but first, a pic of the best 'first dance' I've ever seen at a wedding
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 Brian & Michelle's awesome dance Credit: zeta |
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the cars are stuffed with gear and people
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 Credit: zeta |
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and now we're ready to climb! We definitely lucked out with weather, as it was raining when we arrived and raining when we left--but sunny all the days we were on the rock.
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 first glimpse of the Tetons... Credit: zeta |
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Day 1: we did a day a nearby route, Baxter pinnacle, an easy 5.6 route with one awkward/slippery 5.9 move on the last pitch, which I decided could be done by grabbing the draw, attempting an awkward high step, lunging for the 2nd piton. It didn't look pretty but it worked.
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 Hiking up to Baxter Credit: zeta |
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 Chris happy to be climbing again! Credit: zeta |
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Then, we headed up Cascade canyon...we had this amazing sunset the first night where you could see the shadows of the Tetons as the sun set...and then the very cool full moonrise (thanks to Tuffley for the fantastic pics as my camera is crappy)
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 Teton trio shadow Credit: zeta |
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 amazing moonrise Credit: zeta |
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Next day was climbing the Corkscrew, a 5 pitch 5.8 on Fairshare tower. This was an awesome climb! Pitch 1 and 2 are mellow, pitch 3 is "airy" though it has good protection, pitch 4 has a funky but short 5.8 move, then a funky chimney that we all had different experiences with. I liked it, but Cheryl's shoes came unclipped off her harness and fell while Chris was trailing a small backpack that got stuck. You never know with chimneys...
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 Corkscrew on Fairshare tower. The route goes up to the left of the dihedral, moves left across the ramp, and then goes around the left corner. Credit: zeta |
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 Chris and I on top of Fairshare tower Credit: zeta |
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Then, we went the next day to climb the Grand. Even though it's such a pain in the ass to wake up early, the gorgeous light is worth it!
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 Morning light on Middle Teton Credit: zeta |
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 views heading up Credit: zeta |
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and the required summit shot
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 Chris and Cheryl happy on top Credit: zeta |
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Even though we did the Exum route, which is easy (5.5), it still ended up being a longer day than expected. Here is a pic of Chris, who is a math professor, teaching me how to calculate how long it will take for the sun to set by measuring the distance between the horizon and the sun with your fingers.
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 how many minutes left of sun? Credit: zeta |
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the next day, we hooked up with the rest of our friends and all hiked out, as funky weather came in...but everyone was super psyched to be out, even if they didn't get to climb
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 Cleo, PhilB and me plus the rest of the gang... Credit: zeta |
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