The Grand Traverse

Other trips I've done that share a portion of this route: 
Category: Wyoming (Tetons)Elev: 6750-13,775 ftRock Type: Gneiss & Schist
Date: August 24&25, 2023 (Thu&Fri)Trip Report #: 643Partners: Erin Houlihan, Cara Lembo

Route: The Grand Traverse (12 summits, up to 5.7/8, ~18 miles)

One of America's premier alpine rock traverses, traversing across the main summits of the Grand Tetons. A Grade V adventure wtih over 12,000 feet of elevation gain/loss on rugging terrain and climbing up to 5.7 or 5.8.

Intro

If you're familiar with my website, you will know that I am a fan of traverse routes involving multiple summits. Some of my favorite traverses I've done to date are: in Washington: the Complete North to South Pickets Traverse, the Ptarmigan Traverse, the Torment-Forbidden Traverse, and the Olympics Range traverse; in British Columbia: the Sir Donald Traverse and the Viennese-Clarke Traverse; in California: the Cathedral Traverse, the Palisade Traverse (somewhat incomplete, I need to go back to this one), and the Evolution Traverse; in Wyoming, the Cirque Traverse; in Colorado: the "Walk in the Park / Great Wheel" Traverse and the  "Estes Skyline High Route" Traverse. One traverse I'd wanted to do for years was the Grand Traverse, one of America's premier alpine rock traverses, traversing across the main summits of the Grand Tetons. A Grade V adventure with over 12,000 feet of elevation gain/loss on rugged terrain and climbing up to 5.7 or 5.8.

In July of 2023, I made a couple of long-weekend trips to the Tetons. The first trip I climbed for four days with my sister Jenny. Two weeks later I returned and climbed for four more days with a newfound climbing partner named Erin. These trips rejuvenated my desire to do the Grand Traverse. Sister Jenny (an ultraruner) and her boyfriend Michael (an Exum guide) did the Grand Traverse (sans Nez Perce though!) in a single push on the last weekend of July; it took them a respectable 18 hours. Now I really had to do it. I kept my eye on the weather. In mid-August, cooling temperatures and storms resulted in a fair bit of snow on the Grand, and I figured the Grand Traverse would not happen this summer. Then I got a text from Erin, who had planned to be in the Bugaboos, but she and her partner Cara were rerouting due to heavy smoke from forest fires. They were headed to the Tetons with plans to do the Grand Traverse, and she was wondering if I was interested in joining. The weather did indeed look ideal: sunny and stable, with no overnight freezing in the preceding week. If I timed the driving to be before and after work, I would only need to take 1.5 days off work. Hmmmm....yeah, let's go for it!

Erin, Cara, and I debated whether to do the traverse in a single push or as an overnight. We figured that if Jenny and Michael had completed the traverse (i.e. done Nez Perce), this would have added perhaps 2 hours to their time. Plus, there was now fewer hours of daylight, meaning a bit more travel in the dark, which is inevitably a bit slower (+1 hour, say). Plus, we had three people, which would add some time to the rappels and roped climbing (+2 hours, say). So we figured that if we moved as fast as Jenny and Michael, that totaled to perhaps 23 hours (18+2+1+2). But all of aren't ultrarunners or Exum guides, so add a few more hours to the time. This long of a time was sounding like it may be more enjoyable to break up into two days, and experience more of the terrain the daylight. So, we decided to do an overnight, and bring just a tent and two sleeping bags and a bit extra food, adding a mere 3 pounds to each of our packs. In the end we were very pleased with our decision to do the trip as an overnight, since it eliminated any stress over time, allowed us to travel through all but the initial slog up Teewinot in the daylight, and maximized our enjoyment of all parts of the traverse. The entire traverse took us about 38 hours car-to-car, of which just under 30 hours were travel time.

Unless you are a rare breed, the Grand Traverse is not a route you can wing without issue. The route-finding is not trivial and there are several sections where it pays off to have researched the route ahead of time. I had made several trips to the Tetons over the years, had created a map of the Grand Traverse, and read up on various guidebook and online beta sources. An indispensable source of route beta was Mark Smiley's gpx route line and beta photos (click link, where you can purchase for $25). We all had these downloaded on our phones, and gpx route line with beta waypoints was a constant companion throughout the trip. Apart from an entertaining experience of walking right by the obvious elevator shaft on Mt. Owen (I think we were distracted by the views) and searching for it for 23 minutes, we had no major route-finding blunders on the traverse. Even though I provide numerous route overlays on my trip report, I would still suggest purchasing the gpx track if this is your first time on the Grand Traverse.

