popped off my pack and floated away.

A Forest Service guy spotted me, and I felt desperate enough to give in and ask for help to get through the confusing boulder field.

Nick Gillespie (the forest service guy) gave me some water, took my pack, helped navigate the boulder field in the dark & got to the Meadows. Nick, the part time fire fighter, was a total stud, as he spent his days days moving boulders around at 10,000 ft. This was one of many perfectly timed acts of kindness that happened to me in the Tetons that allowed me to get up there!

Thanks Nick!!!!