◆8월23일, Middle Teton(6357~12806ft)산행 안내

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◆8월23일, Middle Teton(6357~12806ft)산행 안내

Middle Teton 등정의 성공 관건은 기상조건에 지구력과 고소적응 등의 삼위일체 입니다.

가장 중요한 것은 자신의 Pace 유지이며 고소적응은 적응 산행과 충분한 수분 섭취로

신진대사(혈액 산소 농도 85이상 유지)를 최대로 활성화 해야 합니다.

하루 전부터 이뇨제 복용이 많은 도움이 될 것 입니다.  

또한 장시간 산행에 대비한 행동식 준비도 중요 합니다.

                                                                                          등반대장 - 한상근

1. 일일 산행 : Middle Teton(6357~12806ft)

2.  Trailhead Parking Lot (아래 지도 참조) 

3. 출발 시간 : 8월 23일, 02~03 : 00, Trailhead 

4. 산행 내용 : Out & Back, 총 12.72mile , Elevation Gain 6,040ft(1830m)

                  (산행 소요, 15~18시간 예정)                   

5. 길잡이 : 원정대

*Low Saddle

 * 참조 :

Difficulty and Skill Level

The Middle Teton’s standard Southwest Couloir route involves a Class 3 scramble, meaning that the use of hands is needed at times to ascend. There is a fair amount of exposure as well, especially near the summit. Ropes and technical

rock climbing equipment are not needed for this climb. 

Overall, the rock quality is good on this mountain, featuring solid Teton granite. However, when ascending the center portion of the couloir, there are still areas of small, loose rocks and scree, so it’s important to always watch your footing

and to wear a climbing helmet in case anyone kicks down rocks from above. I only recommend this route to someone who has prior off-trail and scrambling experience and isn’t afraid of

heights and exposure. If you don’t have any off-trail peak-bagging experience, then don’t attempt this peak unless

you are traveling with an experienced party and are comfortable with exposure.

The route-finding ability for the Middle Teton is fairly straight-forward with a couple of minor exceptions. 

Distance and Elevation Gain

Distance: Approximately 13 miles roundtrip or 6.5 miles one-way.

Elevation Gain: The total elevation gain from the trailhead to the summit is 6,072 ft. The summit elevation of the Middle Teton is 12,804 ft. making it the 3rd highest peak in the Teton Range behind the Grand Teton and Mt. Owen.

Estimated Time: Completing this climb in a single day will take most parties anywhere from 10-14 hours, including breaks. You can also split this climb up into 2-3 days by camping in the Garnet Canyon Meadows.

Backcountry Permits: Grand Teton National Park offers advance reservations to one third of its backcountry permits from early January through May 15 each year.

To book a reservation in advance, visit the Recreation.gov website and search for Grand Teton National Park. It costs $45 to reserve a permit in advance. After reserving your permit, you must pick your permit up from the Jenny Lake Ranger

Station before 10am on the day of your trip, or else it will be released.

Walk-in Permits: The remaining two thirds of backcountry permits are offered on a first-come, first-serve basis no more than one day prior to the start of the trip. Walk-in permits cost $35. 

Important Considerations When Camping:

 The two most important things to remember when camping across these higher elevation zones in Grand Teton National Park are

1) Campfires are not allowed, and

2) A bear canister is required for food storage.

How to Get to the Trailhead

From Jackson, the Lupine Meadows Trailhead is about a 35-minute drive. 

After the long slog up this canyon, you’ll reach the spectacular saddle between the Middle and South Teton, with the Middle Teton located to your right.

This is a good spot to take a quick snack break before heading up the Southwest Couloir of the Middle Teton —

the main feature of this climb, and the more fun part of the day now that the canyon slog is behind you!

This is also a spot to eval‎uate the weather conditions, as threatening storm clouds would warrant a turn-around here.

The saddle is located at an elevation of 11,450 ft. so by this point, most of your elevation gain is behind. Ahead of you lies

the more exposed class 3 scramble to reach the top, but the route-finding is straight-forward.The red arrow in the photo

below shows the Southwest Couloir route from the saddle.

If you’re someone who enjoys a good scramble and is comfortable with exposure, then you’re going to have a blast on

this route as you ascend the final 1,354 vertical feet to the top.

Best Time of Year to Climb the Middle Teton

The window to climb the Middle Teton with little or no snow to deal with is short — generally from mid/late July to

mid/late September depending on the year. August is the one month of the year when you are least likely to encounter

any snow.

For mid-summer climbers, the main weather issue to watch out for is thunderstorms as the upper portion of this mountain

is very exposed to the threat of lightning, hail, rain, and wind.

If you’re doing this as a day hike, then getting a pre-dawn start is advisable to limit your risk of getting caught in a

thunderstorm. It takes most parties 6 hours or longer to reach the summit, and then you still have a long way to hike

down before your exposure risk significantly decreases.

