Trio have the climb of their lives on Grand Teton

I knew we had taken a wrong turn when we came to a 1,200-foot drop.

Dead end.

With winds beating on my four layers of clothing and my muscles complaining about working overtime, I looked across the canyon to the place we were supposed to be.

My heart sank. On a wall of sheer rock, I saw several mountain guides urging a group across a small ledge.

That's where we're going?

I would have turned back right then if it weren't for my climbing companions: my husband, Jonathan, and our friend Dave Wright, who had spent months preparing for this journey to the top of the Grand Teton.

I couldn't let them down.

The challenge

Our decision to climb the tallest peak in Wyoming's Teton mountain range had come about a year before. The three of us - Dave from Palatine and Jonathan and I from Rolling Meadows - are certified rock-climbing instructors for the Boy Scouts. We were looking for a challenge a bit different from the cliffs of Devil's Lake in Wisconsin.

This adventure would be a mix of trail hiking and technical climbing with ropes, harnesses, cams and carabiners. It would be a high-altitude climb in a setting with panoramic views and unpredictable weather. We chose the simplest, most popular route, the Owen-Spalding, named for early mountaineers William Owen and Franklin Spalding, who have claim on the first ascent in 1898.

What's striking about the Teton Range is how abruptly it rises from the valley. There are no foothills leading up to it. Starting 17 million years ago, earthquakes along the Teton fault caused the mountains to rise while the valley floor dropped. Glaciers carved the peaks, and still today they feed the clear blue lakes nestled in the range.

The relatively young mountains form a jagged skyline, one of the most picturesque in the nation. The Grand Teton is the tallest peak at 13,770 feet above sea level, or more than a mile up from the valley floor.

Grand Teton National Park draws 2.5 million visitors each year. Young and old come for river rafting, hiking, boating, camping, wildlife viewing, biking, fishing and skiing. Nearby Jackson is a lively tourist town with plenty to do for the less adventuresome.

Starting out

Dave, 60, and an avid marathoner, became our frontman, taking on the research for our journey up the "Grand." We discovered that most novice mountaineers sign up with a guided group to climb the Teton peaks, but with our technical know-how, we were confident we could strike out on our own. Still, for some peace of mind, Dave enrolled in a two-day course offered by a local outfitter, and Jonathan and I met up with him for the climb.

Our summit trip would take three days. That gave us an entire day to hike seven miles to the moraine, where we would camp for two nights.

With 30- to 40-pound packs on our backs, we started at 8 a.m. at the Garnet Canyon trailhead. The hike was tough at spots, but the trail was well-marked and the scenery breathtaking. At one point, a mule deer came within a few feet of us. We were favored with a cool, sunny August day, but because afternoon storms are a fact of mountaineering life, we knew we couldn't dawdle.

On our way up we met several people coming down from the summit. Some tour groups make the entire trip in a single day, leaving at 3 a.m. and returning by late afternoon. Our age - I'm 44 and Jonathan is 46 - and our inexperience told us to spread it out a little.

Seven hours later and several blisters later, we reached the moraine at 10,700 feet. There were no trees at this campsite - just us, the boulders and the incessant wind. We pitched our tent quickly and climbed in as snow began evolving into hail. After a nap and a quick dinner, we were asleep before dark.

Summit day started at 5 a.m. We filled our daypacks with water bottles, snacks, maps and climbing gear, threw the ropes over our shoulders and started off. Now the trail was more elusive, so Dave checked his maps frequently. We tried to follow tour groups when we could, but they always seemed to pass us handily. At one point we took a wrong turn and reached a dead end. That lost us about 45 minutes.

At two places along the Owen-Spalding route climbers face major exposure: the self-descriptive Crawl and the Belly Roll. Once we arrived at those points, we found they weren't as treacherous as they had looked earlier from across the canyon. We roped up and belayed one another; there was plenty of room to scoot across the ledge on all fours. But I didn't dare look at the 1,500-foot drop beside me.

The summit was close, but now we were racing the clouds. No climber wants to be on top of a mountain when a thunderstorm rolls in. We used all our gear to climb up the 60-foot Sergeant's Chimney, then faced another 300 feet of scrambling to the top.

I say scrambled because that's what we had to do. While the top of a mountain might look smooth from the valley, it's really made up of huge boulders piled on one another. It takes some deft footwork to negotiate them, especially in icy conditions.

Just after noon we reached the peak. Stunning views north and south showed the entire Teton range. East and west were valleys, ribbons of roads and tiny lodges. Being at the highest point for hundreds of miles gave me a feeling of power and accomplishment, but at the same time there was a dose of humility at my seeming insignificance among all this bigness.

After a few high-fives, a short rest and a snack, we were on our way again. The trip down was easier - gravity was in our favor, and we were able to bypass parts of the trail with two long rappels with anchors already set up for climbers. By 5 p.m. we reached our camp. The adrenaline let down, and we could barely move.

Our third and final day was all downhill. The packs were a bit lighter, as were our spirits. All trip long, I had hoped to see just one bear. A quarter mile from the parking lot, there he was, about 25 yards from the trail, not even remotely interested in us gawkers. I snapped a picture, which showed only a blur of brown and black fur, but my goal had been achieved.

Grubby and physically spent, we drove into Jackson and met family members at Bubba's Bar-B-Que for ribs. There were stories to share.

I would do two things differently, were I to go back for more. One would be to take more water. Jonathan was dehydrated to the point of dizziness by the end of the second day. We had purification pills, but there was no water source once we left base camp.

Also, being slow first-timers, we should have gotten up earlier on summit day. Even an hour would have helped.

So, would I do it again? I'd have to say no - at least not without a guide. I felt awfully vulnerable at times, thinking about the children I still have to raise as I teetered on boulders and shivered in the 30-degree temperatures. It was equally exhilarating at other times, however, and once you've summited, there's nothing like feeling on top of the world.

If you go

Go: If you're physically fit and want to go beyond just hiking in the mountains

No: If you're afraid of heights and don't like the outdoors

Need to know: Grand Teton National Park, (307) 739-3300, www.nps.gov/grte

Getting there: You can fly into Jackson Airport; United has a nonstop flight from O'Hare. Or take a road trip; Grand Teton National Park is about 1,400 miles from Chicago.

Guides and training: Several outfitters offer training courses and guided tours to the peak. Here are two:

Exum Mountain Guides: Climbing instruction, Level I, $130 per person. Two-day Grand Teton climbs start at $645 per person. Advance reservations are required and spaces fill months in advance. Reservations for the summer already are being taken. Reservations: (307) 733-2297, www.exumguides.com.

Jackson Hole Mountain Guides: Basic Climbing course, $130. (Private classes available for $295.) Kids Rock! Course, $100. Two-day Grand Teton Climb, $595 per person. Reservations: (800) 239-7642, www.jhmg.com.

Age restrictions: The climbing tours have no specific age limitations; guides have taken children as young as 10 and adults as old as 70.

Coping with altitude: Getting there a few days early will acclimatize you to the thinner air and make you feel less tired.

Where to stay: The park offers lodges and cabins ((866) 875-8456, www.nationalparkreservations.com), and Jackson, Wyo., has many hotels ((800) 225-5996, www.wyomingtourism.org).