Climbing 'Open Book' on Disappointment Peak

  This past Thursday (July 26) Bill and I headed back into GTNP to climb an AWESOME route on Disappointment Peak called Open Book. Straightforward route finding, excellent stone, consistent exposure and a short approach (by Teton standards), made for another incredible day in the Park.

  Since we both had the day off, we took our time getting out of town and were at Lupine Meadows trailhead at 10am. The parking lot was PACKED and the first crux of the trip was finding a place to park. Once we finally got going, things went quickly. This climb has it all: airy face climbing, perfect finger cracks, exposed traverses and roof pulls. To make it even better, the descent couldn't be easier. After topping out, a 5 min walk puts you at Amphitheater Lake and you're back on the trail. A big can of Razzleberry Tea and a Snicker bar at Dornan's put the finishing touches on a great day of climbing.

Click the link below for a short video of the climb:

CLIMBING OPEN BOOK!

Climbing the CMC Route on Mt. Moran

 Last Thursday, myself, Katie and Bill loaded up the canoe and headed to Grand Teton National Park to attempt the classic CMC route on Mount Moran. At a relatively easy grade (5.5), the route ascends the east/southeast face above Falling Ice glacier to the summit.

 We started off by canoeing String Lake, then portaging the canoe a few hundred yards to Leigh lake, where we paddled towards the drainage of the Falling Ice glacier. 

Canoeing String Lake. Moran and Falling Ice glacier straight ahead.

    

    Upon reaching the shore, we stashed the canoe and began the hike through boulders, scree and beautiful wildflowers, to the CMC campsites. I had read that the CMC campsites were awesome, but they were better than I expected. It's definitely one of the best spots I've camped in the Tetons. From the campsites you get an incredible view of the north facing aspects of the high peaks. The north face of the Grand looks impossibly steep from this aspect; almost overhanging.

Hiking up the drainage to the CMC campsites.

Good views from camp.

The Grand catches some late afternoon rays.

     Friday morning we awoke at 4am for the ascent. A small rain shower delayed our start until about 5:30am. We scrambled up the loose drainage along the West Horn towards Drizzlepuss, the first technical aspect of the climb. A short downclimb and a rappel put us at the base of the climbing. We roped up and began the easy 5.5 climbing up the east face.

 After negotiating the "technical" climbing, we packed the ropes up for some easy exposed scrambling to the summit. 

Katie does her best Alex Honnold impression.

   The summit of Mount Moran is very interesting. Covered in sandstone, it is truly unique among Teton Peaks.

Bill and I cross the sandstone summit towards the descent route.

  After some easy downclimbing, frustrating double-roped rappelling, and more downclimbing we had to regain the top of Drizzlepuss for the final descent. Arriving back at the camp we crushed some Snicker bars and began the hike back to the canoe. What a relief it was to finally get in the canoe, give the legs a rest and enjoy the mellow paddle back to the truck. It was and incredible experience paddling across the lake at sundown. Not only did we enjoy a gorgeous sunset, we got to experience the tranquil wilderness of the Tetons. Three loons got off the water right in front us, a few geese puttered around the shore to our right, a curious black bear poked around a lakeside campsite and two elk grazed in a meadow. It was one of the most refreshing and peaceful experiences I have ever had in the Tetons.

Moran sunset reflects on Leigh Lake.

 Once the canoe was strapped down, we snagged a few Ranger IPAs from a friends truck and headed back to town. Thai Me Up's curry bowl of the day and a few Melvin IPAs added the perfect finishing touch to an already perfect adventure. 

-BY

CMC Route Video

  So, I meant to start a ski journal this past winter to keep track of how many days I skied, where I skied, what the snow was like, avalanche activity, etc. Well, I never got around to that so I'm starting a journal now. It'll be more of a personal record of stuff I've done but check it out every now and then if you like.

   I'll start be recapping my last week until today, Thursday, July 19. Exactly one week ago on Thursday, July 12, my climbing partner Bill Truelove and myself got to the Lupine Meadows trailhead at 11:20pm with our sights set on the Owen-Spalding route of the Grand Teton. In the parking lot, a guy pulled up and asked us if we were "the Cathedral group." We responded that we were not, to which he again asked if we were missing a climber. Again, we said that were not and inquired if there was someone missing. "Eh, maybe"was his response.

 After deciding not to try the Upper Exum ridge due to a chance of afternoon thunderstorms on Friday, we opted for faster, easier Owen-Spalding route. We were at the Lower Saddle at around 4am, and on top the Grand for sunrise at 6am. On the way down we bumped into two Jenny Lake climbing rangers climbing towards the Upper Saddle. We chatted with them and learned that there was indeed a missing climber. They were headed to the north side of the Grand to continue searching for him.

  Shortly after reaching the Lower Saddle we saw a helicopter fly around the south side of the mountain and loop back to the North....not a good sign. The rest of the hike down the mountain was uneventful, besides me finding my pants that I had someone lost on the hike up, and we were back at the truck by noon on Friday. Tired and thirsty, my inner redneck was itching to get out. Tailgate down and my shirt tossed on the ground, I cracked an ice cold Lagunitas IPA and drank beer in the parking lot like only a true Southerner can. Grand Teton car to car in 12 hours. Only 9 hours slower than the record!

 The next morning I learned that the body of the missing climber had been found below the East Prong on the ridge between Teewinot and Mount Owen. Article here.

  The rest of the week went as follows:

 Saturday: bike ride up Redmond trail to Hagen to Putt-Putt, then back to the house. Work.
 Sunday: bike ride up Ferrins trail then back down, with Stuart. Work.
 Monday: hike up to Rock Springs with Max to climb Guide's Route. A really good 2 pitch 5.8 climb.
                Hike down. Work.
 Tuesday: Bike up Phillip's Ridge into Phillip's Canyon, with Devin. I somehow got ahead of Devin,        
                 missed a turn and ended up riding around the pass for an extra hour before figuring out
                 where to go.  Made it out just in time for work.
  Wednesday: Much needed rest day. Getting stuff together for Mount Moran.

   Today (Thursday July 19) Bill, Katie and myself are loading up the canoe and headed across Leigh and String Lakes to attempt the CMC Route on Mount Moran. My coffee cup is empty and I'm running late, so I'll check back in when we (hopefully) get back from a successful trip.

-B.Y.