This was an awesome trip and we all had a blast. Minimal suffering and maximal fun. I injured my knee a bit the first day and Cara had an altitude headache at one point, but we pushed through it. Thanks Erin and Cara for thinking to invite me along! I feel that for the most part you guys did all of the hard work (unpacking, coiling, repacking the rope; constantly keeping us on the gpx track; carrying some extra weight when my knee was protesting) while I just enjoyed the ride collecting photos and stats and gobbling chocolate morsels stashed in my pockets.

The following page gives a map, google earth overlay, time stats, and numerous overlays and photos from our adventure on the Grand Traverse. We all took lots of photos throughout the traverse, and I had fun adding Erin and Cara's photos to my trip collection. About 20% of the photos on this page were taken by Erin or Cara (credit given). Enjoy!

Map

OVERLAYS OF ENTIRE TRAVERSE

I have created 20 overlays for the traverse. These are included in the photos section for each peak later on this page. The following three overlays show the entire traverse.

OVERLAY #1 of 20.All summit panorama.(Photo taken from summit of Teewinot.)
OVERLAY #2 of 20.First half of traverse: Teewinot to Grand Teton.(Photo taken from North Ridge of the Grand Teton.)
OVERLAY #3 of 20.Second half of traverse: Grand Teton to Nez Perce.(Photo taken from summit of the Grand Teton.)

Stats

Grand Traverse Stats

Photos

Photos are organized into the 13 trailhead-to-peak, peak-to-peak, peak-to-trailhead sections. About 20% of the photos were taken by Erin or Cara (credit given).


Purple notes: We made 14 rappels throughout the Traverse (these could all be downclimbed probably keeping the grade at 5.8). I have given a photo of each rappel.

Lupine Meadows Trailhead --> Teewinot Mountain (#1)

Lupine Meadows Trailhead: ~6,750 ft (2:07 am)Teewinot Mountain: 12,330 ft (5:43 am)Split time/percent: 3:36 / 12.2%Cumulative time/percent: 3:36 / 12.2%---Trailhead to Teewinot.Climb Teewinot via the East Face (4th). You can leave your packs at a saddle just below and south of the summit. If you plan to do the route in one day try to reach Teewinot’s summit right at dawn. According to Mark Smiley's extremely helpful beta we had with us, if you want to do the traverse in a single push, it should take less than 4 hours (ideally 3 or so) to get to the top of Teewinot, and if it takes 5.5 hours or more, you should just turn around and hike out.
OVERLAY #4 of 20.Route Overlay Teewinot ascent.
OVERLAY #5 of 20.Route Overlay Teewinot descent.
A pre-trip bagel sandwich from Pearl Street Bagels in Jackson. Yum. I love a good bagel sandwich. 
I met up with Erin and Cara at the Teton County Library in Jackson, where I was working remotely for the day. This turned out to be a great place to lay out all of our stuff and pack.
Erin and Cara had nabbed a camp site at the Shadow Mountian free camping area. I slept out beside by car at their site.
Beginning the adventure at 2:07 am from the Lupine Meadows Parking Lot.
Hiking up Teewinot. Our midset was that any travel done in the morning darkness is bonus time. 
On top of Teewinot at 5:43 am. Sunrise was at 6:38 am, so we were beginning to see some light in the sky.We got to the summit in 3.5 hours. (According to Mark Smiley's extremely helpful beta we had with us, this put us somewhere in the range of people who do the traverse in 1-2 days, which was good news since that was our plan).Photo credit: Erin.
On the summit, quickly reading through beta for the next section.Photo credit: Cara.
Yep, we are on top of Teewinot.

Teewinot Mountain (#1) --> Peak 11,840 (#2)

Teewinot Mountain: 12,330 ft (5:43 am)Peak 11,840: 11,840 ft (6:28 am)Split time/percent: 0:45 / 2.5%Cumulative time/percent: 4:21 / 14.7%---Teewinot to Peak 11,840.
From the top of Teewinot go back down to the saddle below the summit. From the saddle, traverse to a second saddle to the south from which you can walk south and west (3rd) easily to the top of Peak 11,840 via the East Slope (3rd). 
OVERLAY #6 of 20.Route Overlay Peak 11,840 ascent.
At the notch on Teewinot, about to contour over the ridge in the background and hike easy terrain to Peak 11,840.Photo credit: Cara.
Hiking towards Peak 11,840. Grand Teton and Owen are in the distance.Photo credit: Cara.
Erin ascending Peak 11,840. 
Erin and Steph ascending Peak 11,840. Teewinot in background.Photo credit: Cara.
At the first rappel station on Peak 11,840. This rappel is just below the top. This was our first of what ended up being 14 total rappels on the traverse.Rap 1 of 3 on descent of Peak 11,840. Rap 1 of 14 of the Traverse.
Sunrise alpenglow on Grand Teton and Owen. Sunrise was at 6:38 am.

