In July 2005, while Fran and the kids were still in South Africa, Warren Teissier and I
took a few days off work and drove north to Wyoming to go climbing in the Cirque of the Towers
in the Wind River Mountains, followed by a couple of days' scrambling in the Tetons.


One of the many vibrant towns one passes through en route to the Wind Rivers

Warren at Big Sandy campground, the trailhead for the Cirque of the Towers

Hiking alongside the Big Sandy River on the way to the Cirque of the Towers

Warren next to Big Sandy Lake.

North Lake, another lake one passes on the way to the Cirque of the Towers

Warren and Arrowhead Lake, still partly frozen in mid-July

The Cirque of the Towers as seen from the pass above Arrowhead Lake.  From the left:  Pylon, South Watch Tower, Watch Tower, Shark's Nose, Overhanging Tower , Wolf's Head and Pingora.

Here I am next to Lonesome Lake and Mitchell Peak, just beside the Cirque of the Towers

Our camp in the Cirque.  Not visible in this picture are the hordes of mosquitoes that unfortunately infest the area at this time of year.

Warren starting out on the slabby first pitch of Pingora's north-east face

This pitch is rated 5.8, but the way we did it felt at least a grade harder.  It's also quite sparesly protected.

Warren higher up on the "grass tufts" pitch.  We found the climbing to be steep and sustained all the way to the top (10 or 11 pitches)

Warren approaching the summit of Pingora.  The peaks in the background are Warbonnet and the Warriors.

This is me on Pingora's summit.  In the backround are Overhanging Tower, Wolf's Head and Bollinger.

Warren on Pingora's summit.  We didn't see a single cloud the whole time we were in the Cirque, which is pretty amazing for mid-summer.

Three rappels down Pingora's south side take one to scrambling terrain.

Pingora as seen from the south shoulder.  The ascent route goes up the right-hand skyline (starting a lot lower down).

Warbonnet and Warrior I as seen from our campsite, in the late afternoon sun

We'd originally planned to do more climbing, but the mosquitoes were making life miserable, so we hiked out the next day.  Here's a farewell view of the Cirque.

We then drove north to Grand Teton National Park.  Here's the Grand Teton, Mt. Owen and Teewinot as seen from the AAC Climbers' Ranch.

The Middle Teton as seen from Garnet Canyon.

Our camp in Garnet Canyon.  We were feeling a bit tired after the past few days' exertions, so we opted for a scramble up the Middle Teton instead of a more intense climb up the Grand.

Warren hiking up a snowfield on the approach to the Middle Teton the following morning.

Here I am on the summit of the Middle Teton, with the south face of the Grand Teton towering up behind.

Warren descending the Middle Teton, with Icefloe Lake far below.

Moss campion (silene acaulis) on the upper slopes of  the Middle Teton

We drove home just as the weather was starting to change.  On the way back we
made a brief detour to drive up  Signal Mountain, from where one has a classic
panoramic view of the Grand Teton, Mt. Moran, and Jackson Lake in the forground.