The Best of the Best Triathlon

The Best of the Best Triathlon was an invite only event in which you must have finished in the Top 10 at a Dallas Athletes Racing event during the 2011 or 2012 season to qualify.  There were a total of 196 competitors (69 female/127 male) and the competition was rather stiff.  With the forecasted high exceeding 100 degrees, the start of the race was moved up to 6:45 AM.


This was a 250 meter pool swim at the Denton Aquatic Center (indoor 25m pool).  I estimated my swim time to be 3:30 so I was a little nervous when I saw my bib number was 22.  The swim was rather uneventful as I did not pass anyone and only one person passed me (who happened to have the fastest swim of the day 3:17).  I came out of the water in 4:00 flat (1:36/100m), my estimated time was assuming this to be a 50m pool in which you can take advantage of the draft.  I had the 3rd fastest swim in my AG and 23rd Overall.  I could have pushed it harder on the swim and flip-turns would have shaved a few more seconds as well.


Running out of the natatorium toward T1, I was pleasantly surprised to see/hear Kylie, Avery & Kirby cheering me on.  I always manage to push myself harder when my family attends...something about accountability and the fear of letting them down.


That said, I was in and out of T1 in :56, much of this was attributable to the location of my bike rack being within 10 feet of the 'Bike Out' (benefit of low bib number).  I did the flying mount again, but struggled to get my shoes on.  I completely forgot to grab the heel tab and was trying to do it by only using my foot.  This cost me some precious seconds as the folks I passed in T1 flew by me as I had to slow down to slide my feet in my shoes.


Once strapped in, I started hammering to make up for lost time.  The bike course was one of the best I've ridden yet as it was a simple out and back on FM428 with some rolling hills and no turns other than the turnaround at Aubrey Middle School.  The highway itself was rough (chip-seal), but the shoulder was butter smooth (asphalt) and one lane wide which gave plenty of room for racing.  I was soon passed by the eventual Overall winner, Benjamin Drezek, who happened to be the 2010 NCAA National Sprint Triathlon Champion! 


I wound up riding the majority of the bike leg with a group of five (5) other guys.  It was rather nerve wracking and difficult to get in a rhythm as there was a ton of passing and jockeying for position.  I knew we were walking the line with regard to "drafting" so I was not too shocked or disappointed when I saw I was assessed with a 2:00 penalty.  What did surprise me was that only myself and one other guy in the group was penalized when all six (6) were guilty at one point or another.


DRAFTING
Drafting - Keep at least three (3) bike lengths of clear space between you and the cyclist in front.  If you move into the zone, you must pass within 15 seconds.


Position - Keep to the right hand side of the lane of travel unless passing.


Blocking - Riding on the left side of the lane without passing anyone and interfering with other cyclists attempting to pass.


Overtaken - Once passed, you must immediately exit the draft zone from the rear, before attempting to pass again.


Based on the timing of when the referee pulled up next to us on the motorcycle, I assume he nailed me for either Blocking or not completing a pass within 15 seconds.  Oh well, I'll chalk this up to experience.

Once the Aquatic Center was insight, I backed off a touch to take in some fluids, catch my breath and let my heartrate recover before the run.  I still do not have a computer on my tri-bike so I was unaware of our speed out on the course.  My goal time for the bike was 45:00 (21.5 MPH) so I knew we were flying as I hit my lap timer crossing into T2 at 41:56 which was right at 23 MPH...like I said, we were FLYING!!!  I had the fastest bike split in my AG and 5th Overall.  The only thing that kept me from having the fastest Overall bike split is about $4,000!!!

I benefited again from the bike rack location and was out of T2 in :41.  My legs felt squeamish and I gave Kylie a "I'm not sure about this" look as I ran by them exiting T2.  The run was a flat and fast 2-loop course which circled the Denton ISD football stadium and then finished in the stadium with the final sprint down the middle of the football field.  I kept the lead pack in sight and managed to overcome one of them and did not get passed on the run which is a first!  I had a good rhythm going and felt strong but had no clue what pace I was clipping along at hoping for low 7:00's.  Nearing the end of the second lap, I glanced at my watch and noticed I had a chance to finish in less than 21:00 so I picked up the pace and then sprinted the length of the football field across the finish line (oh the glory days!) finishing the run in 20:25 (6:48 min/mile) which was only good enough for 7th in my AG and 34th Overall.

