'Wine'~ Peak 7628 — Grizzly Ridge

Approach (the frst crux):

Start at the Island Peaks trailhead on the North Rim.

Multi-stage gully descent (rappels & scrambling):

1. First Gully:
   Descend to a large pine tree.

   • Option 1: set your first fixed line here.

   • Option 2: hike left (downhill on loose pine needles) for a safer anchor with less rockfall exposure.

2. First rappel:

   • 60m full rope length to the next tier.

3. Second anchor setup:
   Locate a solid crack on the left side.

   • Gear: 3 cams — 0.5, 0.75 ×2.

   • Rappel (~80 m): rope-shredding terrain. Use protection — we core-shot a line even with a rope protector.

   • Two 60m ropes may be better down this long stretch.

4. Final gully:
   Go down past a dead tree with thick branches, and enter a left-hand gully system.

   • Downclimb low 5th Class terrain trending down and then right to a cluster of chock stone boulders.

5. Last rappel:

   • descend a 60m fixed line down to the saddle below the peak.

From the saddle, climb up and over and down a short crumbly ridge to reach the start of pitch 1.

Pitch 1 – 5.5, 50m.

Follow a Z-shaped catwalk starting from a licheny terrace.

• Turn right along a tree-lined ledge, then cut left up a low-5th Class arête.

• Belay from a large tree.

  Expect rope drag no matter how you sling — it’s part of the fun.

Pitch 2 – 5.7 R, 40m.

This is the crux pitch.

• Steep, awkward movement through vegetation and loose blocks.

• The gear is solid but strenuous to place — you'll be climbing through bushes and suspect flakes.

• Belay from one of several solid trees beneath the upper slabs.

Pitch 3 – 4th to low 5th Class, 80 m.

Climb easy slabs, overgrown with scrub oak and lichen.

• Sparse protection.

• Trend up and right toward a false summit block.

Pitch 4 – 5.4, 20m.

From the false summit, make a short rappel into a notch. Then climb a mellow chimney to reach the true summit of Peak 7628.

⛓ Descent

Reverse the entire route. From the summit:

1. downclimb easy slabs to a small pine on the lower middle-right.

2. do a 60m rappel to another ledge.

3. Do a final 70m rappel from another pine that reaches the base.

The final crux where the real whining begins ~700 feet of jugging on your fixed lines to the top - this in part inspired the route's name: Wine.

Strong friends that don't whine, then wine. Bring both.

A singles rack to a 3 and a 70m rope.