Peak 11,840 (#2) --> East Prong (#3)

Peak 11,840: 11,840 ft (6:28 am)East Prong: 12,000 ft (7:33 am)Split time/percent: 1:05 / 3.7%Cumulative time/percent: 5:26 / 18.4%---Peak 11,840 to East Prong.From the top of Peak 11,840, it is possible to scramble around the north side or downclimb a chimney, but we chose to rappel down the west side with three rappels. The East Ridge (4th) between Peak 11,840 and the East Prong is climbed mostly on the north side.
OVERLAY #7 of 20.Route Overlay East Prong ascent.
We made three rappels to get down the west side of Peak 11,840. Since we were a party of three, we decided the most efficient way to do the rappels was to have two of us simul-rap.Rap 2 of 3 on descent of Peak 11,840. Rap 2 of 14 of the Traverse.
The raps off Peak 11,840 are off slings on bolts.Rap 3 of 3 on descent of Peak 11,840. Rap 3 of 14 of the Traverse.
As a party of three, we could have one person pulling the rope, another coiling it, and another taking a photo (or reading route beta).Photo credit: Cara.
A short rubble descent at the end of the third rappel.
Scrambling the east side of East Prong.Photo credit: Cara.
We scrambled through the wide slot in the photo. This part was 3rd class.
A party behind us on a tower along the ridge.
Scrambling up slabs to the top of East Prong. This part is probably the 4th class bit.
Cara nearing the top of East Prong. Ah, the sun feels nice. Teewinot behind.
Steph on top of East Prong looking at our next objective: Owen.Photo credit: Cara.

East Prong (#3) --> Mt. Owen (#4)

East Prong: 12,000 ft (7:33 am)Mt. Owen: 12,933 ft (9:28 am)Split time/percent: 1:55 / 6.5%Cumulative time/percent: 7:21 / 24.8%---East Prong to Mount Owen.To reach the Koven col from the summit of the East Prong you need to downclimb about 60 feet of 5.4 down the NW side or make two rappels down the west side (we rappelled). Mount Owen is climbed via the Koven route (5.4). You can leave your packs on the shoulder of Owen where you will be dropping down on your way to Gunsight Notch, and go packless to the summit. Bring a rope if you don't want to downclimb the 5.4 section.
OVERLAY #8 of 20.Route Overlay Owen ascent (lower section).
OVERLAY #9 of 20.Route Overlay Owen ascent (upper section).
We made two rappels to get down the west side of East Prong. In this photo, Erin and Cara are a the first rappel station while the climbers below are at the second rappel station. We had let them pass us, since they were moving a bit faster than us. They were hoping to complete the Traverse in a single day.Rap 1 of 2 on descent of East Prong. Rap 4 of 14 of the Traverse.
Second rappel getting down the west side of East Prong.Rap 2 of 2 on descent of East Prong. Rap 5 of 14 of the Traverse.
We ascended the wet slot a short ways, and then cut right and climbed the left-facing corner. A couple of moves seemed low 5th but we soloed them.
Looking back at Koven Col. We had brought crampons for this section, but did not need them. Earlier in the summer, crampons are needed.
There is reliable water just after the Koven Col.
The corner we ascended. A couple of moves seemed low 5th but we soloed them.
View down on the corner. A couple of moves seemed low 5th but we soloed them.
Looking back east towards the terrain we had covered so far.
We contoured around just below the snow.Photo credit: Cara.
This part looked a bit tricky but wasn't so bad. The snow was icy and hard so it was best to stay below it.
Ascending 4th and low 5th rock below the Koven chimneys.
View of the Koven chimney. The route ascends the chimney and corkscrews around left. There are a couple of 5.4 moves but we soloed the route in appraoch shoes.
Climbing left after the chimney.
Then corkscrew back right through the elevator shaft to get to the summit. (This elevator shaft is rather obvious, but somehow we passed right by it and ended up searching for it for 23 minutes (according to my photo time stamps).
Erin and Cara ascending the elevator shaft.
Geological survey marker on summit of Mt. Owen. 
Cara and Erin on the summit of Mt. Owen.
View of the Grand Teton from the summit of Mt. Owen. The north ridge is the sun/shade profile.Photo credit: Cara.
Erin and Cara had paid $25 to download a gpx track and beta put together by Mark Smiley (link). We all had it on our iPhones for the Traverse and found it very helpful in helping us nail the route (our only route blunder was the 23 minutes searching for the elevator shaft on Mt. Owen). In this photo the blue line is a gpx track and the red bubbles are waypoints with detailed descriptions.