My goal time was 01:12:35 and I crushed it by over 4:00 finishing in 01:08:00 and I was only :25 seconds behind the winner of my AG and 5:10 behind the Overall winner.  Even with the 2:00 penalty I still managed to come in 2nd in my AG, but it dropped me from 7th to 16th Overall.  I'll take these results any day of the week!

Considering my first sprint triathlon was a little over two (2) years ago, Gatorbait Memorial Triathlon August 2010, where my splits were 1:44/100m swim; 17MPH bike; 10:07 min/mile run, I'd say I've come a long way.....and to think, I thought I was in shape back then!

Going forward, I have officially registered for my first half IRONMAN 70.3 in Austin on October 28th.  My parents have already booked their tickets and we have reserved a condo downtown on 6th street for the weekend.

Kylie also registered US for the Dallas Marathon...yes, the full 26.2 miles....on December 9th.  This is a goal of her's and I want to help her achieve it (I'm second guessing this decision)!

Up next is the Disco Triathlon X-50 (1-mile swim; 40-mile bike; 9-mile run) which will be my first true endurance test and my longest race to date.  I only have three (3) weeks to train, one of which we are on vacation at the lake, so I will need to remain true to course and take advantage of the challenging terrain in Southwest Missouri.

Wish me luck!

TexasMan Triathlon

The weather finally cooperated for my first Olympic distance triathlon of the season.  Conditions were low 70's and partly cloudy with a 10 MPH wind at race time.  This was a 1-mile (1,609 meters) open water swim in Lake Ray Roberts.  This was a beach start which was a first and there were two (2) waves (39 and under; 40 and over).  The wind played a factor on the swim out as it create 1-foot rollers which made it difficult to find your stroke rhythm.  About half way out I popped my head up to take a breather and felt a panic attack coming on so I immediately rolled over to my back until my heart rate came back down.  I met a guy after the race who actually stripped his wetsuit on the way out and handed it to one of the kayakers!  Once you made the final turn and headed to shore, you could almost body surf on the rollers which helped make up a lot of time.

I finished the swim in 24 minutes even (1:36/100 meters) which was 4th in my AG and 44th overall (192 men).  I felt good coming out of the water and took advantage of the wetsuit strippers.  I then ran to T1, grabbed my bike and took off.  This was the first time I preclipped my shoes and did a semi-flying mount which saved a ton of time.  My time for T1 was 2:10 which was above average, the overall winner's T1 time was 2:08.

The bike leg was on chip-seal roads with some Texas hills.  About the 6 mile mark, the Olympic distance separated from the Sprint and X-50 and turned right for a four (4) mile out and back.  After I made the turn, I fully expected to see the leaders on the way back but no one was in sight.  I finally came across the leader about a 1/2 mile from the turnaround.  I couldn't help but count the number of riders in front of me and I was riding in 19th place at the time (39 and under).  That was enough to fuel the fire as I began picking them off one at a time.  I eventually climbed up to 15th until I was passed by the guys who finished 1st and 2nd overall.

I had the fastest bike split in my AG at 1:06:30 (21.7 MPG) and 18th overall.  Unfortunately, that performance may have done me in on the run!

It got a little squirrelly at the dismount as I had slipped my feet out of my shoes and attempted a flying dismount which I bailed out on before it turned ugly!  Kylie was quick to point this out afterwards.  I was in and out of T2 in :54 and could have been a little quicker as I took the time to stuff some GU Chomps in my top and take a Saltstick cap.  I also chose to run sockless, which also hindered my run.

My legs felt good coming out of T2, but I knew it was going to be a long 6.2 miles.  This was a two (2) loop run on concrete sidewalks throughout the parks and was mostly shaded which was appreciated.

