The Tetons! Quite simply they are some of the most beautiful mountains on the planet! The highest mountains in the range are the famous Cathedral Group with the Grand Teton as the center piece. The Middle Teton is the mountain just South of the Grand... or, in most photos, which are taken from the East, is the Mountain to the left of the Grand. It is the 3rd highest peak in the Tetons at 12808 feet.

Being new to the sport of mountaineering, attempting the Grand was beyond the scope of my ability. On the Grand, most people use ropes and there is serious climbing involved. However, the Middle Teton can, well, to a degree, be hiked. I say this as making it to the top of the Middle Teton is no walk in the park. In fact it can be quite dangerous. But after reading about folks who had made it to the summit, I targeted the hike (or climb) as my goal for my trip to GTNP.

I ended up making two attempts at the Middle Teton. I learned a lot from my first failed attempt. For one, I had underestimated the power of the sun at such high elevations. Well into the 1st attempt, I was bordering on sun stroke. Secondly, being from the East Coast, and not understanding what hiking up long, steep, glacial boulder fields was like, the first time going into that terrain is intimidating. Thirdly, being by myself the first time was a disadvantage. Not only from the standpoint of having someone to bounce ideas off of and to get feedback from, but also from the pure psychological standpoint of being safe.... what would happen if I suffered an injury? The day I went for the first attempt was a Tuesday, and it wasn't very crowded. So, I was up in this crazy place all alone, burning from the sun, and unfamiliar with the terrain. When a cloud popped over the horizon, turning around was the right choice for me.

Having learned these lessons from my first attempt, and having a sweet girlfriend who allowed us to stay one extra day so I could try again. I had stopped by the American Alpine Climbers Ranch and happened to find a sign of someone looking for a climbing partner for the Friday I was going. We connected by phone and I had a partner, Garrett, a young guy from Oregon.

A trip to KMart to pick up a brimmed hat and some better sunscreen, and the knowledge and comfort of the terrain having gone up and down once all played in together. And the second attempt was much better. I didn't quite make the summit, but Garrett did.... and the report will give you the details. Thanks for reading!! The trip I will describe will be the second attempt.

I met Garrett at the Trailhead at 5:45AM and we were off by 6AM.

The trail leading to the Middle Teton (and the South Teton, Grand Teton, and others) starts at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead, just off the main GTNP road. For the 1st 3 miles, you go through Alpine forests...first somewhat flat, and then beginning up several switchbacks to the entrance to Garnet Canyon. On the way up, you are treated to nice views of Bradley and Taggart Lakes.

Once you enter the trail into Garnet Canyon, suddenly you see amazing views of Nez Perce and then the Middle Teton. All the way up the canyon, the Middle Teton looms above... and you tell yourself "I got this". Not so quick there whippersnapper.

Walking Into Garnet Canyon - Grand Teton National Park

The trail into Garnet Canyon is not bad... that is.... at first. The trail is easy to follow but make sure to follow the sign to Garnet Canyon. But before you arrive at the top of the canyon, you run into a field of giant boulders....many the size of your average Volkswagen! Scrambling through these boulders was actually lots of fun as they are very stable and it is not steep. It is not dangerous if you take your time.

Boulder Field In Garnet Canyon - Grand Teton National Park

View Of Middle Teton Before Meadows - Grand Teton National Park

Once you pass the boulder field, you arrive at one of prettiest places I think I have ever seen... the Meadows. If you can imagine a gorgeous meadow with a beautiful waterfall above it, a nice creek flowing through it, with the most beautiful canyon walls completely surrounding you, it would be this. If I had to pick a spot on earth that I really think is closest to heaven, it would likely be the Meadows in Garnet Canyon. But this was the beauty before the beast!!

Arriving At The Meadows - Grand Teton National Park

Hanging Out At The Meadows - Grand Teton National Park

I would imaging most people stop at the Meadows to take a refresher break as we did. It was around 9AM then, and we basically had a mini-lunch break and relaxed for 15 or 20 minutes.

The canyon splits into two forks. The North Fork is where folks go when heading towards the Grand Teton. And to go to the Middle or South Teton, you use the South Fork, which is to the left. It was time to start heading up the South Fork.

If you attempt this hike, do not underestimate the length of this fork. In sections it is very steep, and overall it is probably a mile or more... all walking uphill over rocks of all shapes and sizes. I guess you might call it talus, but the rocks were so mixed I call it more 'variety rock!'.

The Middle Teton can be climbed a number of different ways with varying degrees of difficulty. But the standard route is via the Southwest Couloir. To reach the Southwest Couloir, follow the South Fork until it ends at the saddle between the Middle Teton and the South Teton.