Mt. Owen (#4) --> Gunsight Notch --> Grand Teton (#5)

Mt. Owen: 12,933 ft (9:28 am)The Grandstand: 12,200+ft (12:10 pm)Grand Teton: 13,775 ft (3:50 pm)Split time/percent: 6:22 / 21.5%Cumulative time/percent: 13:43 / 46.3%---Mount Owen to Gunsight Notch.From the top of Owen reverse the Koven route (5.4 or 1 rap) to easy ground just south of the summit pyramid (this is where you could have left your packs on the way up). Drop down to the west via the first notch south of the summit. Rap or downclimb down a loose gully and after 200 feet head SW (skiers left) until a rock step stops you. Here go west (slight skiers right) 150 feet and drop into a large chimney/gully heading SW (skiers left again). You can downclimb (5.4) or rappel. Continue to descend a zig-zagging path towads a house-sized boulder. This is quite a bit of elevation loss. From the house-sized boulder, cut left and find yourself 25 feet above the Gunsight notch. You can downclimb (loose 5.6) or make a short rap.Gunsight Notch to base of Grand Teton.There are two to three pitches (up to 5.7) to get out of the Gunsight notch. The first pitch climbs out of the notch up and right 60 feet, then up and left 50 feet to a slanting ledge going down to the east. The belay is down the ledge at a fixed sling anchor. The second pitch climbs straight up on steep knoby 5.7. There is a third pitch involving steep 5.6 on a wall facing east, with many knobs too. This will get you to the Grandstand. From the top of the second pitch it is also possible to traverse left and scramble up loose rubble slopes to the Grandstand (we did this, but wished we had climbed the third pitch instead). Eventually end up at the base of the North Ridge Route.Grand Teton.The Italian Cracks (5.7) are the fastest (and usually driest) option up the north ridge. After 6 pitches, it is possible to take the Second Ledge to the right to intersect the upper Owen-Spalding (5.4) route and take this to the summit.
OVERLAY #10 of 20.Route Overlay Getting to Gunight Notch 1.
OVERLAY #11 of 20.Route Overlay Getting to Gunight Notch 2.
OVERLAY #12 of 20.Route Overlay Getting to Gunight Notch 3.
OVERLAY #13 of 20.Route Overlay Grand Teton North Ridge.
We made one rappel to avoid downclimbing the 5.4 section on the Koven route.Rap 1 of 1 on descent of Mt. Owen. Rap 6 of 14 of the Traverse.
Getting from Owen to Gunsight Notch is the route-finding crux of the trip. It begins with this rappel off the shoulder of Owen.Rap 1 of 3 on descent from the shoulder of Owen to Gunsight Notch. Rap 7 of 14 of the Traverse.
From the base of the rappel, scramble up this diagonal ramp.
Scrambling up the diagonal ramp.
Zig-zag down quite a bit to the giant house-sized boulder (this boulder looks sort of small in this photo, but it is just below the patch of sun on the right side of the photo). From just above the boulder, contour left to Gunsight Notch.
There is a rappel midway down the slope. You could downclimb but we decided to rappel.Rap 2 of 3 on descent from the shoulder of Owen to Gunsight Notch. Rap 8 of 14 of the Traverse.
Cara and Erin rappelling.Rap 2 of 3 on descent from the shoulder of Owen to Gunsight Notch. Rap 8 of 14 of the Traverse.
Cara and Erin scrambling.
An exposed move getting to the rappel to Gunsight Notch. Don't slip here.
Rappel anchor into Gunsight Notch.Rap 3 of 3 on descent from the shoulder of Owen to Gunsight Notch. This rappel is into the Notch. Rap 9 of 14 of the Traverse.
Steph leading the first of the two pitches out of Gunsight Notch. This pitch is easy 5th.Photo credit: Cara.
Steph leading the second of the two pitches out of Gunsight Notch. This pitch is good 5.7 climbing.Photo credit: Cara.