I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to my splits or time elapsed until I hit the halfway point of the run when I realized that I had just eclipsed the 2:00 mark and could shatter my goal of 2:45.  I tried to pick up the pace on the second loop, but my tank was running on empty and I had to stop and walk several times to let my heart rate recover.  Once I knew I had achieved my goal, I then got more aggressive and wanted to finish in under 2:30.  Once I heard the announcer, I dropped the hammer and flew across the line finishing in 2:26:54.  This was a :28 minute improvement from last year!  

The run continues to be my achilles heel as I finished it in 53:18 (8:36 min/mile).  I somehow need to find a way to shave a minute off my pace to be more competitive.

I checked the unofficial results and to my surprise, I was 3rd in my AG!  I was a little skeptical as I always seem to drop a few places once the official results are posted.  The official results were posted to nolimitstiming.com (https://www.nolimitstiming.com/results/default.aspx?event=12423) and I did indeed finish 3rd in my AG, however, there were only 17 competitors in my AG.  I also finished 36th overall out of 192 men.

All in all, I am totally pumped about my performance today, especially knowing I have plenty of room for improvement on the run.  Kylie, Avery and Kirby were there to cheer me on as I came out of the water, dismounted the bike and as I crossed the finish line.  Trying to contain Avery and Kirby is a chore in itself and I think Kylie may be more worn out than I am!

My next race is The Best of the Best sprint triathlon in Denton.  This is an invite only event from Dallas Athletes Racing and competitors must have one (1) top 10 finish in a Dallas Athletes event within the last year.  Needless to say, the competition will be stiff and I'll need to PR on the run to even compete.

I have a reminder on my calendar this Tuesday to register for the IRONMAN Austin 70.3 in October. I was a little skeptical during the run today as I couldn't fathom running another 7-miles.  Now that things have sunk in, I guess I'll roll the dice and see what I'm worth!

Dallas Athletes Racing has an X-50 distance (1-mile swim; 40-mile bike; 9-mile run) on July 15th I may do to help me prepare.

Until next time.......

King Tut Triathlon

Once again, inclement weather reared it's head so the sprint distance triathlon was shortend to the 'My First Tri' distance of a 300 meter swim, 6 mile bike and 2 mile run.

This was my first OWS in my new Aquaman Racer wetsuit so I was a little concerned about my history of panic attacks.  To make matters worse, it was an in water start and all men ages 20 - 39 started at once.  I started on the inside about three (3) rows deep which gave me plenty of room to flip over and backstroke if a panic attack set in.  I started off extremely slow breathing every stroke, and much to my surprise....no panic attack!  I think some of this can be attributed to how differently this wetsuit fits compared to the Orca Sonar worn last year (high and tight around the neck).  My left goggle took in water the entire swim which was frustrating, but I continued to "take it easy" on the swim and came out of the water in 3:35 (first third).

There was a long uphill run to T1 and I was rather slow removing the wetsuit.

The bike course was rectangular with only a few Texas hills mixed in.  The course was wet so only having to navigate a handful of turns was good.  I was only passed by one (1) rider on the bike who just happened to be in my AG, although I kept him in range.  I averaged 21.5 MPH on the bike which is a new PR and had the 18th fastest split out of 165 total men.

I managed to make it in and out of T2 in only :26 seconds which was an improvement.  I lost my water bottle on the bike so I took a second to hydrate before heading out on the run.

The run course was an out-and-back on residential sidewalks.  I new I was a little slow on the way out and hit the turn around at an 8:00 pace so I picked up the pace on the way back.  I finished the run in 15:41 (7:50 pace) which was way slower than the 7:14 pace I ran the race prior.

In the end, I finished 5th out of 17 in my AG and 33rd out of 165 men overall (20%) so another good outing. 

My next race will be the TexasMan Olympic Triathlon on May 20th so I need to start focusing a little more on my training, especially the 10k run.

St. Patrick's Day Sprint Triathlon

My first triathlon of the year was this past Sunday in rainy/wet 45 degree weather!  The swim was indoors with an 82 degree water temp, I was conservative on the swim as I did not want to overly tax myself for the remainder of the race.  I’m obviously leaner than I was a year ago because my tri top fit loose around the torso and acted as a parachute through the water.  I managed to pass a couple people and only got passed by one (1) person who happened to be a female.  At the end of last season I was swimming 300 meters in under 5:00 minutes so I could easily shave a minute off my time from yesterday. 