Wildlife, Bugs, and Water

Black bears, grizzly bears, moose, and deer are some of the larger mammals that could be encountered on this route.

I’ve seen multiple black bears on the approach trail. If you are here in September, then you might hear elk bugling near

the trailhead. Most of the wildlife opportunities exist on the hiking trail prior to reaching The Meadows.

Beyond The Meadows, you’re less likely to see much wildlife other than marmots and pikas. I’ve never really had any bug

issues here that I remember, though I would imagine that mosquitoes do hang around some of the wetter areas in

The Meadows in July and early August. There is plenty of water available in The Meadows, then things gradually dry out the higher you ascend toward the saddle. There are only a couple of minor water crossings in The Meadows.

Possible Side Trips

The South Teton would be the most feasible side trip option if you are also climbing The Middle Teton.

This is an especially attractive option if you have a base camp in The Meadows, then you could bag the Middle Teton

and the South Teton all in one go.

To climb the South Teton, you’ll head south toward the top of the peak from the opposite side of the saddle from

the Middle Teton. From the saddle, this route is Class 2 for most of the way but turns to Class 3 toward the top.

If it weren’t for one move, I would say it’s no more difficult (and probably even a bit easier) than The Middle Teton,

but there is a snowfield near the top that hangs around throughout the year in all but the driest years that must be

crossed. It’s not a horribly difficult snow crossing, but a slip would be bad news because a long tumble awaits below.

Therefore, an ice axe is mandatory at a minimum, unless the snow is really soft with good steps kicked in, then crampons

are advisable as well.

Packing Considerations

Here are a few items I consider to be essential for the Middle Teton:

§  Climbing helmet – for rockfall

§  Ice axe – a good idea even if not expecting to encounter snow

§  Sunscreen

§  Personal locater device, such as a SPOT or DeLorme InReach

§  First aid kid

§  3 liters of water

§  Extra layers

§  Down jacket

§  Ski hat and gloves

§  Headlamp

Here are a few items I might bring depending on current conditions:

§  Rain jacket and rain gear (if anything but a dry forecast)

§  Crampons or micro-spikes

§  Water purification system

§  Trekking poles

§  Bug spray

Where to Find Weather Forecasts

Here are links to National Weather Service point weather forecasts at various portions of this hike and for the town of

Jackson (for before and after your hike) that take elevation and terrain into account.

Keep in mind that there is a greater margin of error in mountain forecasts for remote areas, but the NWS point forecasts

are one of the more reliable sources.

Middle Teton

Garnet Canyon Meadows

Lupine Meadows Trailhead

Another weather source that is well worth your time to check out is the OpenSummit website and app.

This app provides detailed weather forecasts specifically for mountain summits, and they will be expanding their offerings in the near future as well. Two-day forecasts are free and any forecasts beyond two days require at $19/year subscription,

which also gets you access to OpenSnow ski area forecasts in the winter.

OpenSummit Weather Forecast for the Middle Teton

In addition, since this hike is in the Jackson Hole area, you can follow my local weather blog — 

Jackson Hole Weather Forecast — which is typically updated Mondays through Fridays, for more detailed written weather

analysis in the area.

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Far harder than expected. I’m an experienced backpacker, but with no mountain climbing experience. While this isn’t technical, the bouldering and long scree field were punishing. Fully half the trail to the top is unmarked scrambling. Don’t underestimate this. The first half is a nice hike. The 2nd half is a hard scramble that requires considerable experience. I did not make it to the peak, but the views were impressive.

August 9, 2021

Lots of criticisms out there- but this is an crazy epic hike and totally worth it if you have the hiking/scrambling ability

and are prepared. I solo summited in a tshirt and without a helmet in my trail running shoes, but I’d recommend both

helmet and jacket- tons of boulder hopping and scrambling and loose rocks coming down, and even in mid-summer

midday, the wind is pretty cold near the top. Took me 9.5 hours parking lot to parking lot (with some time hanging out and resting at the top). As a trail runner I finish almost all hikes in half the time or less than the duration listed on AllTrails,

so unless you are very experienced and scrambling/hiking at altitude doesn’t affect you, plan for an early start and a long

day. If you like a well defined trail, stay away. You will lose the trail in the second half of the hike while in the boulder

fields and scrambling up the mountain. With all that said, I loved the challenge though and very glad I did it. Another cool

tip I didn’t know prior to the hike- you can summit South Teton during this hike as well. Saw a couple people summiting

both points on the same day. You just take a left up to South Teton at the end of the hike instead of to the right.

Not sure how hard the scrambling is there, so again, having some experience and ability to put down a quick hiking pace

at altitude and over rough terrain will be necessary.

August 8, 2021

great trail until about 4 miles in then its about 2 miles or more of scrambling over boulders. that slowed us down big time

and was exhausting, especially on the descent. once you track the final ascent, it is a steep climb. doable but not

recommended for anyone who doesn't have prior experience      끝