All My Bags Are Packed...

But I'm not leaving on a jet plane, I could never afford the baggage fees! As you can see below, my basement is currently awash with all kinds of gear, coming in two distinct varieties: basic camping/hiking gear and technical climbing gear.

Under normal backpacking conditions, I can often keep my backpack well under 35 pounds (~15 kgs) and sometimes less than 30 (13 kgs). I enjoy hikes much more when I am not exhausted from carrying huge loads up steep terrain. A climbing expedition stomps on my dreams of sub-35 lb packs and grinds them into the dirt with a big smile on its face. To begin with, we are bringing a heavier 4-season tent that can withstand the higher winds and lower temperatures of high altitude (it's a roomy 2-person tent that we might be squeezing 3 people into, not sure at the moment). Add this to the fact that we are bringing extra food and fuel because we will be staying multiple nights at our base camp and I am looking at more than 35 lbs before we even add up the climbing gear. The climbing gear is heavy, but it is divided between our group (as the tent would be also). Nonetheless, we are still looking at ~8.5 lbs for the rope, ~5 lbs for protection (stoppers, nuts, cams ect.), and then personal technical gear, such as crampons, ice axes, harnesses and helmets. All of this adds up quickly and we are easily looking at 50+ lb packs. Luckily we are only carrying this up ~4500ft of elevation the first day, where we will make our base camp. That's lucky, right?

One of the reasons we are taking so much gear is the variety of terrain and conditions we are expecting to face while in the mountains. It is early in the season for such a trip so we are expecting snow and ice, but there will also be exposed rock that might require rock shoes. The weather will also vary from 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the valley to well below freezing at our camps so we need the warm weather clothes to deal with such things. There is no way around it, we will be moving slow to our first camp.

In the mean time, the drive to Jackson, Wyoming will be nice. I've always loved road trips, even though this one is a 30 hour haul from Chattanooga.On the way we will be seeing family and friends and the freedom and anticipation of the open road only sweetens the deal.

Go West Young Man

Planning a trip is sort of like exploring from inside. The internet is full of pictures and stories of far away places that cause one's heart to begin racing. For a long time, the lure of the mountains has inspired my travels; from the winter climbs in Colorado's Rockies, to week long expeditions among the mighty Andes in South America. I've spent hours browsing Google Maps and clicking through picture after picture on Summitpost.com, slowly forming distant plans in my head.

This trip to Wyoming is no exception. When I first heard that my good friend and climbing partner, Mike, was going to be in Wyoming without me, I knew that wouldn't do. Along the western edge of the state, the Teton range reins over Jackson Hole Valley, rising over 7000 ft over the land below. At 13,775 ft, Grand Teton is one of a few ultra-prominent peaks in the U.S. and the namesake of Grand Teton National Park. This park has been at the top of my list for some time and I knew that I wanted to join Mike and see this famous mountain range.

The logistics of a trip have several determining factors, the most important one being: what are we going to do? A backpacking trip would take the least amount of gear, I could probably hitchhike to Jackson with just a backpack. Maybe we wanted to do a bicycle tour and rent bikes? But what about climbing? Mike and I have trekked far higher during our trips to the Andes and we have been avid rock climbers for years, however, we had never combined the two. An alpine climb requires a massive amount of knowledge of many topics. From knowing how to predict the weather to to properly using an ice axe, many of these were skills that Mike and I had learned over the years. But most of all, we learned how to do more with less. At one point or another we would find ourselves on steep, technical terrain with no ropes. We have climbed this way many times, for the simple reasons that we could either not afford the gear, or it was too heavy to carry the way we were traveling. The gear needed to climb true technical routes would cost around $2000, brand new. Luckily, for this trip, we were able to afford some essentials, and borrow the rest. Currently we have one other person who is coming along, although we would like to round it out at four. Alden will need some crampon and ice axe instruction, but she it proficient with ropes and comfortable around heights.

With the resources for a proper alpine climb, I started to research routes. Grand Teton was foremost on my list for obvious reasons. But not only was it the highest and best known peak, it also had a very manageable route. The Owen-Spalding route is rated a paltry 5.4, and if it were not for the magnitude of the distances and the sheer exposure, it would not offer us much of a challenge at all. However, at such an altitude, I was not worried about not being challenged enough. The early season conditions would still be icy in spots, requiring some low grade, mixed climbing and the route finding would still be challenging. There was one downside to such a famous peak. Crowds. The Owen-Spalding route is one of the most popular routes up a popular mountain. A climb so early in the season would of course make it better, but we are not expecting an isolated trip.

This was when I stumbled across the Wind River Range.

A mere 3 hours from Jackson, WY, the Winds have a reputation of world class mountaineering in an isolated area that sees far fewer people than the Tetons. I was shocked that I had never heard of these mountains before as I read about the unspoiled beauty. Within this mighty range is Gannet Peak, the highest point in Wyoming at 13,804 ft. This 40+ mile trek would include glacier crossings and true expeditionary travel and it quickly made it's way onto my list.

The best part about our style of travel is that all of these plans are tentative. If we find something we want to do more, plans can change. The beauty of being flexible means we always have a good time, not matter how plans change. Generally, I fill my head with as many possibilities as I can, so we always have a plan b.

All this gear is another matter. I'm sure glad we are driving and I don't have to haul this around an airport.