trip report - Death Canyon & Static Peak

[m0loch]

As advertised in in this thread (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?t=21498) this past saturday I summitted Static Peak in the Teton Range of northwestern Wyoming (USA). Static Peak is 11,303 feet (3445m) high, the round trip distance of the hike is 16 miles (25.75km) with a total vertical gain of 5300 feet (1615m). The approach to this peak is via Death Canyon. After Death Canyon it's probably not a good idea to stay too long on Static Peak You must be extremely intuitive. Death Canyon gets its name due to the fact that during the late 1800s a member of a survey party ventured into the canyon, never to be seen again. Static Peak's moniker comes from its propensity to get struck by lightning during thunderstorms.

Now I realize that in the whole scope of worldwide mountaineering this is minor, but for me it is the biggest one-day challenge I have undertaken. A personal best thus far this summer, in fact a lifetime best. The following is an account of this trip:

I set my alarm for 4:45 AM (don't know what that is in metric, but its hella early). Got up, ate a piece of that pie from this thread (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?t=21421), filled 2 2L(32oz) water bottles and one 3L(100oz) camelback reservoir. Packed the reservoir, digi-cam, mobile and a couple balance bars in my camelback and headed out the door and began driving. 30 minutes later I was at the Death Canyon trailhead where I would begin hiking. It was a cool 34F (1C) degrees, but I wouldn't feel that for long.

Early morning on the trail is one of my favorite times. Solitude and natural beauty surronded me as the sun began to peek behind me over the Gros Ventre mountains. As early morning dew gave way to abundant sunshine I kept an eye out for raspberries and other fruits common to the area. They tast very good! I also kept a lookout for bears who like raspberries as much if not more than I. I would just as soon avoid a bear as have to fight it over a berry.

The first noteworthy sight on the trail is Phelps Lake. It is a morainal lake of significant size and extraordinary beauty. Here is a view of the lake from 122 meters above it. (thumbnail pics are clickable for a full size view.)
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/phelps_lake.thumb.jpg (http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/phelps_lake)

Here's a shot of the same lake from higher up:
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/phelps_lake2.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/phelps_lake2)

After walking for 4 hours, I reached Static Peak Divide. This is the highest elevation point of maintained trail in Grand Teton National Park. From here it is a scramble up the remaining 500 feet (152m) to the summit of Static Peak. All the hard work getting here was well worth it. The view is absolutely breathtaking. Here are some shots:
Mt. Wister:
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/mt_wister.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/mt_wister)
The death canyon shelf: (where I hope to be overnighting next saturday)
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/death_canyon_shelf.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/death_canyon_shelf)
The Alaska Basin:
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/alaska_basin.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/alaska_basin)
Buck Mountain:
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/buck_mountain.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/buck_mountain)
Me! on the peak!!
http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/me_on_the_peak.thumb.jpg

(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/me_on_the_peak)
The exhiliration that I experienced being there is indescribable. It felt really good to be alive even though I was scared shitless due to the shear dropoff on the north side of the peak.

Soon I decided it was time to get off this exposed peak. Thuderstorms are much more likely, in fact expected in the afternoons here and I had alot of ground to cover to get below timberline. The hike down was largely uneventful, but I took my time and enjoyed the day. I saw some deer and a pair of moose. Here is one of them:

http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/moose.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/moose)

http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/moose_back.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/moose_back)
A shot of Static Peak for perspective:
Static peak as seen from the valley floor. The higher peak in this photo is Buck Mountain.


http://gallery.zgeek.com/albums/uploads/static_peak.thumb.jpg
(http://gallery.zgeek.com/uploads/static_peak)



Stay tuned for my Lab[o|ou]r day excursion. 3 nights, 4 days, 39 miles on the Teton Crest Trail.

[spurr]

Another awesome looking trip dude. The great pics just rub it in that little bit extra :p

[Tintin]

That is a great trip report m0loch. Wish I could have come along.

[Pirate]

wow, nice work.. looks friggin awesome! Keep these coming :)

[druid]

Very nice. I take it you hike quite often. How hard was it to reach the top? I don't think I could do it in a day and I definitely wouldn't go alone as my experiences of mountains are far and few between.

[m0loch]

Yeah, during the past two summers I have gotten out hiking or backpacking ALOT! The difficulty of any particular hike is hard to quantify. It mostly depends on one's fortitude and level of fitness. Moderately difficult to me might be extremely strenuous to someone else. I do take pride knowing that not so long ago I would not have even considered something as difficult as this, but now I didn't really have to push myself mentally on this trip. I was sore as hell for two days after though.

[Scumbag]

reminds me of Canada!