When you begin the trek up the South Fork, note (and this was late August) there is a snow covered area in the gully closest to the Meadows. While there are many different routes, sticking close to the snow area on the left side is probably the easiest way to get past this first section. You could go up the steep wall to the left and then traverse across (which was the way I went the first time) but it is a lot longer that way.

Heading Into The South Fork - Grand Teton National Park

Steepness Of The South Fork Trail - Grand Teton National Park

The whole way up the South Fork, the best way is probably the path of least resistance. But avoiding any late summer snow is a good idea (in my opinion).

The documentation all says to not be fooled by any of the several false saddles and to continue until you see Ice Flow Lake past the saddle (and over the cliff) before beginning to go up the final portion of the Middle Teton. Personally none of the false saddles had me fooled that they were the real saddle.... but then again, I knew I had to see Ice Flow Lake!

Upper Part Of The South Fork - Grand Teton National Park

Reaching the saddle between the Middle Teton and South Teton, which is at the top of the South Fork, is breathtaking. Suddenly you see the beautiful blue Ice Flow Lake a thousand feet below you with gorgeous views out into Idaho. The scenery is so stunning I'm sure everybody who does this hike stops at the saddle for a break to take in the view and snap some photos.

Arriving At The Saddle - South Fork - Grand Teton National Park

From the saddle, take a right to head up the Middle Teton. You would go left to go up South Teton. Once on the way, there is another snow field and a steep section before reaching the base of the final mountain block and the Southwest Couloir. Be careful to avoid the snow and the steep section has some nice ledgy switchbacks but still requires caution.

Views Out From Southwest Couloir - Middle Teton - Grand Teton National Park

Once reaching the Southwest Couloir, the terrain becomes very steep. And in the Couloir itself there is loose rock and dirt for many parts. There is nice solid rock along the sides of the couloir you can grab to steady yourself. And I have read some reports about people just climbing the rock instead of staying in the couloir proper. But BE VERY CAREFUL up on these mountains! I have read that going off route on the Middle Teton can get you into some very dangerous spots. And two girls died the day before my trip on Teewinot Mountain in GTNP because they went off route and got stuck in a cliff area (and then fell).

About half-way up the couloir, you run into a small Class 4 area. It is probably no big deal for most experienced climbers. But with the exhaustion of having already hiked 7 hours and 6000 feet up, and given the fact that the steepness of the couloir was so new to me, I just did not feel comfortable attempting the Class 4 pitch, and had no other way to continue up. In retrospect, I probably should have asked my partner or one of the other hikers nearby for a spot, but I didn't. In the end though, it is always better to turn around and try another day than to attempt something outside of your comfort zone. If the Class 4 pitch would have been on flat ground, it was no problem as it is only about 8 feet tall. But the fact that it is right in the middle of this steep couloir is what gave me pause.

Class 4 Pitch In Southwest Couloir - Grand Teton National Park

My partner Garrett made is past the Class 4 pitch and to the summit. He notes, as other hikers did, that when you get near the top, stay to the left. If you go right you will be looking over a gnarly 1000 foot drop. There is also exposure beyond the summit on the northern side (towards the Grand), but this is to be expected on any summit in the Tetons. Garrett had never been to a summit in the Tetons and he did say it was frightening for him. So, he tagged the survey marker, took a quick picture and headed back down. A lot of the comfort level for something like this most likely comes from experience. So, if you are comfortable with exposure, it is probably no problem. For those of us just learning... well, just take your time and be careful!!

The way down the couloir and the South Fork is not as bad as I thought it would be. The sit-down-butt-maneuver seems to come in handy in many spots where it gets a little steeper. It is definitely quicker than the long trek up.

Some Wildlife On The Way Down - Garnet Canyon - Grand Teton National Park

We finally made it back to the Trailhead at about 7PM but we had taken some time to chat with folks on the way down. So, it could have been somewhat shorter if necessary.

In an overall sense, doing this hike is unbelievable. It puts you into an entirely different state of consciousness. Almost as if you have gone to another planet and back. It is long. And if you don't like rocks, you won't like it. And if you plan to try it, do your best to get in really good shape and try some other steep stuff and get used to some exposure if you can. A little climbing training / experience would be helpful as well. You don't need ropes to do this climb, but they might come in handy for the baby Class 4 pitch .... but experienced folks will breeze right through this section. Even if you just make it to the Meadows or even to the saddle, it is just unbelievable gorgeous up there....no pictures tell the real story. Oh!! And we were lucky to be in a stable weather pattern, but be very careful about afternoon T-Storms.

Hope this has been enjoyable and / or helpful to anyone reading it!!