Looking up at the second pitch out of Gunsight Notch. Fun climbing on good rock.
Looking up at an optional third pitch you can climb to get to the Grandstand. This looks like a really fun pitch of jug hauling. We opted not to climb it but in retrospect we should have, as it would have been a more enjoyble way up to the Grandstand the way we ended up going.
We traversed around past the bivy sites on the east side below the Grandstand.
We scrambled up this loose slope to the base of the North Ridge. The terrain here wasn't that fun. It would have been better to cut right on a ramp and get to the Grandstand rather than go directly up to the North Ridge. This was a minor routefinding blunder that didn't really waste any time.
Looking back towards Teewinot. A cool cloud developing over the summit.
Route topo from the Ortenburger guidebook. We climbed the Italian Cracks variation since we figured the standard route would be a bit wet from rain storms earlier in the week.Photo credit: Cara.
Looking up Pitch 1 of the North Ridge. We climbed Pitches 1-3 as two longer pitches.
Cara starting up Pitch 1 of the North Ridge. Since Erin linked with the first half of Pitch 2 and we had two of us following a bit staggered on the rope, we did a short bit of simul-climbing on this pitch. The climbing is moderate, so having the two followers staggered by about 30-50 feet worked well on this route.
Old piton on Pitch 1.
Cara starting off our second pitch. She linked the second half of Pitch 2 with Pitch 3 (Pitch 3 is the leftward traverse to the Italian Cracks).
Looking up at the standard North Ridge route. Someday I will have to climb this (rather than the Italian Cracks I have now climbed twice).
Steph on the Pitch 3 traverse. This was part of our second pitch.Photo credit: Erin.
The North Ridge of the Grand Teton was the coldest section of our trip. That said, it wasn't really that cold (much warmer than my 2012 ascent where we got so cold we had to break out the stove and sleeping bags to get warm). But I had brought hand warmers, so I enjoyed them. 
Pitch 4, via the Italian Cracks. I led this fun pitch of climbing.
Fun climbing midway up Pitch 4.
Erin nearing the top of Pitch 4.
Erin leading Pitch 5, via the Italian Cracks. There is a bolted belay anchor in the alcove just below her. If I had known about this bolted belay I would have climbed up to it.
Bolted belay at top of Pitch 4, via the Italian Cracks.
Near the end of Pitch 5 or beginning of Pitch 6. Erin linked these two pitches on her lead to make it all the way to the Second Ledge.
On the Second Ledge at the top of Pitch 6 of the North Ridge via the Italian Cracks.
I had decided to try out these new turkey and colby Hot Pocket Deli Wiches I found at the Safeway. They hit the spot. I'd get these again!
Turkey and colby Hot Pocket Deli Wich.
The Second Ledge provides an easy escape to the Owen-Spalding route. In interest of making it to camp before dark, we chose to do this.
The Second Ledge escape to the Owen-Spalding route.
An old sardines can.
The Second Ledge escape to the Owen-Spalding route.
Negotiating a short patch of ice on the Second Ledge.
The Second Ledge escape to the Owen-Spalding route.Photo credit: Erin.
It was a busy day on the Owen-Spalding route. 
Some low 5th scrambling on the upper Owen-Spalding route. We soloed past a couple of guided roped parties who kindly let us pass.
Nearing the summit.
On the summit of the Grand Teton.
On the summit of the Grand Teton.Photo credit: Random dude.
View towards the rest of the Grand Traverse. In this photo you can see the rest of the peaks we had to traverse over: Middle Teton, South Teton, Ice Cream Cone, Gilkey Tower, Spalding Peak, Cloudveil Dome, and Nez Perce.

