This blog documents Peter and Maja Murphy's training and preparation for climbing Grand Teton in August, 2011. Please feel free to email with any comments, suggestions or sponsorship ideas. Thanks, Peter (peter.s.murphy@gmail.com)
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Keep on Climbing (Idaho & Colorado)
A few more climbs this summer including Thompson Peak in Idaho (above). I made the mistake of starting too late in the afternoon. I was a couple hundred feet from the summit when a storm moved in, and with it plenty of lightning. It was a mad dash back down the mountain and into the trees to get some cover. Lesson learned: get a good weather forecast before heading up.
Next on the list was a trip back to Pikes Peak outside of Manitou Springs, Colorado. This was my second attempt, the first being in January and it was simply too cold and snowy. I didn’t get past 10,200 ft.
August was more forgiving and I reached the summit (14,110 ft.) just as the sun came up over the clouds. Word of warning, don’t start up the mountain alone while it is still dark. And, if you see pairs of green eyes watching you, those are mountain lions. You might want to get ready for a fight.
Ralph Stover State Park - Pennsylvania
Spent the morning and afternoon at Ralph Stover State Park (a.k.a. High Rocks) near Pipersburg, PA. I got a few lead climbs in, including Route 2 (Unnamed) (5.6), Hawks Nest (5.6) - pictured above, and Hummingbird (5.6) - pictured below (the crack on the left). Ben looked at the pictures and asked:
“Why climb it? Can’t you just walk over that?”
Although they look flat they are taken as if lying on your back. Overall the rock is pretty terrible; too smooth and worn down, with plenty of mud and poison ivy. I don’t know why I keep coming back to this place. Probably because there isn’t much choice in Southeastern PA.
Guadalupe Peak - Highest Point in Texas
June 9, 2011 - I made a detour while on a business trip to El Paso to Guadalupe Peak Mountains National Park, home of the highest point in Texas: Guadalupe Peak (8,749 ft.) pictured above. Despite a late start and the temperature hovering around 100 degrees I made it to the top. Seconds after the picture below was taken, my camera fell off the pile of rocks on which it was precariously balanced. Luckily it survived.
Oops, forgot the pointers…
Here are my suggestions:
1. Go with plastic mountaineering boots (rather than leather) and wear them loose
2. Rent rather than buy most of the gear, especially a down parka (you will need it)
3. Be mindful of what you pack when leaving on the climb, you don’t want to overpack - while climbing you won’t be as cold as you think - the cold comes once you stop moving
4. Definitely bring trekking poles for the climb up to Camp Muir (if that is the route you are taking)
5. Train like hell in the months leading up to your trip (running, hiking up hills, etc.). Although you never know if altitude will prevent you from making the top, you don’t want fitness to be the reason you have to stop
That’s all that jumps right out, let me know if you have any other questions!
Rebeka,
One word, epic! Okay, maybe a few more words. First, the RMI guides are excellent and I don’t throw that term around often. They were extremely skilled and cool under pressure - everything you would expect from an all around mountain guide. On our trip there hadn’t been a team to summit in over a week so as we got higher our rope teams had to break trail and the guides basically “created” the route. This was extremely difficult. We eventually got turned around at 13,700 - only a couple hundred feet from the summit! It was tough to know we would not get to the top but considering the circumstances, which consisted of a near whiteout and howling winds in zero degree temperatures, we understood the decision. Overall I was most nervous about the glacier travel aspects of the climb and the presence of crevasses. The climb is physically demanding and there will be a point where you wonder why you are even going up this mountain in the first place. But, the views and rewards of having a true mountaineering experience are worth the toil. I will post some pictures of our climb, but as you can imagine they can’t truly capture the immensity and grandeur of the environment. Best of luck to you on your trip - I know you will be in great hands.
Regards,
Peter
Back from Thin Air
We are back from our climb of Mt. Rainier. It was a true adventure and we made it to 13,700 ft. before getting turned back by whiteout conditions. Despite being so close to the summit, it was the best course of action to head down to climb another day.
Mt. Rainier Approaches
Our Mt. Rainier trip is less than one week away! At this point all we can hope for is good weather.
Damn you Wilmington video surveillance!!! My first ticket… enjoy watching me blow this red light.
(Source: majamurphy)
Cheaha Mt. - Alabama
On my way from Atlanta to Birmingham I had to stop at Cheaha State Park, the home of Cheaha Mt., the highest point in Alabama (2407 ft.). I didn’t realize Alabama looked like this.
Birdsboro, PA
I snuck in a day of sport climbing at Birdsboro Quarry this weekend. About an hour away, Birdsboro is a great spot to get in a bunch of climbs in a short period of time. I led Itching to Climb (5.8), Arocknophobia (5.7) and Orange Sunshine (5.9) (not me below, but a good picture of Orange Sunshine).
I am less than one month away from my climb of Mt. Rainier with this guy… (the one in blue):
