JasonG

Awesome @olyclimber! I'm actually in the hospital right now, hooked up and waiting to get this stupid thumb fixed. Hmmmm... let's see if I can add some visual aids

Yes! Thanks @rat!

I need to figure out how to edit my B&W photos better. Those are stunning.

Thanks man, I am bummed to not be able to climb with you this spring @kmfoerster! We had a plan, now @Trent is going to use your skillz to finish the difficult 10 before me!

Trip: The Tetons! - Complete Exum, CMC, Teewinot Trip Date: 07/21/2021 Trip Report: I broke my thumb last weekend mountain biking with my boys, so I may as well add a TR to the database while I wait to meet with a surgeon. Keep your wheels on the ground people, and don't believe your kids if they say "Don't think Dad, just send it!" But I digress from the telling of the 2021 summer climbing road trip to the Tetons.... Frequent visitors to this site will know that I have been going on week long climbing trips with @Trent for about 15 years. The last few years our friends John and @cfire have joined us, and last year was no exception. John has a sweet van and so we piled in for the loooooong drive to Jackson Hole, stopping for some free roadside camping along the Snake enroute: The next day we finished the drive and sussed out the permit situation in the park that week (not bad for walk-ups, much better than NCNP in high summer). We had car camping reservations in the park for those days that we weren't on the mountain, which helped to limit the shenanigans before and after climbs. We just got those from people dropping out the week before on recreation.gov. Then it was to bed early for a proper alpine start for the classic scramble route on Teewinot. And what a great route! Direct, solid, and scenic- we were beginning to see why the Tetons were so hyped. And also surprisingly quiet. I think we only saw two other parties all day. For how jammed the roads are in the park, the climbing crowds are pretty mellow. I would highly recommend the Tweewinot scramble as a good warm up/ acclimatization for early in the trip: And then it was back to the van, after locating a couple canoes for the next day's approach to Mount Moran's CMC route. This route was a first for me, since I had never used a canoe to approach a mountain, nor even portaged once in my life. And the CMC camp was really in a great spot, with airplane wing views across the Jackson environs. Just don't expect it to be a casual 5.6 route, we were pleasantly surprised by the challenging route finding and scrambling. As with many Cascades routes, the crux isn't always when you have the rope on. Oh, and we had the mountain and camp to ourselves, in July! The Grand: The dramatic East and West Horns on Moran: one of the best 5.6 pitches anywhere, high on the CMC: The Beast that is Moran. CMC right up the middle: And then we took a rest day in some dispersed camping outside the park, preparing for the main event- The Complete Exum on the Grand Teton. I was a little nervous with actual climbing at altitude, but I had the three rope guns of @Trent, @cfire, and John do do the heavy lifting. I just needed to make sure that I didn't miss the shot. We opted for the civilized approach of hiking to the Lower Saddle on day 1 (upper saddle was full), then an alpine start to climb and descend on day 2. We saw more people in these two days, but it was still pretty chill and totally reasonable once on route. And what a route! It is absolutely classic start to finish and deserving of it's "50 Classics" status. Completely solid, long, with a great position and straightforward descent. I won't be able to add anything that hasn't already been said of the route (plus, broken thumb, remember?) and so I will leave it to the photos..... I have no idea: Descent via impressive rap down O-S route: Which way? The end. Thanks much to @Trent, @cfire, and John-the older I get the more I value my climbing partners. The mountains are just an excuse to spend time with these solid dudes! Gear Notes: Approach shoes and climbing gear. Not much snow or ice to get to these routes in high summer Approach Notes: Follow the masses

Mind the gap:

Ah, i guess you are talking exiting to Agnes Creek and Stehekin. That would be a pretty interesting way to exit if you didn't mind the shuttle shenanigans.

I am pretty sure people are defying the closure to exit normally. Mainly it is the USFS covering their ass because of the burn. You can drive very close to Downey Creek. The exit past Ross and Totem Passes to the Suiattle will be a lot longer, but at least it will be hard. I think the bigger issue will be getting a week of good weather in June.

hold on a sec, this is better:

The NF of Terror should be on your list:

Two other cars, neither hit, but both arrived some time after we had left. No strange vehicles or people when we were there.

