
The first few photos leading into Garnet Canyon were taken a few years prior since today we started before sunrise. This is shortly after starting from the Lupine Meadows Trailhead.

Ascending along the long switchbacks along the Garnet Canyon Trail.

Entering Garnet Canyon.

View back down as the trail enters Garnet Canyon.

Ascending through Garnet Canyon.

Entering a rocky Class 2 section of boulder-hopping before reaching "The Meadows" ahead.

Alright, onto photos from the day-of, since the sun rose around now. Ahead you can see Middle Teton. The route to Grand Teton heads up toward the saddle to its right.

View back down Garnet Canyon. Somehow we escaped the smoke lower down.

Skirting the eastern side of The Meadows, now on a lesser trail, the standard route for Grand Teton. Right of center you can see a waterfall that we would wrap to the right of and then above.

Steeper hiking up the slope, still a nice trail.

Middle Teton seen center as we ascend the trail.

South Teton seen center.

View back down into Garnet Canyon.

Continuing above the waterfall on a nice trail.


Another shot back into Garnet Canyon, now well above The Meadows.

After ascending, a boulder field blocks easy access to the lower saddle, seen center.

View back as we head through the boulder field on a pretty good trail.

Approaching the base of the first scramble of the route.

Gorgeous glacier at the base of Middle Teton.

Jon on the Class 3/4 bit to get up to the lower saddle. A fixed line was in place. There's a nice wide crack to his right (reddish-colored rock in this photo) that makes for easier scrambling.

View back down the Class 3/4 scramble and the boulder field below. Garnet Canyon sort of seen top right.

At the lower saddle, view toward Grand Teton. Upper saddle seen center.

Ascending on a trail along the ridge crest. The weakness we'd use to ascend is left of center in this photo.

View back toward the lower saddle and the gorgeous glacier at the base of Middle Teton.

Wide-shot back toward Middle Teton and the lower saddle.

The Class 2 ridge continues to the darker-colored wide gully left of center.

Ascending the weakness.

View back toward the saddle, the western Grand Tetons peaks seen above.

Class 2/3.

Another shot back down at our progress.

More Class 2/3. The route curves up to the climbers seen up top.

Class 2/3 to get to where the climbers were seen in the previous photo.

A short ledge, which wraps around the larger boulder ahead.

Rabbit hole around the large boulder.

Another ledge. You can see the climbers we passed on the left. They chose to do a climb rather than the ledge + rabbit hole combo we did.

Class 3 move along the ledge.

Past the ledge, we continued ascending ahead.

Class 2/3, all lots of fun and quite solid.

View back down.

More progress. It's pretty clear where to go, and too difficult to describe every detail. It's just lots of Class 2/3.

Close-up back down at our progress. You can see the lower saddle almost poking out top center.


Class 3 section.

Almost at the upper saddle, view back.

Close-up back as we near the upper saddle.

Upper saddle just ahead.

Grand Teton above, though the summit is certainly out of view.

View back, Middle Teton seen on the top left.

Striped headwall ahead is where we'd be rappelling later. The route leads to the left at the base of the wall.

Class 3 move to reach the headwall base.

View down the Class 3 move.

View of the rappel later.

Headed left, we reached the start of the technical portion of the Owen-Spalding route.

Start of the "belly roll", climbers waiting ahead of us.

Matt on the "belly roll".

"Belly roll".

View back from the top of the boulder of the "belly roll". Upper saddle seen center.

The start of the "crawl". This is the first portion of the "crawl", wider and can be straddled.

The "crawl".

View back along the "crawl".

Second portion of the "crawl". It's more slabby.

Back along the second portion of the "crawl".

Jon on the second portion of the "crawl". Much exposure, clearly.

Just past the crawl, headed into the "double chimney". Chris opted to take the more difficult option, the ropeline ahead. Jon chose to top rope just to the left, and claimed it was likely easier.

Above the double chimney, view down at Jon nearing the top.

At a nice ledge, a view of the start of the "Catwalk". No thanks.

Instead, we headed up "Owen Chimney".

View down at the ledge and the starting few moves of "Owen Chimney".

More fun climbing up "Owen Chimney".

View back down.

At the top of "Owen Chimney", a wide ledge. Climbers seen center at the base of "Sargent's Chimney". Climbers on the right are near the top of the main rap station.

Starting up "Sargent's Chimney".

View down.

Crux of "Sargent's Chimney". Nice to be roped up, but certainly not difficult movement, despite the appearance of the large boulders.

At the top of "Sargent's Chimney", view back down.

Nice ledge to the left of the chimney. From here it's Class 2/3 to the summit.

Along the ledge, the top of Sargent's Chimney on the left.

Class 2/3. A feature known as the "three stooges" is visible on the right. Keep to the left of these.

View back down as we ascend the Class 2/3 to the summit.

Getting higher. Try to keep track of the route up since finding the top of Sargent's Chimney later could be tricky.

Final Class 3 bit to the summit of Grand Teton.

Grand Teton summit, view west into Cascade Canyon.

Grand Teton summit, view northeast. Teewinot Mountain seen left.

Close-up toward the lakes below.

View north.

View south.


On the way back, at the top of the main rappel station.
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