Background
I remember the first time I looked out at the Grand Teton with an awestruck gaze. It was October of 2019, my college buddies and I headed out to the Tetons on fall break from class to snowshoe/backpack the Teton Crest Trail. We were having pizza dinner at Dornan’s, an iconic restaurant in Moose Junction from which you can stare out at the Tetons. We’d just spent 4 days in the range, doing what felt like to us an absolutely rad adventure. And I’ll never forget staring at the Grand, dumbfounded by its sheer mountainous profile, thinking how the hell do you get up that thing??
At the time, I didn’t know if I’d ever get up it, ever have the skill set or opportunity to ascend its impractical slopes. But as with any pursuit, the more you learn the more you understand. Over the last seven years, things have changed. And so it felt entirely silly and chuckle-inducing that my first time up the ‘GT’ would be with running shoes and without a rope or harness.
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This Spring I met two really capable, inspiring, and honestly amazing young men Landon and Ben, while on Denali with my ski partner Lane. They live in Salt Lake and are two of the most capable and talented mountain athletes I know. Earlier in the summer I’d reached out to Landon about doing the WURL (Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup) together; Landon and I hatched a plan to spend some time in the Tetons together, scrambling and running, then head down to SLC afterwards and see if we got weather and stoke to align for a WURL attempt.
As the trip evolved, Ben and Lane got involved and a crew was assembled! The Denali squad would be back together, in the Tetons, for some mountain romping. This was one of my more ‘loosely’ planned trips, to be honest, with a very vague timeline and focus: a week (or so) with the ‘boys’ in the Tetons (and Salt Lake, maybe?). Ha! After a few flight changes we had logistics set and it was just a matter of getting everyone in position.
Trip Report
We started up around 7A, estimating it’d take us ~4 hours to get up and ~7 hours round trip. We all donned running vests/packs, without harnesses nor ropes packed; Landon and I carried climbing shoes, in case we wanted them for the harder sections.
My body was slow to get going on the run, I often need 20-30 mins of going before I feel solid. Grab on and hold!, I joked about trying to keep up with Landon and Ben. I aimed to keep my HR below my aerobic threshold; I mostly succeeded, definitely in high Z2 most of the ascent up to the meadows. Once we stopped for water at a stream below the Lower Saddle I felt much better, my body getting a chance to catch up with food, water, and oxygen. Turns out the Grand is kinda high!
We experienced some wind at the Lower Saddle but for the most part the weather was excellent! We were making good progress towards Upper Exum. We found the ‘Eye of the Needle’, a fun improbable crawl-through on the way to Wall Street, the large ledge system that gives passage to the Upper Exum route. I was feeling better and better as we got higher; Lane and I had let go of Landon and Ben, letting the young sprites jaunt up ahead on their own. We all re-grouped after the Eye of the Needle before Wall Street, stoked for the route to begin in earnest!
One of the cruxes of the Upper Exum route comes at the end of Wall Street, where the ledge system narrows down to just over a foot or two wide. There’s a low hand rail to undercling, but it’s slick, as with much of the well-worn Teton rock on the GT. The feet feel slabby, also slick. . . and don’t look down, the exposure is real.
Ben and Landon pushed through with ease, but I’ve come to find that’s not a great data point. They are just studs. Next up, me. I followed along, feeling my comfort narrow as the ledge did as well. Push into the rubber, trust the feet. I got to within sight of the key move, taking my time and care. When I start to feel fear, I move slower. I was starting to pass from my comfort zone into my challenge zone, it was time to lock in. Landon and Ben watched intently, giving me information that I already knew: you just gotta pull through. Lane found an alternate way just below that was more ‘climbey’ but less insecure feeling. But at this point backtracking wasn’t a great option, the slick hands and feet wouldn’t feel any more lovely to reverse as to forward.
Deep breath, move. With careful movement, I pushed into my feet and held onto the bottom of the undercling. Trust in your movement is an acquired ‘taste’, only way to gain it is to practice it. Woof, that got the juices going, I said past the key move. I’d confirmed my amygdala still worked! (quite productively I might add)
Right after the Wall Street ledge comes a steep ridge with lovely movement and great holds. After a few deep breaths to reset I pushed up, moving around a roped party and locking into my focus. We were all psyched but it was game time, with thin margins and a need to focus. We all moved with purpose, excitement, and exactness. The sprites moved elegantly through the lower pitches of Upper Exum, I followed behind, feeling clunky in comparison. Yes, we’re all our own best critics.
The Upper Exum flew by, with each named feature passing by with ticking minutes. Landon kept anticipating the ‘Friction Pitch’. . . is this it? I think we passed it? Maybe it’s here? I loved his exuberance and enthusiasm, his comfort in the terrain was clear. He was just stoked for the next obstacle! We slowed at a few points to check our route finding, but for the most part the route finding was clear and simple.
My next ‘crux’ was an awkward lieback, where I’ll fully admit I took my pack and shuttled it up to the boys ahead so I could more easily sneak through. They all, not surprisingly, did not have issue.
As we approached the top, it was becoming clearer and clearer. . . we were there. The top of the GT, the GFT: the Grand F**king Teton. Once I had a chance to catch up to the sprites and get my bearings, we were actually there. Fist bump and hug, hell ya boys. Up on the perch I’d stared at from Dornan’s, seven years ago munching on pizza. And yeah, it was improbable, but not impossible.
The descent down the O-S was quite relaxed in comparison to Upper Exum, the ‘belly roll’ and exposed ledge system having much more width and comfort. I told the sprites that they had my expressed verbal consent to drop me on the descent; I was going to take it tranquilo, shuffling my way down at my pace. I enjoyed the miles pass by, occasionally chatting with Lane as our paces waxed and waned within proximity of each other. We passed by Gavin Hess on his way up guiding the GT, which was a fun surprise!
A few hot miles down the trail, where Lane asked me to ‘break trail’ for a bit, and we were back at the car in just under 7 hours, rounding up an efficient day. Next up was a dip in Jenny Lake, a Jarritos, and lounging with the dudes. Vibes are good.
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I do just want to reflect on the fact that this is soloing. It’s not ‘mountain running’, it’s a stretch to call it ‘scrambling’. Just call a duck a duck, it’s soloing a route that is normally climbed with ropes and harness. It’s a great feeling to move through technical mountain terrain with efficiency and purpose, but I think it’s important to also address the reality of the risk with this type of movement. The margins are thin and the focus required is high.