Archive for the ‘Grand Teton National Park’ Category

Climber cited for disorderly conduct after abandoning climbing partner

Friday, September 30th, 2011
Grand Teton National Park rangers finalized an investigation stemming from a search and rescue response in August that was initiated by the activation of a SPOT rescue locator. Dave Shade, 33, from Missoula, Montana was issued a citation because his actions that day created a hazardous situation during a late-hour rescue operation to retrieve his stranded climbing partner, Jesse Selwyn of Florence, Michigan. Shade was charged with disorderly conduct.

On Friday, August 19, Shade and Selwyn intended to climb the Black Ice Couloir on the northwest side of the Grand Teton; however, the two climbers could not find the entrance to the couloir and got off route, ending up on the Grandstand. After an extended discussion about how to proceed, Selwyn informed Shade that he felt he was unable to continue. Selwyn said that he believed he would become injured or die if he attempted to retrace the route they had come. He then told Shade that he was going to call for a rescue by activating the SPOT rescue locator that he was carrying. Until that time, Shade did not know that Selwyn was carrying the device.

Selwyn then activated the device and Grand Teton National Park Rangers were notified. After rangers hovered over the scene in a Teton Interagency helicopter and Selwyn signaled that he desired a rescue, Shade told Selwyn that he (Shade) did not need to be rescued. Further discussion ensued and ultimately, Shade left with the party's climbing rope, made four rappels and then began to retrace his route to the Valhalla Traverse. Shade made this decision before confirming that rangers were indeed going to return to rescue Selwyn.

The citation was issued because Shade assumed a rescue would occur and left his partner, taking their only climbing rope. Shade's decision created a hazardous condition for Selwyn, since at this point there was no guarantee of rescue. Selwyn was reached by Rangers that night, and was extracted via short-haul with darkness imminently approaching.

Wow, the citation seems a little harsh in my opinion. Maybe Dave Shade can be accused of acting a little irresponsibly, but I'm sure the only reason he proceeded with his actions is because he was 100% sure that his partner was going to be rescued at that point. If a SAR helicopter hadn't showed up, then yes, by all means, throw the book at him.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Climber, Grand Teton National Park, disorderly conduct | Comments Off

Ten Years After

Sunday, September 11th, 2011
It’s hard to believe that 10 years have already passed since the attacks on America on 9/11. I thought today would be a good time to publish something I put into writing about a week after 9/11.

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At the urging of Peggy Noonan I’m recording the events of 9/11/01 as they unfolded from my perspective.

Kathy and I happened to be in Grand Teton National Park the day of September 11th. It was the beginning of the second week of our two-week vacation, and we were staying at the Buckrail Lodge in Jackson, Wyoming, a place made semi-famous when it was selected as one of the settings for the Clint Eastwood movie, Any Which Way You Can.

We woke up on the morning of 9/11 around 8:30 Mountain Time, expecting to hike the Rendezvous Mountain Trail to Marion Lake. While Kathy was in the bathroom I turned on the Weather Channel to check on the latest forecast, just as we did every other morning. At the bottom of the screen I noticed they were running a crawl stating that all of the airports around the country had been closed. Obviously this raised several questions, so I immediately switched the channel to one of the news outlets to see what was going on. To my complete shock and horror I found out that airplanes had hit both World Trade Center buildings, as well as the Pentagon.

Ironically, the night before, we had just watched a true story movie about a woman in Northern Ireland who stood-up to the Irish Republican Army and the madness of terrorism that was ravaging her country.

As we watched the smoke billow from the towers that morning, we debated on whether or not we should proceed with our original plans. Ultimately we decided there was nothing we could accomplish by watching the TV all day, and decided to go ahead with our hiking plans. It appeared there was still a lot of conjecture about what exactly was going on, and who did what. We thought it might be better to wait until that night to tune-in after more of the facts had unfolded.

Just before leaving we watched the first tower collapse. We both assumed that what we saw was only the top third of the building collapsing – above the point where the plane had struck the tower. It wasn’t until we returned from our hike that we realized the entire building had collapsed. We also found out that the second building had collapsed shortly thereafter as well.
Walking out to our car that morning we noticed that the motel parking lot was completely full, meaning everybody was still in their rooms watching the coverage. On previous mornings, prior to 9/11, it seemed we were always the last guests out of our rooms.

To get to the Rendezvous Mountain trailhead we had to ride the Teton Village Ariel Tram to the top of the mountain. I guess in a state of a little bit of paranoia, there was a slight bit of concern on my part that the tram could be a terrorist target as well. It was a little unnerving thinking that the tram could be blown out of the sky while being transported up the mountain. Looking back now, it seems pretty silly.

Neither of us regrets doing the hike, but there was quite a pall on the entire day. At times we were both depressed, while at others we felt complete rage and wanted to vent revenge on the enemy ourselves. Although there was no proof at that point, we knew deep down that Muslim terrorist were responsible for this atrocity. Before our hike began there were a lot of rumors swirling around such as a fourth plane being shot out of the sky by our military, or President Bush being a target while on Air Force One, or there being a couple of other planes unaccounted for while still in the air. We wondered what was going on up in New York, and spent a great deal of time speculating what was going to happen down the road. We were definitely starved for information while out on the trail. We only ran into four couples on our hike. The first being from England, and they were just returning from a backpacking trip, so they didn’t even know what had happened. The other three couples couldn’t tell us anything new. If anything, we knew this would be an event that would change America forever.

