Chip
Well-known member
6-25-07: Disappointment Peak (11,618') Tetons, WY
After a 2am alarm and a 21 hour travel day with my family on 6-24 we arrived safely in Jackson, WY. Lunching at the Cadillac Grille (excellent Won Ton Cigars and Mango Sorbet), shopping, walking and dinner at The Snake River Brewing Co.(excellent Game Chili and beers) helped us sleep well. The alarm rang at 4am on 6-25. My wife and boys had to get up to drive me to the Exum Guides office at South Jenny Lake for a 5:00 start. There I met my Guide, Brian Brechwald , completed the "Death is Possible" paperwork and headed back to our rental SUV for a quick drive south to Lupine Meadows Trailhead. I remembered then that it was my wife's Birthday, so we all, including Brian, sang ! HA ! A good way to start any day. At 5:30 Brian and I were hiking and my wife and boys were heading back to bed.
Disappointment Peak sits in front of Grand Teton and is often obscured by the surrounding major peaks.
This was my first experience with a professional guide. I imagine good Guides are good and learned Brian was probably better. He covered all the necessary "what, why and how's" as we made our way out of the valley. Moose, WY sits at about 6400' so this would be a hike of about 5200' gain in about 5 1/2 miles, 11 miles round-trip.
In a short distance we spotted a sleepy Bull Moose watching the sun rise in the shadows.
Soon after a young buck was not bothered by our passing. We were chased for quite a distance by a protective Sage Grouse before arriving at Surprise Lake. After a quick break we soon arrived at Amphitheater Lake where the mountains began to reveal themselves. Brian led the way as we crossed snow fields in the rising temps and altitude. Views of the valley below were fantastic on this clear day.
This hike included some scrambling, notably through a chalkstone chimney and two technical sections where I was belayed by Brian.
Pictures here can not do the tiny summit of Disappointment justice. It's a small area that drops precipitously hundreds of feet into a gap before the rise to Grand Teton. .
"The first ascent party included Phil Smith and Walter Harvey. They thought the Grand Teton could be climbed directly from Amphitheater Lake. When they reached the summit of Disappointment Peak they encountered the huge gap that seperates the two mountains. They named the mountain Disappointment Peak when they were unable to continue any farther because of the cliff on the mountain's west face."
At 10:15 we summited and took several quick pics of the surrounding peaks as temps were low and winds were high.
We began our decent at 10:35; occasionally roped, often scrambling and then hiking into the Teton valley. We were calling my wife at 1 for a trailhead pick-up at 2.
This was an awesome day.
There's a few more pics in my Hiking Photos link.
After a 2am alarm and a 21 hour travel day with my family on 6-24 we arrived safely in Jackson, WY. Lunching at the Cadillac Grille (excellent Won Ton Cigars and Mango Sorbet), shopping, walking and dinner at The Snake River Brewing Co.(excellent Game Chili and beers) helped us sleep well. The alarm rang at 4am on 6-25. My wife and boys had to get up to drive me to the Exum Guides office at South Jenny Lake for a 5:00 start. There I met my Guide, Brian Brechwald , completed the "Death is Possible" paperwork and headed back to our rental SUV for a quick drive south to Lupine Meadows Trailhead. I remembered then that it was my wife's Birthday, so we all, including Brian, sang ! HA ! A good way to start any day. At 5:30 Brian and I were hiking and my wife and boys were heading back to bed.
Disappointment Peak sits in front of Grand Teton and is often obscured by the surrounding major peaks.
This was my first experience with a professional guide. I imagine good Guides are good and learned Brian was probably better. He covered all the necessary "what, why and how's" as we made our way out of the valley. Moose, WY sits at about 6400' so this would be a hike of about 5200' gain in about 5 1/2 miles, 11 miles round-trip.
In a short distance we spotted a sleepy Bull Moose watching the sun rise in the shadows.
Soon after a young buck was not bothered by our passing. We were chased for quite a distance by a protective Sage Grouse before arriving at Surprise Lake. After a quick break we soon arrived at Amphitheater Lake where the mountains began to reveal themselves. Brian led the way as we crossed snow fields in the rising temps and altitude. Views of the valley below were fantastic on this clear day.
This hike included some scrambling, notably through a chalkstone chimney and two technical sections where I was belayed by Brian.
Pictures here can not do the tiny summit of Disappointment justice. It's a small area that drops precipitously hundreds of feet into a gap before the rise to Grand Teton. .
"The first ascent party included Phil Smith and Walter Harvey. They thought the Grand Teton could be climbed directly from Amphitheater Lake. When they reached the summit of Disappointment Peak they encountered the huge gap that seperates the two mountains. They named the mountain Disappointment Peak when they were unable to continue any farther because of the cliff on the mountain's west face."
At 10:15 we summited and took several quick pics of the surrounding peaks as temps were low and winds were high.
We began our decent at 10:35; occasionally roped, often scrambling and then hiking into the Teton valley. We were calling my wife at 1 for a trailhead pick-up at 2.
This was an awesome day.
There's a few more pics in my Hiking Photos link.
Last edited:
