The Tetons lie in the central Rockies, Northwest Wyoming and extend for 40 miles, just to the West of the Continental Divide. Grand Teton, at 13,770' above sea level, rises 7,000' from the valley floor and the range forms one of the most photographed sky lines in the whole of the USA. The National Park is stunning, with forested slopes and barren peaks capped with ice and snow even in late Summer, a diverse array of wildlife, alpine lakes and swollen torrents which carve out spectacular gorges. A big advantage for expeds is that even the most remote regions are never more than 9 miles from safety through the canyons. In addition, the Park is ranger-patrolled with a comprehensive mountain rescue service, trails are good and map and guide coverage, excellent. We chose the first 2 weeks in September to avoid the crowds and pre-empt winter snow. The original plan was for a team of 12 but this was downsized to 6, so that the whole team could participate in technical rock climbing, and the schedule evolved into 2 treks of 3 and 4 days duration, both involving scrambles to mountain peaks at 10,500' and 11,500' respectively. In between, we would climb to the summit of Cube Point at 9,600' and take a day off for a well earned rest. The final team comprised 3 experienced climbers (Jon Asbridge, Guy Buckingham and myself) and 3 relative novices (Belinda Fear, Zoe Hennesey and Ian Hopkins - the sole Army representative).

Point of disembarkation was Salt Lake City on the Saturday, followed by a 285 mile drive to Teton Village on the Sunday. On Monday, after final checks and an excellent weather report, we set off on the first of our treks. As we left the Village, I glanced longingly at the ski lift which ran straight to the top of Rendezvous Peak, 4,700' above our heads and directly on route, but Belinda was having none of it and so the team began an 8 hour slog which led, after 5,000' of vertical ascent, to our first camp site at Marion Lake, a breathtakingly beautiful spot, bordered by silent forests on one side and an imposing rock barrier on the other. Guy, Belinda and Jon amazed the rest of the team by swimming in the lake in temperatures approaching zero with the sun fading fast. The next 2 days included more of the same, with the exception of the evening swim, climbing through 2,700' on the second day and camping at Lake Coyote, a remote and isolated spot well off the beaten track. A fierce wind and a location on a bluff high above the valley below focussed the mind so that camp craft was at a premium, and we were early "to bed" in preparation for the scramble up Mount Hunt (10,500') on the following day. This went without a hitch and our efforts were rewarded by views of the Tetons in all their grandeur, Grand Teton rising majestically above the rest, its rocky summit under ice and snow 5 miles to the North.

A planned quiet night in the "Mangy Moose" back down on the valley floor was trashed when Guy and Belinda gatecrashed us into a 70's revival reggae concert. The morning after was therefore a slow start, involving provision, replenishment and repacking before setting off in the afternoon by ferry across Jenny Lake, shored up again by forecasts of superb weather for the next 2 days. A 3 hour hike, ascending through 2,000', led us into Hanging Canyon, breathless in the gathering darkness, to camp alongside a fast flowing stream beneath the falls. At this point, Ian saw a large, dark cat 50 metres away, which moved like lightning, thankfully away from us, gaining several hundred feet up the mountain in a very short time. We had seen one of the few mountain lions which roam the Park. Cube Point proved to be an outstanding choice of climb, although Belinda's reaction on sight was "It's quite small!" to which, offended, I replied that size doesn't matter. Five hundred feet of technical climbing led us to the top in two teams of 3 and 5 long pitches. The grade was officially 5.4 but we faint hearts put it at the top end of "Severe". As to be expected with a mountain route, there was much loose rock and Zoe gave us all a heart stopping moment when she detached a block which took out Jon's approach shoes at the bottom of the climb - fortunately, he was not wearing them at the time - before careering several hundred feet further down the mountain. The final pitch led out along an exposed knife edge, the rock plunging vertically down to the floor of Hanging Canyon 800' below. Descent was spurred on by thoughts of the last ferry at 6 o'clock, which we made with half an hour to spare.

On the rest day, Jon, Ian, Zoe and myself spent a leisurely morning in Jackson Hole before driving up to Yellowstone Park 50 miles to the North. Guy and Belinda, however, not content with Cube Point, found a local crag for a full day's sports climbing, ticking off several 5.9s and 5.10s before hitching a lift back with "a girl in a sports car", as enthusiastically reported by Guy but whose existence was indeed confirmed by Belinda.

The weather report for the second trek came as somewhat of a shock with overnight snow and thunderstorms forecast above 9,200'. In view of this, we reduced the 2nd trek to 3 days, adjusting the route accordingly, and persuaded Belinda to acquiesce on the ski lift in the interests of gaining height fast. On leaving the comfort of the lift, the ominous change in weather was immediately apparent with a cold wind blowing beneath the scudding clouds. The first day passed without exception and we camped early evening in a forest clearing on a narrow shelf at 9,600', high above Death Canyon. The forecast proved uncannily accurate and we woke in the morning to several inches of snow which, in Zoe and Belinda's case, lay on their tent which was consequently in a state of semi-collapse. Moving higher up the trail, we encountered canny locals who had decided to back down rather than ascend onto Hurricane Pass, our high point for the day. Showing true Brit grit, we cracked on and reached the pass in blizzard conditions to discover that it was very aptly named and under drifts of snow 2 foot deep. Along the way, the trail showed signs of a lone traveller, whose paw prints in the snow we took to be a wolf, but even he deserted us before our final climb up to the pass. Once over it, the descent into the next valley led to relative calm and a good camp site alongside the stream, which here opened into a creek one hundred feet across. Table Mountain, our new target on this trek at 11,100', rose a further 2,000' above us. The next day, we woke to more snow, the thunderstorm having struck overnight, and we set off for a better look, ascending through the forest, across boulder fields under deepening snow, to a saddle about 1,000' above our camp site and half way from the top. Here, visibility was very poor, the peak completely hidden under a heavy veil of mist, and the gradient ahead increasing sharply.

There was only one decision, given that nobody was winter qualified and, regrettably, we headed back down without achieving our aim. Below 8,500' the snow, which had been falling steadily all morning, turned into a fine drizzle and as we walked down through the canyon, rock formations rose towering above the raging stream and dark forests whose silent depths were hidden in the gloom. The stream broadened out into a succession of beaver creeks in the lower reaches of the canyon and we emerged eventually once more onto the shores of Jenny Lake in the late afternoon, wet through as the rain was falling quite heavily by now, to catch our final ferry. The next day, we returned to Salt Lake City before flying out on the day after that.

For the record, we ascended 15,270' (not including the ski-lift on the 2nd trek) and trekked over 70 miles, having seen a variety of wildlife - black bear, eagle, several moose, elk, deer and, of course, our mountain lion. The team bonded extremely well and achieved all its aims bar one - our failure to summit on the 2nd trek. Notwithstanding this, I believe that the exped was a significant success because of the team work it engendered, the effort each individual put in and, perhaps most importantly, because everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. The central focus of the trip was, of course, the Tetons and in these, there is unlimited potential for anyone who wants to walk or climb in the future.