Glacier Mountaineering Society

Sat, Aug 20 2011 - Grinnell Mountain Traverse (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		David Koel
Participants:		Alan Wiley, David Koel, John Oliver Ellis

Write Up:
Leaving the Loop at 7:40am, the adept 3-person group consisted of Alan Wiley, John Ellis, and David Koel. We modified the trip's original intent of ending up at Many Glacier Hotel, determining instead to create a loop return. Moving at a good pace, we quickly attained the Grinnell Glacier Overlook on the Garden Wall, then proceeded across the small cliffs to the saddle, where we were rewarded with a spectacular ridge walk to the summit of Grinnell Mountain. Our descent was westward, dropping into the Swiftcurrent Glacier basin. We crossed the glacier and stayed high enough to rapidly slip over the Garden Wall east of the pass, and dropped down to the Highline Trail once again, for the hot trail descent back to the Loop by about 4:45pm. Overall, the group agreed that this was one of the most elegant and beautiful mountaineering traverses we've ever completed, and well worth the trip!

Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Tim Anderson at twamontana@gmail.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.