My body nearly went into shock running out the door to T1!  I had a thermal long sleeve jersey and wind vest with me to put on for the bike, but no one else was taking the time to do so, so I jumped on and froze for the first mile or so.  The bike leg was cut short to one (1) loop (6.4 miles) due to the rainy conditions.  I had the 20^th fastest bike split overall at 20.3 MPH which was only 1 MPH slower than the guys that won the overall, not bad considering I’m still rolling the stock Shimano R-501’s while their wheelsets cost more than my entire bike!  I probably could have averaged around 22 MPH in dry conditions, but I did not get passed on the bike so I knew I must have pushed it pretty hard.  That was my first time riding in the rain which is quite nerve racking…I took some chances on a few corners!

I then managed to set a new PR on the 5k run finishing in 22:26 (7:14 min/mile) and feel as though I left something on the course.

To my surprise, I finished in 4^th place in my Age Group (out of 38) and 39^th overall out of 381 men.  I was only 11 seconds behind 3^rd place who happened to beat me by :42 seconds in transition alone.  If only I'd have known I was that competitive, I may have hurried along a little quicker through transition.

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with my results for the inaugural race of the season and have identified several opportunities for improvement (ie. transitions).

My next race is in a month and is an open water swim requiring wetsuits….let the panic attacks begin!

Mount Rainier Summit

Mount Rainier Summit 2010

If you read my previous blog post about the Grand Teton, you read that my Dad and I swore to never to anything that crazy/stupid again....famous last words! Well, the fear and soreness of the Grand Teton eventually wore off and we decided to take on Washington State's Mount Rainier at 14,411'.

The first time I saw Mount Rainier in person was on a business trip  to Seattle back in the 2006ish time frame.  I remember flying over "the Mountain" and then enjoying its view from downtown Seattle.  Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanos in the World and is the third most prominent peak in the US.

This go-round, my Dad and I didn't go it alone...I recruited two (2) coworkers in Ryan Aalsma and Stephen Voight to join in on the fun!  We began discussing the trip around Christmas 2009 and finalized our plans in January 2010 for a summit attempt in June 2010 giving us six (6) months to prepare.

After plenty of research, we booked our trip with Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI) which was founded by mountaineering legend Lou Whittaker.  RMI also has several other mountaineering legends including Lou's son Peter Whittaker, Ed Viesturs, Dave Hahn, etc...RMI is headquartered in Ashford, WA six (6) miles from the Nisqually Entrance to Mount Rainier National Park.

The plot thickens...less than two (2) weeks prior to our departure date there was a massive avalanche on the Mountain which resulted in one casualty (never found).  That added a tremendous amount of anxiety as I thought to myself "shit just got real!"

Ryan, Stephen and I flew into Seattle on Wednesday where we met up with my Dad at SEA-TAC, loaded our gear in the rental car and made the drive out to Ashford.

Day 1 Pre-Trip Orientation

Thursday morning, we drove into GTNP and parked at Paradise and went for a brief hike to help get ourselves acclimatized.  We returned to RMI that afternoon to officially kick-off our trip with the Pre-Trip Orientation.  It was at this time that we were introduced to our guides, given an overview of what to expect, meet the other climbers and run through gear check.  RMI has a plethora of rental equipment available onsite so that made things extremely easy and helped keep the overall cost of the trip down so we didn't have to purchase items we were only going to use once.

Day 2 Mountaineering Day School
The Mountaineering Day School is spent training on the lower slopes of Mount Rainier where we are introduced to a number of skills, from the foundational techniques of efficient mountain travel (rest-stepping and pressure breathing), through cramponing, roped travel, and ice axe arrest practices.  We spent nearly eight (8) hours on the Mountain that day.

Day 3 Climb to Camp Muir

On Friday, we hiked 4.5 miles from Paradise (5,400’) up to Camp Muir (10,080’) gaining 4,500' in elevation.  We had partly sunny skies and were able to see Mount Adams and Mount St. Helen’s to the South. 