Grand Teton (#5) --> Lower Saddle --> Middle Teton (#6)

Grand Teton: 13,775 ft (3:50 pm)Lower Saddle: 11,600 ft (5:20 pm)Middle Teton: 12,809 ft (7:35 pm)Split time/percent: 3:45 / 12.7%Cumulative time/percent: 17:28 / 59.0%---Grand Teton to Middle Teton.From the summit of the Grand Teton the Owen-Spalding route is the fastest way down (two 100 foot raps and 3rd class downclimbing). The last reliable water of the traverse is at the Lower Saddle. After this, fun and easy scrambling up the Middle Teton’s North Ridge (5.6), with a few 5th class moves mixed in.
OVERLAY #14 of 20.Route Overlay Middle Teton ascent.
The first of the two standard rappels to get down off the Grand Teton.Rap 1 of 2 on descent of Grand Teton. Rap 10 of 14 of the Traverse.
The second of the two standard rappels to get down off the Grand Teton. There are two bolted rap anchors here. The leftmost one has a plaque that says you need two 40m ropes, so everyone was waiting to use the rightmost rappel station which works with a single 60. I was fairly sure the one of the left worked with a single 70 (which we had). But to be safe, we just fixed our rope and asked one of the climbers to toss down our rope when we were down.Rap 2 of 2 on descent of Grand Teton. Rap 11 of 14 of the Traverse.
We rappelled on our fixed rope off of the leftmost rappel achor. Indeed, the middle mark of our 70m rope was just touching the ground, so this one works with a single 70, despite the fact that the plaque on the anchor says to use two 40m ropes.Rap 2 of 2 on descent of Grand Teton. Rap 11 of 14 of the Traverse.
A view of the descent down the lower Owen-Spalding route to the Lower Saddle. This is mostly 3rd.
View down at the Lower Saddle and the Middle Teton, our next objective.
Scrambling down the lower Owen-Spalding route. This was a short 4th class section.
Nearing the Lower Saddle. The Middle Teton, our next objective, looms above.Photo credit: Erin.
We filled up on water at the Lower Saddle. This was the last guaranteed water source until we descended back into Garnet Canyon after Nez Perce. We each left the Lower Saddle with 3-4L to get us through the second half of the traverse and night at camp ahead.
Grand Teton in late afternoon light.
Fun scrambling on the North Ridge of the Middle Teton.
Fun scrambling on the North Ridge of the Middle Teton.Photo credit: Erin.
Fun scrambling on the North Ridge of the Middle Teton.Photo credit: Cara.
Fun scrambling on the North Ridge of the Middle Teton.
Fun scrambling on the North Ridge of the Middle Teton.
Fun scrambling on the North Ridge of the Middle Teton.
The black dike. This dike is the same one that splits the face that faces Garnet Meadows.
The crux 5.6 section near the top of the North Ridge route on the Middle Teton.
Steph leading the crux 5.6 section near the top of the North Ridge route on the Middle Teton.Photo credit: Erin.
Scrambling to the summit.
A view back towards the Grand Teton from the summit.Photo credit: Erin.
Cara and Erin on the summit of the Middle Teton.
On the summit of the Middle Teton.
Spectacular summit shadows on the valley below.Photo credit: Erin.
Erin checking the beta for the decent to the col between Middle and South Tetons. This was an easy romp down the well-travelled 3rd class SW Couloir route.Photo credit: Cara.

Middle Teton (#6) --> Camp at Col --> South Teton (#7)

Middle Teton: 12,809 ft (7:35 pm)Camp at col: 11,400 ft (8:30 pm - 5:04 am)South Teton: 12,519 ft (5:59 am)Split time/percent: 1:50 / 6.2%Cumulative time/percent: 18:23 / 65.2%---Middle Teton to South Teton.A long descent down the popular SW Couloir (3rd) and an easy but tiring ascent up the NW Ridge (3rd) of the South Teton. There are nice bivy spots at the col between the Middle Teton and the South Teton.
OVERLAY #15 of 20.Route Overlay South Teton ascent.
Descending the 3rd class SW Couloir route. This is a popular route to the top of the Middle Teton.
Descending the 3rd class SW Couloir route. This is a popular route to the top of the Middle Teton. Icefloe Lake below.Photo credit: Cara.
In this photo, you can see the flat col where we planned to camp for the night. You can also see our next four summit objectives—from right to left: South Teton, Ice Cream Cone, Gilkey Tower, and Spalding Peak.Photo credit: Cara.
Enjoying a beautiful evening in the Tetons.Photo credit: Cara.
Approaching the col between Middle Teton and South Teton.
Approaching the col between Middle Teton and South Teton.
A nice flat bivy spot at the col.
We had decided to bring a lightweight tent and two sleeping bags. For a tent, we brought my Black Diamond Distance tent, which weighs about 25 oz (tent, stakes, pole adaptor). 
Planned bivies are fun! The Black Diamond Distance tent is a 2-person tent, but we were able to fit the three of us reasonably comfortably. We had two sleeping bags (and no sleeping pads) that we used as quilts, and actually stayed quite warm the entire night.Photo credit: Erin.
Camp.Photo credit: Cara.
We started up the South Teton at 5am. After all, anything done in the morning darkness is bonus time.
Ascending the 3rd class NW Ridge of the South Teton in the morning darkness.Photo credit: Cara.
Ascending the 3rd class NW Ridge of the South Teton in the morning darkness.Photo credit: Erin.
Nearing the summit. You can see the lights of towns on the west side, such as Victor.Photo credit: Cara.
Silhouettes on the summit of South Teton.
On the summit of South Teton.
Looking east down the rest of the traverse that stretched ahead.

