The Middle Teton

The Middle Teton
(Via the Middle Teton Glacier and Dike Couloir)
Grand Teton National Park
April 14th, 2007

The Middle Teton

From a distance.

The approximate route I took from the Bradley/ Taggart Lake TH. The dashed portion of the route is actually the Middle Teton Glacier, hidden behind the ridge.

I left Jackson around 5:00am. Started hiking about 5:45am. After a slight detour to Taggart Lake I made it over to Bradley Lake about sunrise. After climbing up out of Bradley Lake I was able to start skinning.

Going up through Garnet Canyon.

My first look at the Middle Teton through Garnet Canyon.

A view of The Middle from just before the Meadows.

A look up my first coulior for the day, the North Fork of Garnet Canyon.

A look down Garnet canyon from about half way up the North Fork of Garnet Canyon.

Time to boot again...

and again.

Finally, a look at the lower saddle.

Further up the saddle I gaze up the Middle Teton Glacier and Dike couloir.

It started to get a little steeper going up the glacier, but the snow was pretty soft- good powder actually. As I approached the Dike Couloir wet slides from south facing slopes above it (looker's right) began to poor into it. At one point I had to scramble like hell to get out of the path of some nifty wet slides that had some pretty good momentum by the time they reached the glacier. Two guys ahead of me, already in the Dike Couloir, hugged the shaded (looker's left) side of the coulior and climbed up it. By the time I reached to shaded entrance into the couloir wet slides were ripping into it pretty regular like. Since I was by myself, I decided I'd better scratch the Dike Couloir. Guess I should have gotten up earlier. Bummer. Oh well.

A look up the Dike Couloir and the wet slide paths that were pooring off the slopes above it.

A look across the saddle at the Grand.

A look at Teewinot.

Perched to ride the Middle Teton Glacier.

Looking down the glacier, at almost a thousand feet of April powder.

My line down the glacier. The blue arrow is where I dropped from. The red is where the Dike Couloir starts.

I enjoyed great turns and huge lines that went from powder to corn all the way down Garnet Canyon.

A look down Garnett Canyon, before dropping into another couloir.

A look back on my line coming out of the North Fork of Garnet Canyon.

Another look from a little further away.

Lots more turns were had on the way out of the Canyon.

A look back at the Grand over a frozen Bradley Lake.

What a day!! My first solo venture into the Tetons and Garnet Canyon. Though I didn't summit, I learned alot. Can't wait to get up there again!

Another look back at the Tetons as I get a little closer to the trailhead.

The Middle Teton

The South, The Middle and The Grand

The Tetons.