Yes! A great trip in the early summer, though imagine the fire has changed the north side.

The CMC route on Mt. Moran has some great views out over the environs of Jackson:

Looks like you brought a proper camera. Bravo!

damn

cool, thanks for that link @bargainhunter!

A grand looking North Face:

Trip: Mesahchie Tour - JGAP LLC Trip Date: 05/21/2022 Trip Report: One of the things I enjoy most about rambling around in the hills is figuring out the "best" way or time of year to do trips. This often takes repeated visits to a route or area, in several seasons, and maybe over as long as 10 years or more. Of course "best" is entirely subjective, but it typically means (for me) when/how the outing the the most "fun" (or, TBH, easiest). I'm not getting any younger, so I need to use all the tricks I can. It also helps to bring strong, competent, younger partners along. @geosean ably fit that role on the Mesahchie Tour yesterday and helped it all click. In the case of this tour, it took three times and ignoring some of the advice you'll find online or in a guidebook. But despite my stubborness, we were rewarded with fun turns, spectacular views, and solitude. We also had the full mix of weather, from spring to winter and back again in the span of a few hours. And the full mix of snow conditions as well, including some of the stickiest snow either of us has had the "pleasure" of skiing. But we had a great time overall, with minimal shenanigans. But just remember, "best" is in the eye of the beholder. You might hate the way we went so I'll let you figure it out for yourself. That is the part of the allure of the North Cascades, no matter the weather or season. Oh, and if you were the one who stole the catalytic converter from my '91 Civic while it was parked for a few hours at the Easy Pass TH (in broad daylight!), I hope you really needed that hit of meth. Sheesh. NF of Graybeard: Golden Horn and Hardy: Hardy: NF of Arches: The one and only @geosean Look at that, a nice path through the cornice! How civilized: My favorite view of the trip, NF of Goode: Glamour shotz by JGAP: North side of Ragged Ridge: Probably the best turns of the day, fast and smooth and in the sun: NF of Katsuk: NF of Mesahchie: Then we had some winter: Minimal shenanigans getting over Granite creek on a nice jam: Look at that footwork!: Gear Notes: leave the snowshoes at home! Approach Notes: Follow Volken or your own nose. There are options

Yes, the Beckey gas station napkins weren't quite up to the task.

It's true, we were woefully unprepared!

Skinning up/descending that way would have been fairly unpleasant. The snow was pretty terrible. But hey, beats mowing the lawn!

Trip: South Early Winters Spire - SW Couloir Trip Date: 05/14/2022 Trip Report: Wow, it has been a long time since I did a TR on here. Maybe that is because I am mostly climbing middle aged weekend warrior stuff these days, of which there is no end of TRs in this database. But, I was reminded yesterday, those trips are still quite a hoot, even almost 30 years since I first started rambling around the North Cascades. I mean what's not to like a about driving a couple hours from your warm bed, skiing up to an aesthetic couloir and tagging a purty summit with good friends? Even if two of those friends wanted to start two hours after you did and the other friend forgot their skis and set it all back another hour? But none of that could detract from the timeless fun of good times in the hills with old and new friends. And, truth be told, the SNAFUs actually all worked out for the best, since we had the summit to ourselves during the only sunny spell of the day. And that is why, even though I've lost count of the number of times I've climbed S. Early, I will be back! @therunningdog and Sara on the approach: @cfire booting up the SW couloir in a squall: The best ambiance: The stoke was high for Sara! Cumbre!: Selfie: Mind the gap: Typical shenanigans on the descent: The route: Across to Golden Horn and Tower: @cfire ready to slay the schmoo: Whistler Peak from the highway, apres: You don't bring an end table for TH apres snacks? The always beautiful Silverstar between squalls: Gear Notes: Helmet, axe, crampons, flotation. Rope is optional, depending on your comfort with the exposure. Approach Notes: Park at Blue Lake TH and go up! You can't miss it.

I have been slacking! But @dberdinka never does when he is in the hills. Here he is heading to the North ridge of Torment:

Absolutely incredible, especially that first Big Four photo. Wow!

Tomorrow!