A great trip with my college buddy - Klink - which stirred up so many memories of all my past Teton routes. One of the best, was climbing the classic North Ridge of the Grand, with Richard Wilmot, a South African that I climbed with the year before in Chamonix.
So far all is well. My flight to Dallas was on time, and if all goes well, I will be in the air in two hours, heading for Albany. WE HAD AN EXCELLENT TRIP.
Who knew? Every Tuesday in Jackson, during the summer, they have a low key bouldering competition. The $10 entry fee also includes pizza and soda. People - including middle schoolers - were nailing difficult problems.
Excellent but different sort of day. We spent a couple of hours at the national wildlife arts museum. Then a bit of walking around Jackson, and finally some time bouldering at the town park. (The park was tastefully done: one part great workout space, one part a history of Teton mountaineering, and one part a salute to those who have died in the mountains.
Yesterday was a rest day, we spent it reading, eating, and sightseeing in Yellowstone. We stopped along many pull-outs to take pictures, Lewis Lake Falls being a prime example. The highlight was Old Faithful and hiking along the boardwalk trail looking at the hot spring pools.
Today we biked just under 25k (out and back), as well as hiking 3k as we checked out the Jenny Lake boulders and Boulder City in between String Lake and the Cathedral group turnout. As per the stats for the week, I logged 14 hours, on 133k (110k bike and 23k), and 5550’ vertical gain.
Yesterday, we biked 35k - on clunkers - down to Mormon Row, a collection of buildings that remain from the 1890 farming community. The visibility continues to be compromised by western wildfires.
Yesterday we hiked up Signal Mountain, a nice modest outing with a wonderful trail and wonderful views. However, the fires further west continue and visibility was incredibly poor. Given the pictures below, it seems that we made the right decision not to go to Zermatt this summer.
Another warm sunny day, and we headed north on clunkers, riding the bike trail to Jenny Lake and then on to String Lake. A bit of a rest day, but we did manage 24k on the clunkers, and a couple of kilometers in, and around the shore of Jenny Lake.
Yesterday went well despite a night of crappy sleep, as I had shorts and a t-shirt on when I crawled into my bivy bag. (All was good until midnight when it had cooled off, but I was too lazy to dig out my warm clothes.) Still a bit hazy from the fires, but we had a nice 6.6k hike (2700’ vertical) up to the Rendezvous Lodge, and took the gondola down to Teton Village.
That Included arriving 90 minutes late, picking up the rental car and unpacking at the Climbers Ranch. Highlights in the first 24 hours included beers and dinner at Dornan’s, a 75 minute hike on the Taggart Lake trail, and a 2.5 hour/2700’ ascent to the Rendezvous Lodge. YAHOO!
Who knows; maybe I will dabble a bit on this trip! Getting inspired browsing through this book. As per my training, it was a good week. I logged just under 13.5 hours, on 140k (112k bike and 28k run), with just under 3500’ vertical, as well as some stretching and strength in the gym.
Most things are on track to reach my athletic goals for 2026-27, some just a bit ahead of schedule, while some are just off the mark. For instance, I am a bit behind on my yearly goal of 750 hours; but I am spot on for a total 200,000’ vertical gain; well ahead of my biking goal of 85 rides; and ahead of last year’s benchmark for strength, but I am still well off the goal of 75 workouts in 2027.
Yesterday - the last day of July - she sat down and made her “must do list” of chores for August. You can see her list on the clipboard, of course she had to reduce the font size so it would fit on one page. Well, she is not kicking back in her retirement!
However, I am super excited to be heading back to the Tetons, and Zermatt (with the traverse of all five Breithorn summits) is definitely on the agenda for 2027!
David Hochschartner (Hock)
The best place to stay when you are in the Grand Teton National Park! Ever since 1975 I have logged a lot of days in this special place.
On Monday - my usual rest day - I did the short hike up to the NCS Crag to shoot the breeze with the Treetops Expedition group. Mostly I was telling stories about my time - way back when - running that program, and hearing their tales about the White Mountains of New Hampshire. These last few days before my flight will be busy arranging things for the upcoming knee surgery after I return.
I made a quick trip over to the New Hampshire coast to visit with my two sisters, a cousin, a brother-in-law, and Lucy. A good trip, which cut down my volume on Friday and Saturday. However, I managed 10.5 hours of exercise, which included 105k (80k bike and 25k run), with 3000’ vertical, as well as a stretching session, and a strength workout.
Yesterday in stage 20, the riders passed over the Col du Galibier, just as they did in this 1911 photograph … it looked quite different in 2026!
https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/nadir-maguet-narrowly-misses-matterhorn-fkt.html
I hope I will embrace his surgery/attitude adjustment if I get a knee replacement this fall. https://fasterskier.com/2026/07/ben-ogdens-spring-of-silver-and-setbacks/
https://planetski.eu/2026/07/19/federal-approval-for-avalanche-drones-in-usa/
It seems there are a dearth of pictures of the likely senatorial candidate Troy Jackson. This AP photograph - with Lucy tugging her ear - is being used on television, local, and national news coverage.
I logged just over 14 hours, on 141.5k (123k bike, and 18.5k run), with 3900’ vertical gain, and two stretching sessions, as well as two strength workouts. (Starting my transition back to trail running and hiking, while cutting back on biking.)
Back in the day - mid 1980s - I managed to do it in just under 8 hours, including Hedgehog and Roostercomb, starting (and ending) from The Garden. I believe the current FKT is just under four hours.
Klink and I managed to get to the top of Little Whiteface in 1:46 (4k and 2200’); taking many pictures before we took the gondola down.
For my birthday, Selden totally surprised me, with a photograph my dad took in 1957 which she had restored. She got me a large copy, (beautifully framed), and also a plaque that paired it with a smaller - more recent - climbing picture from the alps!
Before the Prouty I was a bit worried I may have been cooked from my previous week’s big volume. However, the Prouty felt good, and I was able to work out on Sunday with no residual soreness or tiredness. Logging a solid 80k ride - just under 21kph - was one of my big goals for year. For the taper week, I logged 11.5 hours, on 162k (154k bike and 8k run), with 4100’ vertical gain. I also logged two stretching sessions and two strength workouts.
Great to see my college buddies; we had perfect weather; and I managed to average just under 21kph for the 81k ride. It played out more like an interval workout, as I often pedaled slowly hanging with one of my slower buddies and then charging hard on the hills. Great food and drink after the race, and then on the drive home, I stopped at the old fashioned Middlebury A&W Drive-In and had a root-beer float.
On my second trip to the Cordillera Blanca with Edward Kenney and Matt Hoffman, we climbed this gem. Although, Edward struggled with the altitude, later in the trip we were not able to get up Tocllaraju. After 4-5 trips to Peru, I am still hoping to go once more before I hang up my spikes.
Two very light sessions this week, but maybe I should have waited until after the Prouty. However, I do have another rest day planned for tomorrow, so I should be all right.
Cutting back on my volume so I can push the uphills on Saturday; since I am such a wimp, I’ll be riding the brakes on the downhills. (A few more pictures from our Trapp Family Lodge visit.)
Today, I helped out with Treetops Expedition: belaying, sharing stories from my time in the 1980s, and practicing placing and removing protection. A beautiful morning on Owls Head, and then an afternoon warmup with Stash and an exercise bike shakeout.
To visit with our grandkids in Vermont. It was my rest day; and looking over my log in the carI had a high volume tuneup week for the Prouty. I logged 16 hours, on 253k (246k bike and 7k run), with 3200’ vertical gain, three stretching sessions, and one strength workout.
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