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ozzy
The hard way



Joined: 30 Jul 2015
Posts: 475 | TRs | Pics
Location: University place, wa
ozzy
The hard way
PostMon Sep 07, 2020 6:41 pm 
Wanting to do something a little more chill i chose Corteo pk as our next destination. Little did I know that this was a more serious endeavor! lol.gif Bryan was joining on this trip and my buddy from work, Dylan, would be as well. Dylan had only been on 2 previous trips with me, I knew he was capable but also knew this would be pushing his limits. We all met up in Tacoma around 3am and made it to the rainy pass trailhead around 7am. We were on trail shortly after. The miles went by quickly and by 830am we took a short break at maple pass. The views from the pass were amazing and I now understand why its such a popular hike just to here! From the pass we had an 'in your face' view of the wicked looking east face of Corteo! eek.gif dizzy.gif It was a rather imposing view and this was where Dylan started questioning his decision to partake in this voyage! moon.gif We assured him that it would probably be alright! dizzy.gif I was stoked to finally get a good look at this beast and i was a bit intimidated as well!
early trail
early trail
sun up
sun up
first views, maple pass and Corteo above
first views, maple pass and Corteo above
black pk
black pk
boys headin up to maple pass
boys headin up to maple pass
classic view of Corteo from pass
classic view of Corteo from pass
chillin out for the time being
chillin out for the time being
After eating and reading the east face for a viable route we dropped about 200ft from the pass and started towards the peak. We were able to find a boot path for most of the way. Once off the beaten path we saw no one! We aimed for a little ramp of sorts at 7000ft. This gave access to the SE ridge of Corteo. We climbed the brushy ledges up to 7200-7300ft then made our way out to the east face proper. We did a rising traverse to the face, we tried to go straight out to the face at the 7200ft mark but got cliffed out. Once on the east face the climbing got a little more serious. rocker.gif It's pretty easy to find solid rock but alot of it is downsloping slabs covered in gravel which adds to the spice. Dylan was a bit unnerved through here but he took his time and made it up like a champ! borank.gif The route was a kind of choose your own adventure up to the notch, we zigzagged most of the way up. We took a break at the notch and made the decision to drop down and do the west ledges route for Dylan's sake lol! The N ridge looked tempting though! The view from the notch is a classic north cascades view indeed! eek.gif
starting the traverse to Corteo
starting the traverse to Corteo
out to the south
out to the south
sweeet
sweeet
gettin closer
gettin closer
lookin back toward the pass
lookin back toward the pass
ooowwweeeee
ooowwweeeee
the ramp to gain the SE ridge, circa 7000ft
the ramp to gain the SE ridge, circa 7000ft
almost to the fun stuff
almost to the fun stuff
first 200ft up the ridge looked like this
first 200ft up the ridge looked like this
Dylan showing some enthusiasm lol
Dylan showing some enthusiasm lol
Dylan climbing some green
Dylan climbing some green
Bryan way down there
Bryan way down there
Bryan down a bit lower
Bryan down a bit lower
the notch amidst all the downward sloping shit
the notch amidst all the downward sloping sh##
view west from notch
view west from notch
Bryan making his way
Bryan making his way
closer
closer
a brief respite at the notch
a brief respite at the notch
After a 10min break we climbed up a little step from just south of the notch and took a ledge down onto the west face proper. The exposure is real through here for 200ft or so! We traversed ledges of the west face that led to a gully straight up to the summit a little over 100ft tall. The climbing was badass up here, class 3-4, and we soon found ourselves up top soaking in the sweeeet views!! rocker.gif We made the summit at 1pm. Dylan was overwhelmed rightfully so lol! breakdance.gif The comfortable summit was rather inviting so we lounged for almost 2hrs! We were all kinda uneasy for the downclimb but the views and whiskey took our feeble minds off of that! cheers.gif What a stellar place! I find myself drawn to this area more and more!
downclimb on the west side from notch
downclimb on the west side from notch
no fall zone from here for a couple hundred feet
no fall zone from here for a couple hundred feet
workin it
workin it
Dylan at the bottom of summit gully
Dylan at the bottom of summit gully
views to south, smoky
views to south, smoky
black pk from summit
black pk from summit
goode, Buckner, logan, and friends
goode, Buckner, logan, and friends
Bryan making the last little summit push
Bryan making the last little summit push
Dylan awestruck in so many ways
Dylan awestruck in so many ways
summit cairn
summit cairn
reg familiars
reg familiars
reg familiars
reg familiars
N and highway 20
N and highway 20
towards the east
towards the east
summit bum
summit bum
the bois takin it in
the bois takin it in
the 'cheers' shot
the 'cheers' shot
maple pass
maple pass
benzarino
benzarino
We departed said summit around 245pm. The downclimb went pretty easy despite our initial concerns. I actually enjoyed the ascent and descent of this gnarly little peak. It was just enough spice but not recommended for beginners lol! The views definitely never disappoint in this area either. We made it off all of the sketchy terrain in about 45mins then made the traverse back towards maple pass. We arrived at the pass around 5pm stoked to have made it back to trail again! borank.gif The rest of the way down was easy then about a mile from the car we sighted a bear! He was a big dude for sure! He got pretty close to the trail. We squeezed our way by then made the car around 630pm. Another great day to be alive! Cheers to 2 awesome partners and the rest of yall!
coming down the summit block
coming down the summit block
easy does it
easy does it
exposure on the west ledges
exposure on the west ledges
yewww
yewww
almost back to the notch
almost back to the notch
comin down from the notch
comin down from the notch
finally off the nasty stuff
finally off the nasty stuff
off of the beast for good
off of the beast for good
the pass all lit up
the pass all lit up
Dylan stoked
Dylan stoked
awesome peak
awesome peak
maple pass chillness
maple pass chillness
yea buddy
yea buddy
lake Ann
lake Ann
cotton balls
cotton balls
the fatty bear
the fatty bear

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I wanna have my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames”-Mr Mojo Risin
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Chief Joseph
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Joined: 10 Nov 2007
Posts: 7676 | TRs | Pics
Location: Verlot-Priest Lake
Chief Joseph
Member
PostMon Sep 07, 2020 7:14 pm 
Simply Awesome! up.gif

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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NBL
West Seattle Based



Joined: 08 Sep 2020
Posts: 44 | TRs | Pics
Location: 98126
NBL
West Seattle Based
PostThu Sep 10, 2020 8:15 am 
I've never even heard of this peak! It looks like a spicy lap for sure. I frequently question my decision making skills when things get spicy like your friend Dylan but things usually work out!

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Andy D.
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Joined: 19 Apr 2004
Posts: 209 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bow, WA
Andy D.
Member
PostFri Sep 11, 2020 7:30 am 
Sweet! Awesome pictures, I always thought Corteo was a cool looking peak. I wouldn't have thought about coming up that east face, looks like an exciting route eek.gif I came up the west ridge from Black and remember doing a super sketchy traverse across that E face in the spring on soft snow then rocketing down that deep gully on my butt dizzy.gif Can't say I recommend that!

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