Helicopter Rescue on Mt. MoranMay 4

Alison and I wanted to return to the CMC Route on Mt Moran and get some more photos and studies done for paintings. Little did we know she would be flying off the mountain in a helicopter. But I’m ahead of myself…

Kynada Aldrich was with us on the trip. We canoed across Leigh Lake in the morning and stashed our canoes at the bottom of the long, broad coulior coming off Falling Ice Glacier. The first part is straight up.

So are all the other parts…

We finally reached the CMC Camp about noon. Although we were there at the same time as last year, there was no water in the stream this year.

I left the camp to bivouac up near Drizzlepus, where I wanted to do some pastels. I had a Jetboil to cook, a sleeping bag, ground pad and bivy sack, my camera and art supplies and all I would need for the next day’s climb. The gals would leave camp about 3 AM the next morning and catch up with me.

I caught the evening views..        

and the dawn views… and got two pastels done, just finishing up as Alison and Kynada arrived.

We had a marvelous climb of the CMC Route.

and reached the summit about 2 PM.

On the way down I stopped to do another pastel of a view that I wanted to do a painting of, which features the West Horn and the Falling Ice Glacier with the lakes and valley below…

The pastel was quickly done but invaluable for color.

The painting, done in the studio looks like this        

But on with the story…

To drop into the notch between Drizzlepuss and Unsoeld Tower I was working my way down the shoulder with Kynada following, and Alison decided to drop over the side onto a steep face which she had climbed up earlier that day and considered a reasonable solo. However, halfway down the face she lost her grip and went down, falling 15 feet, breaking an ankle and then going backwards and upside down towards the steep south side of the notch. I saw this from where I was on the shoulder and it was a horrible moment for all of us indeed. Thank God she stopped and was conscious, though bleeding from numerous cuts and abrasions.   

We did a primary survey and stopped the bleeding. Then we determined that if Alison was able to get up and over the steep face of Drizzlepuss then we could get her to the bivouac where, with the sleeping bag and stove it would be a fairly comfortable night until we could get help. Also if we need a chopper there was no way one could have gotten her out of the notch. We roped up and began the climb up the 100 foot face of the Drizz, me double belaying- Alison and Kynada so that Kynada could assist.

We spent the night fairly comfortably at my bivy site. With the sleeping pad and bag and a jet boil we were able to melt snow for water. The next morning at dawn some climbers came by, one of which was a physician and the other an EMT. They examined Alison’s ankle and suggested we call for a helicopter. They also had a cell phone, which I never carry, being old school. (I was planning to climb out and alert the Climbing Rangers, that method costing us 4 hours at least.) The Rangers were there with a chopper within 30 minutes to survey the scene. Then they flew back, picked up the personel and gear they would need and returned with two rangers hanging off the end of a cable. They were let down and immediately began a full survey of the patient, right down to glucose levels. Alison was attached to the cable with one of the rangers and flew off toward the Meadow Ranger Headquarters where there was an ambulance waiting. This method is called the ‘short haul’. I gave Alison the camera to take some once in a lifetime pictures…..

The other ranger and Kynada and I had to take the traditional way back, going at a sprint the whole way to keep up with the ranger. When we got back to Jackson Alison had already been released from the hospital and was recuperating at Dave and Theresa Hunger’s. She had a removable cast on her right foot, which the doctors said was a hairline fracture. Within three weeks she was trekking out to remote villages in Rwanda, but that’s another story…

May 4, 2009 at 1:33 pm | General | 2 comments

Alpine ClubMay 4

The Alpine Club is the first club of its kind, founded in 1857 in London. They have a collection of 600 artworks on the subject of mountaineering, extending back to the 18th century. A nice assortment has been compiled by Peter Mallelieu, the “Keeper of the Pictures” and featured in the book The Artists of the Alpine Club. 

These are some pieces of mine in consideration for a group show at the Alpine Club in London, November 2009 – February 2010.

They are mostly smaller works, done on location while climbing in the Tetons.

This pastel, 9 x 12 in. was done from Hurricane Pass on the west side of the Tetons. The fierce aspect of the Grand presented from that side is what the Langford party encountered in 1872. A branch of the Hayden survey, they were camped in Teton Canyon when they decided to make for the summit of the Grand and left with a party of 14, passing near Hurricane Pass. Only two of the original party remained when they reached the summit, and their summit claim has been disputed right up to this day.

This view is from the Upper Saddle of the Grand, looking south over the Middle Teton. All parties on the easiest approach, the Owen Spalding Route will go by here. The last 600 feet to the summit propose the technical challenges of the climb: ‘The ‘Belly Roll’, the ‘Crawl’  and the overhanging rock in the chimney, pitches that all involve terrific exposure. Langford’s failure to describe these unique features, the absence of evidence on the summit, and his description of features that seem improbable is what has lent credence to his detractors. Billy Owen made a lifetime career out of discrediting Langford and advancing his own 1898 ascent as the first. 

Members of the Alpine Club were in the area with the intent to climb the Grand prior to 1898. In 1878 James Eccles , with his Swiss guide, Michel Payot lost their opportunity when several mules strayed away and had to be found. Being with the Hayden Survey they had to continue on to Yellowstone, and so lost the window. Another member, William Baillie-Grohman was in Jackson Hole in 1880 on a hunting trip and considered the prospect of summiting the Grand to be a ‘mere trifle’ . However he procrastinated his climb until a forest fire forced evacuation of the area.

This is the view from the summit of the Grand, showing Teewinot below. I have done three pastel studies from the summit, used as inspiration for this 9 x 12 in. oil, completed in the studio. At 13770 feet the solar intensity was such that my dark pastels were very hot to the touch.

This 9 x 12 pastel was done on a spring day at Delta Lake, looking up at the East Ridge of the Grand, 4770 feet above. I had only intended to do a short hike to a spot where I did a pastel of Teewinot Falls. The day being pleasant I wandered up for a few hours more to this spot and was so inspired I had to do a picture. Since I was out of food and and was tired I didn’t feel up to the task. However I’d forgotten my camera, so I knew whatever image I brought back would be what I could do in a couple of hours with my pastels. I was so thrilled to catch a nice image my elation was hardly dimmed by the fact that my van wouldn’t start when I made it back to the parking lot. Some critter had chewed through my fuel line and all the gas was spilling on the ground!

This pencil study is the view from the summit of Teewinot. As the notes say on the sketch, “One of the finest views in the world.” You are looking directly across to the North Face of the Grand. I have in mind to do an oil of this view, 108 x 26 in. I have some pastel studies done from the summit to help with the colors.

This view is from the third Switchback on the trail to Garnet Canyon. Its a very popular trail for climbers and day hikers. Most parties climbing the Grand go this way. This is the only oil shown here that was done on location. Its 9 x 12 in.

This view of the Grand is from the north, from along the CMC Route of Mt. Moran. I bivouacked at this spot to get some pastels done in the evening and dawn light. The next day, my wife Alison and a friend came up to meet me and we continued on to the summit of Moran. On the descent Alison fell and got a fracture in her ankle, and several nasty cuts and bruises, which necessitated our using the bivouac again that night. Fortunately I had a pretty comfy bivy, what with a Jetboil, a sleeping pad and  bag. The next morning a cell phone call alerted the Climbing Rangers, who very kindly got a short haul helicopter rescue in progress. (See “Helicopter rescue on Mt. Moran”)

This is the view from the CMC Route on Moran, high above Falling Ice Glacier, which is guarded by the East and West Horns. This is a 14 x 36 in. study done in the studio from photos and a pastel  done on location. I liked the directional slant of the right foreground rocks which lead the eye into the background. But I put grass in to get some more color, scale and texture….

Here is a studio shot of me working on the larger version of “CMC Route, Mt. Moran”. On the left is the ‘before grasses shot.’

This 16 x 16 oil shows the East and West horns from below.

This view from the Middle Teton shows the South Ridge of the Grand where most of the climbing is done. I have done several studies and one 54 x 72 oil. This is the ‘Yellow Version’ of the view, 9 x 12 in, done somewhat with Joseph Turner in mind.

May 4, 2009 at 1:30 pm | General | 3 comments