Lower Exum: Grand Teton Baby!
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 5:04 am
It has been my friend Carolyn's dream to climb the Grand Teton ever since she lived in Jackson four years ago. She wanted us chicks to have an all girls climb up the Exum direct, one of the 50 classic climbs in North America! I checked out the climb and it seemed pretty intimidating since I just really started leading trad this summer but I was down for negotiating. The Lower Exum is 6 pitches of super exposed 5.7 and 5.6 and the Upper Exum is mostly 5th class with some 5.5. We met a guy named Danny at a bar in Jackson the night before the climb and without much hesitation, told him he could come. We granted him permission as long as he carried our rack and tent the 6 miles and 5,000 ft to the Lower saddle camping area at 11,600 ft. Hehe. To our surprise in his drunken stupor, he agreed. Yahoo! He was going to sleep in and he assured us he would meet us the next night with the essential gear for the climb.
Carolyn on the hike up, nearing the moraine.
Me, doubting Danny was going to show with our gear as the sun is about to set at the Lower Saddle.
The Exum Direct starts at the bottom of the most prominent ridge line, in the right/middle of the picture and extends to the summit of the Grand Teton. I was amped to do the entire climb now that I was there and could see it. I was really hoping Danny would show.
We're stooooooooked, Danny finally appears! We get a later start then we should've the next morning but find the bottom of the route with no problems. Danny leads the first pitch off-width and me the second.
This is Carolyn before leading the 3rd pitch. It was 5.7, getting really exposed and the route-finding was tricky. Pretty sure she pooped her pants a little. It's funny how 5.7 feels like 5.10+ or so up here.
Danny in the 4th pitch, awkward chimney. Too slippery to stem.
I led the Black Face, a 5.7 face climb that would've been super enjoyable if it weren't for my mountaineering boots, tricky route finding and oh yea, the 2,500 ft of air beneath me. I've done a handful of alpine climbs but have never led anything like this. I was stoked!
View from the small belay.
Danny climbing up.
I led the last pitch of 5.7, super sparkly and crystally granite. Purdy. It was a fun hand to finger crack. It was 5pm by the time the team got to Wall Street, the exit ramp. We wanted to summit but didn't think we'd have time to simul the remaining 5th class 1,000+ feet to the summit, rap off then find our way down never ending choss before dark. That morning before our climb we saw four groups who got benighted on the summit and/or scree field and had to spoon and wait till sunrise to descend. We didn't didn't think that sounded like fun so we descended via Wall Street. Tears were shed, this was sketchy.
The middle Teton and our camp below on the Lower Saddle as we descended. We weren't too bummed that we didn't summit. We figured we did all the scary and hard shit of the Exum Direct and felt like we really challenged ourselves. It just means we have to go back, oh dang.
Carolyn on the hike up, nearing the moraine.
Me, doubting Danny was going to show with our gear as the sun is about to set at the Lower Saddle.
The Exum Direct starts at the bottom of the most prominent ridge line, in the right/middle of the picture and extends to the summit of the Grand Teton. I was amped to do the entire climb now that I was there and could see it. I was really hoping Danny would show.
We're stooooooooked, Danny finally appears! We get a later start then we should've the next morning but find the bottom of the route with no problems. Danny leads the first pitch off-width and me the second.
This is Carolyn before leading the 3rd pitch. It was 5.7, getting really exposed and the route-finding was tricky. Pretty sure she pooped her pants a little. It's funny how 5.7 feels like 5.10+ or so up here.
Danny in the 4th pitch, awkward chimney. Too slippery to stem.
I led the Black Face, a 5.7 face climb that would've been super enjoyable if it weren't for my mountaineering boots, tricky route finding and oh yea, the 2,500 ft of air beneath me. I've done a handful of alpine climbs but have never led anything like this. I was stoked!
View from the small belay.
Danny climbing up.
I led the last pitch of 5.7, super sparkly and crystally granite. Purdy. It was a fun hand to finger crack. It was 5pm by the time the team got to Wall Street, the exit ramp. We wanted to summit but didn't think we'd have time to simul the remaining 5th class 1,000+ feet to the summit, rap off then find our way down never ending choss before dark. That morning before our climb we saw four groups who got benighted on the summit and/or scree field and had to spoon and wait till sunrise to descend. We didn't didn't think that sounded like fun so we descended via Wall Street. Tears were shed, this was sketchy.
The middle Teton and our camp below on the Lower Saddle as we descended. We weren't too bummed that we didn't summit. We figured we did all the scary and hard shit of the Exum Direct and felt like we really challenged ourselves. It just means we have to go back, oh dang.