 

We took several breaks on our way up the Mountain and enjoyed the panoramic views.  We went to bed at 6:00 PM to get some rest before our 2:00 AM alpine start. 

 

Day 4 Summit Day

We awoke to 4”– 6” of new snow and 10-15 MPH winds.  We put on our crampons and assembled into our rope teams and began traversing the Cowlitz Glacier in nearly white-out conditions.  It was snowing/blowing so bad that you could barely see the headlamp of the person on your rope 30' in front of you.  At times it felt as though we were walking into an abyss!  It took about an hour to traverse the Cowlitz Glacier at which point we stopped for our first break.  Surprisingly, there were all ready a couple climbers who struggled mightly and chose to return to Camp Muir.

 

They have had an unseasonably cold/snowy spring so the mountain is still in full winter conditions which allowed us to follow the Ingraham Direct (Headwall) route in lieu of the Disappointment Cleaver which is the typical summer route.  With the recent avalanche, our guides were continually checking the snow conditions to confirm we were good to continue our climb.

 

This climb was extremely strenuous and I'm not exactly sure how to express it in words.  My fingers were numb, my toes were numb, the zipper on my down parka was frozen so I couldn't zip it up, we were hiking adjacent to 400' deep crevasses, etc...it was a total test of body and mind.

 

When we reached High Break at 13,800', Stephen was ready to throw in the towel and I wasn't too far behind him.  Our guides were offering words of encouragement and forced a couple gels in him to give him the fuel needed for the final push to the summit.  It was at this point, when out of nowhere my Dad jumps in front of the group and emphatically yells "LET'S CLIMB THIS $?/{ #^@%*&!!!!!"  That gesture provided the oomph we all needed to get back on our feet determined to make the summit.

 

As if someone was watching, we finally climbed above the clouds at the crater rim and were able to enjoy the summit in the sunshine at 8:00 AM.  As we removed our backpacks and pulled out the cameras, Aalsma walked over to me and said "Was that hard for you?"...I could have thrown him off the Mountain if I had the energy!  That statement suckered me into joining a few others to hike across the crater to the highest point so we could sign the Summit Log.  In hindsight, this was a bad mistake on my part as the hike across the crater and back at 14,000' took every last bit of energy I had and we still had a long day ahead of to make it all the way back down to Paradise.

 

 

The clouds rolled back in and made the visibility even worse for our descent.  It did clear up around The Flats at 11,200' which was a little eery as it exposed all of the hazards (crevasses and ceracs) that we unknowingly walked past in the dark. 

 

Back at Camp Muir, we gathered the remainder of our things and prepared for the hike down to Paradise.  We encountered some rain on the way down which made for some slick spots but not overly dangerous.  We also go to go glacading one at a time down one of the steeper passages which was a lot of fun and brought smiles to some tired faces.

 

All said, summit day was 12.5 miles round-trip gaining another 4,500' on the way to the summit (Columbia Crest 14,411’) followed by the descent back down to Paradise at 3:00 PM making for a 13 hour day.

 

We jumped back on the bus to head back to RMI where we returned our rental equipment, received our certificate and drank some celebratory beers.  We then packed up and drove to Seattle for a final night in a hotel and a much needed shower.

 

Ironically, we were there for over five (5) days and never able to see the Mountain as it was continuously engulfed by clouds and snow.

 

This was yet another unbelievable trip in which words and pictures do not do it justice.  I highly recommend RMI for any expedition and our lead guide Mike Haugen is one of the best!

 

I'm not quite sure what my next expedition or tangent may be, but we're expecting our second child in January so whatever I do will need to take place a little closer to home!

 

Grand Teton Summit

Grand Teton Summit 2008

Jackson Hole, WY is probably my most favorite destination I have ever been to.  My Dad and I have been on several snowmobile trips to northwestern Wyoming over the years including multiple trips to the Wind River Range outside of Duboise, WY as well as one trip in which we rode through Yellowstone National Park to Yellowstone, ID.  I recall one trip in the Wind Rivers where we came upon a scenic outlook in which you could see the Teton Range some 70 miles off in the distance forming the horizon.  My dad looked at me and said "I wonder what's up there?"

