![]() We reached the divide and were on top of the world with stunning snow covered peaks in all directions. She admitted that she wouldn’t have done that alone and thanked us for our company. She had about 3 inches on me, and she must have been made of pure courage. Behind me, Erin took her turn, and I was very surprised by how easy she made it look. Based on how nervous he was, I almost figured I wouldn’t be able to make it across, but with a whole lot of courage and knowing that if I were to freeze up at any point, I’d be done for, I made a butt slide followed by a few steps that were way too large for my comfort and way too unstable for my comfort. John went first, scrambling across a few small but very sketchy crevasses where a wrong step on a loose rock could send you tumbling many feet down. Most of the rock was loose rock to make things more interesting. Right before the top of the divide was a very sketchy spot where there was a patch of snow that was practically vertical and there were rocks all around it, also practically vertical. We had almost made it to the top when Erin said something along the lines of “we made it!” But, she spoke too soon. This was obviously a well traveled trail since each time the trail passed through a patch of snow, there were well defined, easy to follow footprints which made it absolutely unnecessary to wear crampons or take out the ice axe. I told her if it made her feel more comfortable, we could walk in front of her, and make sure there were good footsteps in the snow, and she could always turn around when she felt uncomfortable.Īs we climbed, there were patches of snow, but nothing like what I had expected. I was glad to have mine anyway just in case.Įrin had no ice axe or crampons, and had also been told beforehand that she probably wouldn’t be able to make it to the pass without that gear, but decided she would just go as far as she could and turn back. We wondered what that meant, but he told us we probably wouldn’t need our ice axes. We crossed paths with a backcountry ranger, and asked him what the divide was like, and he told us there were a few “tricky moves” near the top. As we approached Holly Lake, got chatting and found out that her name was Erin, and she was a traveling nurse with some time off between jobs. We weren’t the only ones out, we kept leap frogging another girl who was hiking solo up the canyon. ![]() We got to the String Lake parking area and got moving up Paintbrush Canyon.Īs we climbed, the miles went by faster than I had anticipated. I was a bit nervous about how long these 19 miles would take, but I was also glad to have been able to sleep in slightly for a change. The morning of our hike, we got a fairly late start. I’m sure this isn’t kind of phone calls most mothers are used to getting, but within a few days she had found an appropriate sized box and posted the items in the mail. Since we failed to pack this gear, we asked John’s mother if she could kindly send it to us in the mail, since we left those items behind. ![]() Lorraine and Orrin Bonney suggested naming this peak "Mount Fryxell," although as of this writing, this is an unofficial eponym for Peak 11270.Before heading out on this 19 mile loop, we were advised that ice axes and maybe even crampons would be necessary for Paintbrush Divide, which is a high elevation pass that allows you to travel from Paintbrush Canyon over to Cascade Canyon. I urge readers to learn more about this remarkable man. ![]() With Robert Underhill, he made the first ascent of the North Ridge of the Grand Teton, and the first ascent of Mount Owen with Underhill, Ken Henderson, and Phil Smith. He obtained a Ph.D in Geology from the University of Chicago. The Leaping Dear Couloir is climber's left (South) of the summit.Įlevation gain from parking lot to summit is roughly 4100 feet.įritiof Fryxell (1900-1986) was a true alpine hard man, as well as Grand Teton National Park's first official naturalist. The Northeast Couloir route ascends the large snow slope and couloir just North of the Summit of Mt Fryxell. There are couloirs on either side of the summit. You will be able to easily see the mountain and the route from here. Hike roughly 5.5 miles to elevation roughly 10300 ft., in upper Paintbrush Canyon. Hike up Paint Brush Canyon until you see Mt Fryxell (Peak 11270 on USGS Mt Moran 7.5 minute quad) which is just South of Paintbrush Divide. Start hike at either Jenny Lake or String Lake Trailhead. ![]()
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