Tetons- Disappointment Peak - East Ridge 8/6/2008
Trip: Tetons- Disappointment Peak - East Ridge
Date: 8/6/2008
Trip Report:After two years of non-stop work in attaining her degree, it was decided that Megan and I would take a trip together to celebrate- it was no easy task deciding where to go.
“Somewhere I haven’t been before” was her main criteria, and I’d had the Tetons in mind for quite some time. After many suggestions to do the East Ridge of Disappointment (II, 5.6), we decided on that- and what a fun climb it was! I’m very proud of her- she worked pretty hard getting up there, even though the altitude was bothering her a bit, and she hadn’t had a pack on her back for quite some time.
We warmed up the legs on a day hike to Garnet Canyon, with views of the south side of Disappointment Peak, Nez Perce (pronounced “Nay-Parsay” per the Jackson Guidbook) and Middle Teton. There was still a bit too much snow to hike up to the Lower Saddle (~10,000) with hiking shoes, so we stopped in the Meadows (~9000 feet) and drank in the views:
The next day, after fueling up at the Bunnery (awesome breakfast-very recommended) and buying a new tent at Teton Mountaineering (failed zipper on our old Sierra Designs), we hiked the standard Lupine Meadows trail to the junction that leads to Surprise Lake, our camp spot.
After a quick walk past Ampitheater Lake in the flip-flops to the base of the route, we cooked dinner and hit the sack. The next morning, we hit the trail and were at the base of the route by 7:30. Then the fun began- great handholds and slabs galore; really fun climbing. Lots of ascent options. The climb basically consists of two short pitches of 5.easy, or one long pitch, then 150 feet or so of horizontal walking, then ~3 pitches of climbing to the summit plateau (5.6 at hardest).
The weather was forecasted to be changing, with thunderstorms coming in- so we bypassed the true summit and took in the views from the top of the climb, and then headed over to the “Lake Ledges” for the descent back down to Ampitheater Lake.
We spent another night up at Surprise Lake, then left the third morning. We hung out at the Gros Ventre campground for another night, and watched the thunderstorms roll in. We bailed for home Friday morning, taking the long way past Jackson Lake and through Yellowstone on the way home. It was lots of fun taking Megan up a Teton climb and watching the looks on her face as the area unfolded in front of her eyes- and I can’t wait to go back (Irene’s Arete looks awesome!)
More pics for viewing pleasure:
Gear Notes:Small set of stoppers, Metolius Cams 0-5, BD 1-3, one large hex. Used it all.
Bug repellant mandatory- check Jenny Lake ranger station for need for ice ax; may be useful for descent.
Approach Notes:Lupine Meadows trail to Surprise Lake bivy. Ampitheater Lake to base of route. Standard approach shoes appropriate.