Fast foward several years later and I was searching the internet for things to do in Jackson in the summer time as I intended to take Kylie there on vacation and introduce her to the promise land.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a pop-up ad that read "Climb Grand Teton!"  I clicked on the link and it took me to the homepage for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides where I saw they offered a four (4) day trip to climb the Grant Teton.

I copy/pasted the link to their website in an email to my Dad and said "What do you think?"....within the hour he replied "Let's do it!"

That said, below is the recap of our trip....

Day One

We met our guide from JHMG, Tom Egan, at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead (6,780 ft) at 9:30 AM where we distributed misc climbing gear and our food.  From the parking lot the trail proceeds South along the wooded edge of the meadow and then gradually begins to climb through pine forest.  It ascends a small ridge to the first trail junction about 1.7mi from the trailhead.  Taking the right fork, we began a serious ascent following a set of long switchbacks on a broad East facing slope.  Below us were the beautiful Bradley and Taggart lakes whose blue waters led to the name of the canyon ahead.  About 1.3mi beyond the first trail junction the switchbacks lead to the second trail junction that we reached in a little under 2 hours from the start.  Taking the left fork, the gradient eases as we climbed briefly and then rounded the corner into Garnet Canyon.  Trekking due West, the trail eventually met up with Garnet Creek at a place where there is a camping area known as The Meadows (9,400 ft).  This marked the end of the developed trail, about 1.5mi from the second trail junction, and made for a nice place to stop for lunch.



After lunch, shorter switchbacks lead up the North Fork of Garnet Canyon on a steep and partially wooded slope as it climbs around to the right of Spalding Falls (10,000 ft).  The water comes from the Middle Teton Glacier and cascades 80 ft off the rocky cliffs into The Meadows.  Above Spalding Falls, the trail crosses over the stream at a place where there is a camping area known as the Petzoldt Caves.  Above the Caves, we make our final traverse across Teepe Glacier where we met back up with the trail as it switchbacks up a steep, barren talus slope that eventually crests at the top of a great moraine.  

 

After seven (7) hours on the trail, we arrived at JHMG’s secluded Corbet High Camp (11,200 ft) located on a high glacial moraine just below the East face of the Grand and adjacent to the Teepe Glacier.

There were two (2) others guided groups at camp when we arrived, both of which had just returned from summiting the Grand.  We checked in to our tents and allowed those who summitted to enjoy their dinner and some relaxation.

Day Two

This day was devoted to making everyone comfortable and proficient with technical rock  climbing.  We learned and reviewed: knots, harnesses and helmets; belaying, multi-pitch climbing systems and rappelling; movement over rock and efficient ascent and descend methods.  Each technique was first demonstrated and then practiced.  We hiked over the Teepe Glacier to the Fairshare Tower where we climbed the first two pitches followed by a 100 ft rappel.

We returned to camp for dinner and preparations.  We organized our equipment, filled our water bottles and packed for the next morning.

Day Three

We received a wake up call at 2:30 AM and hurried to get dressed, gathered our packs and headed into the main tent for some breakfast and hot drinks.  We departed High Camp at 3:30 AM and began making our way down the morain.  At the edge of the snow field we pulled out our ice axes and strapped on our crampons to traverse up the snow to the Lower Saddle (11,600 ft).  We dropped our ice axe, removed our crampons and changed from our mountaineering boots into our approach shoes and hid the aforementioned items boulder so as not to carry them to the summit.  A windy hike to the Black Dyke (12,000 ft) took us to the beginning of the climbing.  

Early morning light illuminated the next 1,000 feet of second and third class scrambling to the Upper Saddle (13,100 ft).  Moments before sunrise, we were treated to an amazing sight as the shadows of the Grand, Middle and South Tetons was being projected over the entire state of Idaho!  To the South we could now see all the Teton peaks at the Southern end of the range and, in the distance, the city of Jackson.  To the North we could see Mount Owen (12,928 ft) half hidden behind the mass of the Grand.  Immediately below us was an almost vertical 6,000 ft drop into Cascade Canyon.  