South Teton (#7) --> Ice Cream Cone (#8)

South Teton: 12,519 ft (5:59 am)Ice Cream Cone: 12,400 ft (7:23 am)Split time/percent: 1:24 / 4.7%Cumulative time/percent: 20:42 / 69.9%---South Teton to Ice Cream Cone.Descend the East Ridge (4th) of South Teton and climb a steep crack up the left side of the West Face (5.6) of Ice Cream Cone. 
OVERLAY #16 of 20.Route Overlay Ice Cream Cone ascent.
Descending the East Ridge (4th) of the South Teton to the Ice Cream Cone.
Ice Cream Cone.
Cara leading the 1-pitch crack system that comprises the West Face (5.6) of the Ice Cream Cone.
Morning sun on the Middle Teton and Grand Teton.
The 1 pitch crack system that comprises the West Face (5.6) of the Ice Cream Cone.Photo credit: Erin.
Piton on the West Face (5.6) of the Ice Cream Cone.
On top of the Ice Cream Cone. 

Ice Cream Cone (#8) --> Gilkey Tower (#9)

Ice Cream Cone: 12,400 ft (7:23 am)Gilkey Tower: 12,320 ft (8:19 am)Split time/percent: 0:56 / 3.2%Cumulative time/percent: 21:38 / 73.1%---Ice Cream Cone to Gilkey Tower.Descend the East Face (3rd) of the Ice Cream Cone and traverse around the north side of an unnamed rock feature to reach the West Ridge (4th) of Gilkey Tower. Depending on the route you take, there could be a couple of short rappels on the ascent (we made two short rappels).
OVERLAY #17 of 20.Route Overlay Gilkey Tower ascent.
Descending the East Face (3rd) of the Ice Cream Cone.
Looking over at Gilkey Tower.
Traverseing a ledge system on Gilkey Tower.Photo credit: Erin.
We encountered an unexpected rappel on the ascent of Gilkey Tower. There was a fixed rope here that provided a convenient rappel into a gully.Photo credit: Erin.Rap 1 of 2 on ascent of Gilkey Tower. Rap 12 of 14 of the Traverse.
This rope was originally red. It was faded but we felt that the core was still good and rappeled on it without qualms.Photo credit: Erin.Rap 1 of 2 on ascent of Gilkey Tower. Rap 12 of 14 of the Traverse.
We ascended this gully.
Fun 4th class scrambling on Gilkey Tower.
Fun 4th class scrambling on Gilkey Tower.
An aesthetic ridgeline traverse.Photo credit: Cara.
South Teton and Ice Cream Cone behind.
We encoutered a second short rappel on the ascent of Gilkey Tower. This was a single bolt with tat and rap ring.Rap 2 of 2 on ascent of Gilkey Tower. Rap 13 of 14 of the Traverse.
Cara coiling the rope after our rappel.
An aesthetic ridgeline traverse to the summit of Gikley Tower.Photo credit: Cara.
On the summit of Gilkey Tower.

Gilkey Tower (#9) --> Spalding Peak (#10)

Gilkey Tower: 12,320 ft (8:19 am)Spalding Peak: 12,240 ft (8:45 am)Split time/percent: 0:26 / 1.5%Cumulative time/percent: 22:04 / 74.6%---Gilkey Tower to Spalding Peak.Descend the East Face (3rd) of Gilkey Tower and ascend the West Ridge (4th) of Spalding Peak.
OVERLAY #18 of 20.Route Overlay Spalding Peak ascent.
A 3rd class descent down the east side of Gilkey Tower.
A snowfield crossing to get to Spalding Peak. We took a low route on the west side, which worked well.
On top of Spalding Peak.

Spalding Peak (#10) --> Cloudveil Dome (#11)

Spalding Peak: 12,240 ft (8:45 am)Cloudveil Dome: 12,031 ft (9:15 am)Split time/percent: 0:30 / 1.7%Cumulative time/percent: 22:34 / 76.2%---Spalding Peak to Cloudveil Dome.Descend the East Ridge (3rd) of Spalding Peak and ascend the West Ridge (3rd) of Cloudveil Dome. For this entire section it is always best to stay right on the ridgeline.
OVERLAY #19 of 20.Route Overlay Cloudveil Dome ascent.
A 3rd class descent down the east side of Spalding Peak.
A 3rd class ascent up the west side of Cloudveil Dome.
Steph on the ridge of Cloudveil Dome.Photo credit: Cara.
On the summit of Cloudveil Dome.
On the summit of Cloudveil Dome.
Steph enjoying the view of the Grand Teton.Photo credit: Cara.

