Standing 13,775' above sea level the Grand Teton is an iconic mountain steeped in history. With a long approach, unpredictable weather patterns, high altitude and only accessible through technical rock climbing, achieving it's summit is never guaranteed.
With over 5000' of climbing and covering five mountains over 14.000' tall, the Thunderbolt to Sill Traverse has been my greatest accomplishment in alpinism.
Sometimes the word "epic" is used as a noun instead of an adjective. On Memorial day I climbed my first route in Yosemite National park. The route was Snake Dike on the iconic monolith Half Dome. It was definitely my greatest epic.
Day two of the RRR climbing festival was the busiest. We volunteered with Access Fund to help define trails around the Kraft Boulders, lead a trad route in our climbing clinic, and partied like a "rock star" get it? Like rocks, rock climbing, boulders, ehhh just read and see!
Located in El Dorado County in the Sierra Nevada range, Mt Tallac stands 9,739 ft (2,968 m) tall. The easiest trail is hiking class 1-2 but we're always looking for more adventure. We agreed on an off trail route to summit and a return route utilizing the main Tallac trail.
I've reached the summit of Mt. San Jacinto twice prior to this trip, but only from the Deer Springs Trail in Idyllwild, that is a very challenging on-trail trip. Our objective on this trip was quite different, it was to grab Jean Peak and Mount Marion summit via cross country navigation.