Bales Geneology

To the Saddle... This is the destination of the first day's hike... the Saddle between Middle Teton and Grand Teton... As you can see, at this point you are well above any vegetation and there is still some snow in late July...
More boulders to pick through... and a sizeable skree field near the top...

	This is the last steep part of the first day's climb before hitting the slope of the saddle. There is a rope left permanently there but whether you need it or not will depend on your comfort level with your rock climbing ability. (By this point on the way down, I think we were more confident with our own grip on the rock than with the rope!)

Base Camp This is where you spend the night... They say this tent / hut will hold 20 people but I think that'd be a tight fit!... There are also some flat spots among the rocks for those not travelling with a guide. We arrived about 6:00PM and after trying to get out of the wind a cold a little so that we could get something to eat, I personally was out like a light by about 8:00 (before it was even decently dark). But I was tired and we had already been prepped that we would be rousted up around 3:00AM to get ready to climb... This was NOT an idle threat!!!... I slept pretty solidly until around 1:00 in the morning when I was awakened by a pretty serious sounding storm... Rain was pelting the tent and the wind was whipping and popping the canvas walls.

But, since weather-wise, things change quickly, this didn't stop us from getting up around 3:00 to have warm drinks and get ready for the day's climb. The rain had stopped but it was pretty cold and the wind was whipping around whatever moisture was left in the air.

The guides checking equipment and preparing the ropes for the next day's climb...

 

The view on the other side of the Saddle... Into Idaho...

Return to Bales Home Page

 

Last Updated 09/20/03 by Jonathan Bales

© Jonathan Bales 2003. All rights reserved.