Cloudveil Dome (#11) --> Nez Perce Peak (#12)

Cloudveil Dome: 12,031 ft (9:15 am)Nez Perce Peak: 11,906 ft (11:20 am)Split time/percent: 2:05 / 7.0%Cumulative time/percent: 24:39 / 83.3%---Cloudveil Dome to Nez Perce.Descend the East Ridge (4th) of Cloudveil Dome to reach a col at its base. At about the level of the col, find find a faint ledge on the north side of the ridge and contour around the north side of Nez Perce to intersect the NW Couloir route (4th), which you take to the top. You can leave your packs at the place where you will be descending back into Garnet Canyon and go pack-less to the summit. 
OVERLAY #20 of 20.Route Overlay Nez Perce Peak ascent.
A 4th class descent down the east side of Cloudveil Dome. There are some rap achors but we chose to scramble down with no rappels.
A minor trail mix explosion incident at the col between Cloudveil Dome and Nez Perce Peak. 
From the col between Cloudveil Dome and Nez Perce Peak, we contoured around the north side for awhile before heading up.
A cool rock swirl.
We left our packs at the descent gully. We headed up a bit and contouring around the north side of Nez Perce Peak.
Scrambling up Nez Perce Peak.
Scrambling up Nez Perce Peak. Some zig-zagging involved.
The corner crack just above Erin is the crux of this route. The route is rated 4th class, but this section felt more like low 5th.
Cara on the crux of the acent of Nez Perce Peak.
Approaching the summit of Nez Perce Peak.
Erin and Cara on the summit of Nez Perce Peak.
On the summit of Nez Perce Peak.
Summit photo.Photo credit: Erin.
Clouds developing. The forecast was for 60% afternoon thundershowers. But it was 11:20am when we reached the summit, and it seemed we would have plenty of time to descend before anything signficant developed.

Nez Perce Peak (#12) --> Lupine Meadows Trailhead

Nez Perce Peak: 11,906 ft (11:20 am)Intersect Trail: ~9,860 ft (1:30 pm)Lupine Meadows Trailhead: ~6,750 ft (4:17 pm)Split time/percent: 4:57 / 16.7%Cumulative time/percent: 29:36 / 100%---Descent.Descend Nez Perce via the same route you came up. If you wish, bring a rope to make one rappel past the short crux (which seemed a bit more like low 5th than 4th). Sramble down talus slopes to intersect the trail in Garnet Canyon and hike back to the Lupine Meadows trailhead.
We could have reversed our ascent route, but we chose to make a rappel to make a more direct descent and avoid downclimbing the crux section. This rappel station was a bit tricky to find, but it was down from the summit a couple of hundred feet and marked with a cairn. You cannot see the rappel station until you are about 10 feet from it.Rap 1 of 1 on descent of Nez Perce Peak. Rap 14 of 14 (last one!) of the Traverse.
The rappel achor. Rap 1 of 1 on descent of Nez Perce Peak. Rap 14 of 14 (last one!) of the Traverse.
Cool rock swirls.
Descending into Garnet Canyon after we collected our packs.
Sun and shadow on the Grand Teton.
Water was abundant in Garnet Canyon. We had all finished our 3L of water from the Lower Saddle, so we were happy to fill up on water again.
Back at the Lupine Meadows trailhead, 38 hours after we had started.
On the first day, I had strained a muscle or tendon just above my knee on a misstep. It was bugging me quite a bit the second day, but an ace bandage, ibuprofen, and passing off some pack weight to Cara and Erin (thanks!) had helped get me through the second half of the Traverse. 
Before beginning my drive home that evening, I stopped at Whole Foods for a few hours to get some dinner (turkey-fig-goat cheese sandwich and cookie dough frozen yogurt bars, yum) and to begin organizing photos and putting together a table of our time stats. When Whole Foods closed at 9pm, I began my 8 hour drive back to Estes Park.
I had driven 4 hours on Friday night and at 1am stopped at a rest area to sleep for a bit. At 5:30am, I resumed my drive to Estes Park, arriving back home at 9:30am.
12 miles of gas left in the tank....probably should stop for gas!
Breakfast was a tasty roast beef sandwich at Subway.
Erin and Cara felt like they hadn't gotten enough exercise on the Grand Traverse, so the next day they did the Complete Exum (5.7, 1700') on the Grand Teton car-to-car.Photo credit: Cara.
Newt captures how I should have felt when I got home on Saturday morning after four nights with minimal sleep, 16 hours of driving, one full work day, and a Grand Traverse. But having a trip report to write and route overlays to make overcame any tiredness I may have felt.

previous and next adventures