| Grand Ascents log (2004-06-22 -> 2004-07-12)
Leaders: Tommy "T-Grip" Gavigan, Laura Musser
Students: Tyler Allgood, Kenny Budd, Bill Eakin, Rachel Flesher, Barrett Freibert, Callie Gleason,Whit Harlin, Anna Heald, Trey Miller, Zach Moritz, Blay Schoenherr, Madeline Sturm
Tommy just called us from a peak in the Wind River and said all was going great. Connection was not great, but he said they have an amazing group and will be in the Winds for a few more days. We'll have an update when they get out.
NEW LOG
Hayes was just visiting with us and we had an incredible couple days climbing with Exum Mountain guides, world reknowned as the best guides in the business. He said that the group gave them the utmost respect and learned more than they ever thought possible...we will have more after the get done climbing.
Trip Update 7-8-04
Sorry for the delay. Tommy and Laura have had a remarkable group and have found it tough to get away from such an awesome group. Here is the latest update. Better late than later!
Backpacking in the Wind River Range
We spent the past 11 days backpacking through the wonderful Wind River Range. An amazing pace often overshadowed by the Teton Range. Our first stop in the Winds was at Big Sandy Lake where we set up camp and began our adventure. During our stay at Big Sandy we took some spectacular day hikes throughout the area. We headed to a beautiful lunch spot at clear lake and then headed up to Deep Lake to check out the sights and the snow levels in the area. Deep Lake was beautiful but mostly frozen and we found the pass to be completely covered in snow – changing our route. To avoid getting stuck in the snow we moved a little east to Black Joe Lake – which was amazing. From Black Joe Lake we had views of Haystack and the Continental Divide. After a few days we moved camp back past Big Sandy to Blue Lake where we had views of both Mount Bunion and East Laterio looming over us. Getting an alpine start we summited Mount Bunion the next day and did some boot skiing down the snowfields. Then we moved camp up over Fish Creek Pass to Fish Lake where we set out sights on East and West Laterio and the ridge. Another early morning start got us up East Laterio and over the ridge by noon. Then off to West Laterio and down to a big pizza diner at camp. Once our bellies were filled with an amazing backcountry pizza we discussed plans to summit Warrior II, which would put us in a position to see into the cirque de towers – a famous and amazing part of the Wind River Range. Quite a hike placed us in view of a few false summits before we crossed a giant snowfield and did the real summit. Great weather, a great hike, and some serious training time for the Grand – our next goal.
This all-star group of students was lead by a few veteran Moondancers. Blay exercised his vast knowledge of the backcountry by leading us into and out of the Wind River Range. He has been a wonderful veteran student and helper to some of the new students. Anna has been the encouragement of the group, always providing motivation and cheers along the trail. She is not only upbeat but also always volunteers to polish off food at dinner! Callie is always first to help in any situation. She has a very positive, hardworking attitude and can always make us laugh at ourselves. Barrett helps keep spirits up with her outrageous laughter and funny comments. She has been the Moonup leader throughout out trip. Madeline keeps the camp in order and helps new students in any situation. She has donated some great mixed CD’s to help pass our time in the van. Tyler never complains even during crazy storms and strenuous hikes. She is a great and positive addition to our Moondance family. Trey, or Dr. Trey has kept the group in style with his awesome rapping skills. He is a leader in disguise as he is always cleaning up and helping out wherever is needed. Besides eating more than is humanely possible, Zach can make anyone laugh at any time. His enthusiasm to be out in the backcountry is contagious and he is an awesome new addition to the Moondance crew. Kenny Budd, although quite at first has been entertaining us with his singing and beat box skills. He is always willing to carry extra weight and food as he is training for football season this fall. Bill is the go to man in the group. He can put up a bear bag anywhere and is in charge of out waste disposal star system. Not only does Bill make us laugh all day he is always willing to lend a hand in the kitchen or wherever needed. Rachel, another veteran student has brought a little piece of Oklahoma to Wyoming. She is always willing to help and is an excellent leader in the backcountry. Although a new student this year Witt is a leader in expedition behavior always lending a helping hand. Whether we need water bottles filled or the kitchen cleaned up Witt is the first to drop what he is doing and help our. He is yet another great addition to the Moondance Grand Ascents 2004 group.
Altogether, we have an awesome group. Everyone works well together and whatever we do or wherever we go we have an awesome time.
Climbing with Exum
For the Past three days the group has been learning climbing and Mountaineering skills from the very experienced Exum Mountain Guides. Exum guides are the best of the best and the Exum guide service is by far the best in the world. The group went through three days of training; the basic day, the intermediate course and finally an advanced. On the advanced day we did a seven pitch climb to the top of Baxter’s Pinnacle and topped it off with a rapel down the back side of the rock. Over the course of the climbing section everyone made some sizeable contributions to the group.
Kenny is the motivator of the group and looks like an old vet on the rock. He shows great strength, energy and focus while climbing. This is an inspiration to us all. Anna dominated the rocks and was always willing to take o tough climbs with no fear. She was always driving everyone to do their best. She is a strong member of the team.
Callie has overcome her fear of heights and was more than willing to conquer that fear with a healthy dose of awesome climbs. She led us up Baxter’s Pinnacle and was the first to summit the climb. She is extremely funny and always in high spirits. It was Tyler’s first time rock climbing and no one could tell. She caught on to all the skills extremely quickly and looked like she had been climbing for years, not days by the time we finished on top of Baxter’s Pinnacle. Barrett’s favorite day of the course was the hardest. She is always up for anything that makes us stronger as a group. She is constantly forcing us to learn more about each other. She is the moon-up idea maker. Without her we wouldn’t know half of what we know now about each other. Plus she can get anyone to laugh at anytime. Madeline really stood out in this section. The only thing flashier than her climbing was her hot pink outfit. She was fearless and full of life the entire time we were climbing. She gave us all energy and reminded us to drink water and laugh a lot. Zach was amazing on the rocks. He showed no fear and experience beyond his years even though it was his first time climbing. Zach is always willing to help and gladly grabs an extra load. He is full of life and exciting to be around. Trey keeps the group smiling and laughing at all time. He was very comfortable up on the rocks and was able to pull off difficult moves with ease. He flew up pitches and we were all surprised to find out it was his first time climbing. Bill’s experience was an inspiration to us all. He climbed even the toughest climbs using perfect technique. He was cool and calm climbing and still managed to keep us all cracking up on the breaks. He also the first to help in the campsite and in the kitchen. Witt is an excellent climber. His experience really helped the group grow. He inspired the less experienced climbers and offered a helping hand with knots and belay techniques. Blay is the “gear head” of the group. He is always asking questions about gear and how it is used. On Baxter’s Pinnacle he was the last one up and cleaned up the gear on the routes. He is always giving tips on the climbing and helping others. Rachel was always willing to take on the toughest climbs. She was enthusiastic and eager to learn from the Exum guides. She was a constant motivator and always had a smile on her face.
Laura and I have had a great time getting to know the students and enjoyed watching the group become more cohesive. I hope to report next time after a successful journey to the top of the Grand Teton.
NEW LOG
THE GRAND TETON
We are the Champions! We officially had 14 out of 14 successfully ascend and descend the Grand Teton, in other words we all summitted! Everyone is feeling great and rather proud of themselves after an amazing climb. We are rafting for the day and although sad to say, we will all be flying home in the next few days. This has been an amazing adventure for us all!
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