If you're looking for grandeur, it's here. If you're looking for solitude, keep looking, the place is packed.

I highly recommend the "Teton Classics" by Richard Rossiter and the "Alpenglow" route description pamphlets.

Stay at the Climber's Ranch if you can.

We just happened to be there on the centennial of the First Ascent of the Owen Spalding route which was Aug. 11, 1898.

We planned a leisurely trip of 5 days and 4 nights to climb the Middle and the Grand and maybe a rock route or two. Since we weren't using a guide service it meant lugging some pretty heafty (60+ lb) packs. You can use a guide, zoom up to the Lower Saddle with a light pack, bag a peak and zoom out or you can take your time and REALLY experience the back country. Got to see things such as bears, marmotts chewing up the zoomers' packs and Volkswagon sized boulders crashing down off the Middle. We'll stick to our self-guided experiences.

On our way out I told Kyle that seeing a bear would really round out our trip. I'll be damned if it wasn't 15 minutes later on the Lupine trail a huge cininamon-colored black bear appeared on the trail 40 ft. in front of us. His hair was so shiny and fluffy it looked like he just had a shampoo. He took about 3 steps in our direction, veered downhil off the trail about 20 ft. and stopped to eat more berries. Pat later told us he encountered a grizzly cub sitting right next to the trail in the same area. He thought for a bit and decided to quietly continue on past the cub. He never saw momma.

We never did any rock routes. Maybe it's because we had our fill in the Black Hills the previous week.