 

 

We then donned all of our excess clothing and empty water bottles as we stacked ropes and tied-in for the technical fifth-class climbing.  It was there that we diverged from the classic Owen-Spalding route and ascended via the Pownall-Gilkey (5.6 A0), an aesthetic route up a frozen granite slab.  We Traversed right along a narrowing ledge system to the base of the first pitch.  The first pitch was the most difficult and known as the crux of the route.  Our lungs were fighting to extract every drop of oxygen from the thin air to power our abused leg and arm muscles.  It would've been easy to just sit down and quit, but the disappointment of failure was worse than the suffering caused by continuing the climb.  The next obstacle was a 30-foot friction pitch with less than desirable hand and foot holds, so we willed our way to the top. 

 
From here, we traversed exposed rock and snow requiring scrambling and technical climbing over risky terrain, until the route broke into the warming sunlight on Exum Ridge.  We scrambled up the Exum Ridge, with it tremendous exposure on both sides, we were moving as one unit still tied into our climbing ropes (walking in coils). 

 

After more than six (6) hours of climbing we reached the summit (13,770 ft) at 10:15 AM and to our surprise, we had it all to ourselves!  We looked upon a cloudless sky, a warming sun and a stunning 360-degree view of three (3) states and fourteen (14) mountain ranges.  Wyoming's highest point, Gannet Peak (13,804 ft) in the Wind Rivers, was easily seen some 100 miles to the East.  With no sign of the deadly afternoon thunderstorms we relaxed on the summit for about 45 minutes enjoying a moment of rest, an early lunch and a feeling of great accomplishment.  The cellular service was remarkable from the summit and Tom was kind enough to let us borrow his phone to call our loved ones.  We snapped multiple pictures before leaving this extraordinary place to show we had stood on the roof of the Tetons.  It was very hard to leave the summit, but our climbing day was only half over.

 

We began the steep down-climb from the summit following the Owen-Spalding route eventually making our way down the Sergeant’s Chimney to the long rappel (140 ft) station.  This famous rappel deposited us on the Upper Saddle from an overhanging ledge with a 100 foot "free rappel" where we were dangling in space not touching the rock.  Having not known of the "free rappel" made it quite surprising...more like frightening!  We continued down-climbing towards the Black Dike.  Having ascended by headlamp, it would have been easy to choose the wrong gully on the descent, but Tom lead us back through the maze to the Lower Saddle. 

Just below the Lower Saddle, we rejoined with our gear we had left behind early that morning.  Needing to descend the steep snow field, Tom instructed us to change back into our mountaineering boots and put on our rain gear.  We tied in using the climbing rope and began the traverse down the slippery foot steps, inching our way ever so slightly.  Nearing the half-way point of the traverse, Tom found the conditions in favor of a quick descent method called glacading.  This is where the rain gear came in handy as we sat down on our bottoms and slid 400 feet down the snow field using only our ice axe as a brake.  This put a huge smile on our face and took some of the edge off after the intense traverse. 

Physically and mentally exhausted we made our final climb (500 ft) back up the morain to Corbet High Camp,  at times taking only two (2) steps in between breaks.  We reached High Camp at 6:00 PM making for a fifteen (15) hour day in which we drank over eight (8) liters of water and burned more than 7,000 calories.

After a quick dinner we called it an early night and headed to bed.

 

Day Four

Our final day was somewhat anticlimactic although we did enjoy the opportunity to sleep in!  We enjoyed a long breakfast and took our time gathering our belongings prior to beginning our descent. 

The views coming down the mountain provided a different perspective than those while climbing up.  We made it back down to the parking lot, thanked our guide Tom and hurried into town for hot shower and cold beer.  We found a hotel and had yet another early night as we both would fly out the next morning.

All in all, this was a remarkable trip and one that will last a lifetime.  Over 14 miles roundtip and 7,000 fee of elevation gain/loss.  To be able to accomplish this goal alongside my dad was incredile.  He has set the bar rather high with regards to being a father...I can only hope that my children challenge me when the time comes and I'm able to produce the way he has.

We both swore we would never do something this crazy ever again (this is foreshadowing)!

Oh yeah....and I still owe Kylie a trip to Jackson Hole!!!