In the September 10th addition of USA Today there was a blurb about the assassination of Ahmed Shah Massoud in Afghanistan the day before. I thought I recognized the name, but wasn’t sure if this was the same person I recently read about in National Geographic Adventure Magazine. I tore the article out of the paper to take home with me so that I could check the magazine to see if this was indeed the same person. The article was still lying on the bed the afternoon we returned from our hike. I noticed it and wondered whether or not the two events were related.

The last couple nights of our trip were spent glued to the television, absorbing all the information that was being put out. The events of 9/11 ended up putting a major damper on what may have been the greatest vacation either of us had ever taken.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in 911, Buckrail Lodge, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson, Marion Lake, Rendezvous Mountain Trail, Wyoming | Comments Off

The Grand Teton Dream Climb Contest

Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Have you ever dreamed of climbing to the top of some of the highest peaks in the Grand Tetons?

This year could be your year to realize those dreams.

Marmot has recently announced a contest in which two people will receive a four-day climbing expedition in the Grand Tetons, led by Exum Mountain Guides. All you need to do is submit a two-minute video in which you and another person describe yourselves and explain why you should be chosen for the Grand Prize. If chosen, the person submitting the winning video will be deemed the Winner, and the other person who participated in the winning video will be deemed the Companion. The Winner and Companion will train for, and participate in, the Grand Teton climbing expedition.

Here's what the winning video will win you:

• Four-day Grand Teton climbing expedition for two people led by Exum Mountain Guides.

• Customized training and conditioning program developed for two people together by Mountain Athlete.

• Mountain climbing gear and attire provided by Marmot, including jacket, pants, and a training outfit of short-sleeve shirt and shorts.

• Up to $500 per person towards airfare to and from Jackson, Wyoming.

• Lodging for two at the world famous Alpine House in Jackson, Wyoming.

• Up to $400 towards rental car transportation.

Total retail value of the Grand Prize for two is approximately $4,950.

The contest runs through March 18, 2011. For more information, to enter, and to see some of the videos already entered, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in Exum Mountain Guides, Grand Teton Dream Climb Contest, Grand Teton National Park, Marmot | Comments Off

Cascade Canyon Trail in the Grand Tetons

Saturday, December 12th, 2009
The Cascade Canyon Trail in Grand Teton National Park is often rated as one of the best trails in the United States. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to hike this gem you would probably concur.

Having such notoriety bestowed upon it, the trail is naturally going to be one of the most popular hiking destinations in the park. Our hike in September of 2001 was no exception. In fact, this hike is probably the most memorable one we’ve ever had – and that’s not just due to the majestic mountain scenery.

Roughly a mile-and-a-half from the boat dock we caught up with a large group of hikers making a bit of a commotion. Based on their accents we made the assumption they were tourists from Germany. The “leader” of this group, a muscular guy without a shirt and wearing a bandana, whom we appropriately nicknamed “Rambo”, was banging the ground with a large stick. He and his fellow travelers were all yelling at a young black bear walking along the trail just in front of them.

The absurd part of the story is that the bear really didn’t care how loud these people yelled. He just continued strolling down the trail at his own leisurely pace. With the Germans in front of us, we literally followed the bear for nearly a mile before he decided he'd had enough and meandered off into the woods. We took this opportunity to double-time it in order to get away from this loud and obnoxious group.

Don’t try this at home! I never would’ve gotten this close had there not been so many other people around:

Later on, near the Forks of Cascade Canyon, we came across another commotion. This time there were several people off the side of the trail watching two bull moose engage in a turf battle. Naturally we wanted to check out the struggle ourselves. However, just as we arrived, the smaller moose waived the white flag, licked his wounds and wandered out of the danger zone. Most of the people continued to stick around to snap a few more photos of the victor. But as the group grew in size, and people tried to get a little closer, the moose became visibly agitated. Giving us fair warning, he began thrashing his antlers in the brush before suddenly rushing across the creek towards us. In an instant everyone scattered to the wind. Fortunately, it was only a bluff charge that ended just as quickly as it started, but I guarantee that everyone’s heart was racing for a few seconds. That ended the photo shoot.

We continued on to the forks. On our return, I was able to get a shot of the moose with no one else around.

The hike to the forks is roughly 6.5 miles one-way. However, you can subtract two miles each way by taking the shuttle boat across Jenny Lake.

Many people prefer to end their hike at Inspiration Point, satisfied with the spectacular panoramic views of Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole below:


Just beyond Inspiration Point, Mt. Owen comes into view:


Cascade Creek and Mt. Owen a mile above:


From Jenny Lake to the Forks of Cascade Canyon, the trail gains a little more than 1000 feet. Most of that elevation gain occurs in the first mile or so (above Jenny Lake). Just beyond Inspiration Point, the trail levels out as it passes through the U-shaped, glacially sculpted Cascade Canyon. The trail offers close-up views of Grand Teton, Mt. Owen and Teewinot Mountain.

Parting shot: this photo was taken the morning we left for home. We were extremely lucky to come across this vantage point near Moran Junction just as a cloud bank was passing mid-way below the summit of Mount Moran. This is one of my all-time favorite shots:



Must-Do Hikes in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons:















Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

Posted in Cascade Canyon Trail, Grand Teton National Park, Grand Tetons, Inspiration Point, Jackson Hole, Jenny Lake, Mount Moran, Mt. Owen, Teewinot Mountain | Comments Off