Bucket list 18 mile trail run/clim/rapell up th Grand and Middle Tetons, Jackson Hole WY. 9,300 feet climbed, three rapells, one stupid galcier travers, over 7 hours as hard as I could go.
Short report: Left Lupine Meadows 6,300 feet elevation at 8am. Carried a light climbing rack, rope, and no water. Plenty on the mountains. Ran past Surprise Lake up Garnet Canyon. Got to the 11,300 foot Saddle/Base Camp between the Tetons in just over two hours after making the mistake of taking a shortcut across the upper glacier. Just over 8 miles to this point. Talked for a few minutes with a climbing guide with Exum Guide Services at the Base Hut with four clients who said that they were not summited Grand because of snow and ice. I put on warmer gear and headed up the Grand through the South/West climb. At Upper Saddle, 13,000 met a group of three climbers coming down who had called it off before the technical climb. I roped in and started up. Over 2,000 feet of drop on the North side, the most I have ever experienced. I took the Owens/Spaulding route passing through the Belly Crawl, up the Chimney and through the Chute. Very slow going with non stop ice. It began to snow lightly and I was starting to shake from the cold. I finally got stuck on the last climb, just 120 feet below the summit, on an ice field. Couldn't find any handholds and after cussing and changing my mind numerous times, called it off. I was the only climber on Grand today above 13,000 feet. I climbed back down to the Upper Saddle and decided to rapell off down the South Face rather than the way I came up. So much freakin fun! It took three rapell sets to descend the South Face and I dropped right onto the Lower Saddle above Base Camp. By now I had finally acclimatized to the elevation and felt great. I took off to the sister mountain, Middle and free climbed via the North Route. Much easier than Grand and minimal ice. Sun was shining by now and I headed down through Garnet canyon. I was drinking from the glacier water all the way down and by now I was really hurting. None of the Fourteeners in Colorado that I have done had this kind of verticle or the climb. 7,000 feet of climb just up the Grand. Mostly boulder hopping all day. I failed the summit on the Grand, barely, so that's one to save for next year. Summited the Middle though.
My entire body hurts after this. Probably the most intense full body workout I've ever tried.
  
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