WYOMING WHISKEY: Owen-Spalding Route

The Grand Teton

Lupine Meadows Sunrise

Lupine Meadows Trailhead

The endless switchbacks.

Bradley & Taggart Lakes

Middle Teton - center. Inside Garnet Canyon

Skiers did not find snow worth skiing.

Garnet Creek

Spalding Falls center-right. The Meadows Camping Zone is bottom left. The climbers' trail runs to the NE of Spalding Falls. Do not cross the creek during the summer to gain the Lower Saddle.

Take the switchbacks & stairs up to the top of Spalding Falls. They run below Disappointment Peak and its many 'arêtes'.

Foxes are a common sight around Jackson Hole but they haven't been a regular visitor to the trails around Garnet Canyon for a few years.

Looking back at the Meadows in Garnet Canyon. Seen from the North Fork.

Many of the camping spots in the Morainal Camping Zone are hard to locate. Some are near the trail but many are not. Looking East.

The Moraines Camping Zone. This is at the start of the zone.

Snowboards left at the Lower Saddle headwall.

Climbing up the LS's headwall.

View toward the Grand from the Lower Saddle.

Chockstone Chimney on far right. Owen-Spalding Couloir (drainage) on left. Go further up the drainage and turn east to reach the Briggs Slab once past the rock band to your right (the approach is a big U-Turn).

Climbers at the gap between the Upper & Lower Western Ribs. This is not the way to go - you can go that way, but it's not suggested.

View from the Central Rib's sloping bench. The bench is just the elevated slope above the drainage.

Three climbers were on top of the Middle Teton

Joe approaching the Black Rock Chimney

The easy way into the Central Rib's Black Rock Chimney is by this smooth slab. There's a short chimney a few feet from the north end of the slab. Climbers can also go closer to the drainage to the west and climb

the obvious black-colored rock. We avoid that option but it is used by a few climbers.

Access to the BRC.

The Central Rib's Black Rock Chimney

Wall Street as seen from the Central Rib after exiting the Black Rock Chimney.

Climbers coming off the scree above the Upper Western Rib.

Climbers resting at the Picnic Rock. Wall Street is sunlit in background.

Owen-Spalding Route

Click to enlarge

Looking down the northern side of the Upper Saddle toward Cascade Canyon.

Looking up toward the exposure we are about to traverse.

The Enclosure with Cascade Canyon in background.

The Belly Roll

The Crawl and the view toward the access into the Double Chimney.

Bypassing the First Entrance of the Double Chimney to access the Second Entrance. The First Entrance is rated higher than a 5.4 in my book. This is a very dangerous area when wet, icy or snow covered.

Joe is about to make the awkward move into the Second Entrance.

There are no bomber footholds right as you move into the Second Entrance when using the hand-in-crack traverse. You can also use the ledge below and climb a corner area near the photographer. With sticky climbing shoes, climbers will get a better friction-grip on dry rock.

Just inside the Second Entrance.

The flake that made two chimneys before it fell sideways.

Joe took the tunnel variation. I took the Open-V.

The tunnel is easier for many climbers but you still need to climb out of the Double Chimney.

The Owen Chimney

Sargent's Chimney

The Catwalk as seen from above (by the base of Sargent's Chimney) - see red/white dashes.

Entering Sargent's.

Sargent's Chimney

Alternate Exit (Hidden Exit) from Sargent's Chimney. The exit is just before the main chimney narrows midway. You exit to the north/northwest by a corner crack.

Sargent's Main Chimney. We're looking at climbers approaching the base of Sargent's.

Sargent's Rap - if you don't use the Hidden Exit variation.

Slabby Wall with big center crack.

The crack points toward the summit & back toward Sargent's

False summit above Slabby Wall - The Horse.

Bypassing the Slabby Wall and taking a 'switchback'.

Narrow ledge above Slabby Wall.

East Ridge

Smoke from prescribed burn near Two Oceans area.

Looking down on Garnet Canyon.

The final 100 feet to the summit.

Main Rappel to Upper Saddle

The Catwalk

Catwalk

Exiting the Catwalk's narrow north end.

Owen Chimney Bypass Chimney

Owen Chimney on left, Bypass Chimney on right.

The Crawl

Access area for the Double Chimney.

Looking back at the access to the Double Chimney

Staying close to the Central Rib during the descent to access the Black Rock Chimney.

Looking toward the Upper Western Rib.

Joe by the western side of the Central Rib (CR)

The upper entrance to the Black Rock Chimney is next to a drainage to the Wall Street Couloir / Exum Gully. Once you enter the BRC, you will be back on the western side of the ridgeline. See below.

Joe heading for the black Rock Chimney.

During the descent from the Upper Saddle, climbers stay on the western side of the Central Rib until they come across a jog in the ridgeline. At that point, climbers cross over to the eastern side of the ridgeline. The climber in the above photo is on the eastern side of the CR's ridgeline for a very short section of the Central Rib as he approaches the upper end of the Black Rock Chimney. To his east is a drainage toward the Wall Street Couloir (AKA: Exum Gully). During the descent, you will be hugging the western side of the Central Rib until you come to this 'break' - or jog - in the ridgeline. You will be on the eastern side of the ridgeline for a short distance - see footsteps in snow - and then you will be back on the western side of the ridgeline as you enter the Black Rock Chimney. You will exit the bottom of the BRC just before you are forced back to the eastern side of the ridgeline. You will exit down a 'ramp' to the west and then climb down a very short chimney by a smooth slab of vertical rock. See photos below.

Stay on the western side of the Central Rib as you move into the Black Rock Chimney. You're just below the ridgeline of the Central Rib.

BRC

Black Rock Chimney

The ledge/ramp/steps out of the Black Rock Chimney. After this ramp is a short climb down a chimney.

Short chimney at the exit off the BRC during the descent.

We avoid the green approach but there's no right or wrong way and conditions may force you to take alternate approaches to and from the Upper Saddle.

The Upper Crossover to Wall Street (UXM Route) is at the saddle in the upper left of the photo. The Lower Crosssover is just 'behind' the Needle and a short distance below the Upper Crossover.

The snow marks the way out of the Chockstone Chimney and toward the Eye of the Needle.

Belly Roll Almost (left). Snow leads out of the Chockstone Chimney and to the Eye of the Needle (natural tunnel).

Chockstone Chimney

Chockstone Chimney.

These climbers are taking the Runner's Slab. Another option is to climb down the corner directly behind them and take a ledge out of the chimney.

Exiting the CC midway.

Going under 'Belly Roll Almost' to access the Eye of the Needle.

The Briggs Slab is in the background.

Coming out of the south side of the EOTN.

Runner's Slab

Top of the CC

There is a hole midway in the CC by the midway-exits.

BE CAREFUL. Snow can hide it.

After climbing down a southern corner in the CC,

Joe exits below the Runner's Slab on a small ledge.

This is on the western side of the Needle. It's a natural drainage and often wet or icy. Even when icy or wet, it is often the best way down once past the Chockstone Chimney. You hug the wall of the Needle or stay close to it.

Once you clear the above drainage, you can take an upper ledge or lower ledge out to reach the Black Dike. Stay away from the main drainage area to the west - rockfall zone.