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My View from the Tetons
This program raises money for the nonprofit Big City Mountaineers, which donates educational, guided five-day wilderness backpacking trips and seven-day canoe trips to inner city students who, for financial reasons, would otherwise not get to experience the wilderness in such a positive way. Given her exuberant account of her climb - "I can't wait to go back and do another one" - Oberg sounds like she will be organizing a group of Nantucketers to raise funds for Big City Mountaineers this winter so she can return to the Tetons with them. She has until the end of September to find other mountain lovers and file an application.
Her trip began with a 12-1/2-hour drive from her father's house in Las Vegas, Nev. to a campground in Jackson Hole, Wyo. where she prepared for her climb and made an island connection. - Peter B. Brace JUNE 28 "Regardless of where one might wander on their own, home is all around you. I decided to walk around the campsite to the camping ground with the best view of the Grand Teton. "I approached one of the groups talking around the campfire and thought the woman speaking looked familiar. As I walked closer, it was indeed the mother of one of my middle school students. Quinn Rogliano and her parents were camping for the weekend at the Gros Ventre Campground and we were completely shocked when seeing each other in such a remote place.
"Quinn knew about my trip and I knew she was going out West with her family, but we never spoke about dates or locations. JUNE 29 "Another beautiful, sunny day in Wyoming. Today, I met the leaders and the three students who will be going on my trip. We met in town at the Jackson Hole Mountain Guide Center for our day of orientation. The group had been informed the day prior that we would be rock climbing and to be prepared for hot conditions. "We drove into the Teton National Park and climbed an area with the most unbelievable views of the range. We reviewed all of the different climbing techniques we would be using on Mt. Moran. Everyone in the group had climbed before and were proficient at belaying [a climber on the ground or ledge connected by rope to another climber and using herself as an anchor]. "I love climbing and climbing on real rock. Most of my climbing takes place on the Strong Wings rock wall, so it was a real treat to climb on the real deal. Our leader, Julia explained Mt. Moran as having sections where we would be tied in and climbing anything from a 5.5 to a 5.7 [pitch - how climbers rate the level of climbing difficulty]. In climber's terms, that is relatively easy climbing with lots of handholds and ledges for feet. "Julia also spoke at length on the climate change that Jackson has been experiencing in her five years of guiding. Julia explained how little snow the valley has been receiving and how the Skillet Glacier was getting so thin so early in the season. By the end of our day together, we couldn't wait to start our trip together, [but] the group is shocked that we didn't have to meet in town until 9 a.m. with such a big first day. "I decided to camp again at Gros Ventre in hopes of spending some time with Quinn and her family. I've walked over twice and put a note on their tent; they must be having dinner in town. "With such a big day tomorrow, I need to get my sleep and head to bed early. The sun has finally set and I'm feeling fairly relaxed enough to fall asleep. I don't know what it will be like to sleep at 9,700 feet at base camp. JUNE 30 "I don't have much time to write this evening. We have to be up at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow to begin our summit. Today was unbelievable. To come to the base of the mountain was such a cool way to start the trip. I was with Sue, our second trip leader, in the beginning of the day and had so many questions for her regarding bald eagles. She monitors the eagles and bands the babies in the nests. "Our route to base camp was described as direct and it was; straight up to about 9,700 feet. Leigh Lake is approximately 6,600 feet, which blew me away to think that about being on water at an elevation higher than Mount Washington (6,288 ft.) "This camp is called the CMC Campsite, named for the Colorado Mountain Club who first climbed using this route. The view is just breathtaking from here looking east across the whole State of Wyoming. I saw my first marmot, which to me looks like a beaver with a squirrel tail. Completely harmless, but amazing over rocks. "Hiking up, my breathing felt good, but my stomach was a little upset due to the altitude. I feel fine now, but am nervous about tomorrow. JULY 1 "Everyone is in their tents but me and the sunset on the Grand Teton is amazing. The peak is glowing red right now. Friday was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I'm still awake because my body is on such a mountain high, I just can't seem to settle down. I definitely learned the difference today between a "walk up" to the summit and a "climb" to the summit and we climbed. Our day was 13.5 hours long from when we left base camp at 5:30 a.m. to when we returned at 7 p.m. and 10 hours of that day we were roped in and either climbing up, climbing down or rappelling. "We, as a group, were blown away by our two female trip leaders. They are like billy goats on the mountain: no fear whatsoever. "The views, the vastness, the steepness and the overwhelming feeling of being at such a high altitude was just awesome. Many times, my climbing partner, Jeff, and I, would look at each other shaking our heads in disbelief as to what we were doing. We had to be completely aware and focused for every step of our journey up and down the mountain and we did it. I just can't wait to see our pictures. JULY 2 "Last night, going to sleep, I felt great. Tonight, my body is feeling the climb of Mt. Moran. The group couldn't believe my energy level at the end of yesterday, our biggest day. I assured everyone I would not be so bright on our last day heading down to the lake. "Even though our descent only took two-and-ahalf hours from base camp, my knees never like going down. What made it worse was all the loose rock on the trail that made every step feel unstable. Fortunately, the reward for finally getting to the bottom was a beautiful swim in the lake of cool glacial water, the most pristine lake water I have ever been swimming in. "The canoe back was absolutely lovely. Just a light breeze to paddle into and to sit and give my legs a break was a beautiful thing. We looked back at Mt. Moran in disbelief of our journey to the top and what it took mentally and physically to get there. Our feet were glad to be off the mountain and we all exchanged excitement and emails for sharing pictures of our journey. I cannot wait to make my next trip to come back to Jackson. "The leaders said the Grand Teton would be no problem for us after our performance on Mt. Moran. We all would love to participate in another Summit for Someone experience as well." I |
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