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Peak(s):  Gold Dust Peak  -  13,398 feet
Date Posted:  08/18/2014
Date Climbed:   08/15/2014
Author:  westernslope_roamer
 Best Approach   

The purpose of this report is to make clear that there is a better approach to Gold Dust than mentioned in other reports. These reports have climbers turning left off the Lake Charles trail at about 11,000' and bushwhacking up a stream that comes out of Negro Basin. Our group of five (three between 65 and 70!) did this, and the bushwhacking through dense vegetation and rough ground was no picnic. A far better approach is to hike up to the first part of Lake Charles. After attaining the lake, go a short distance and turn NE on top of a gentle ridge. There is almost a trail for the first few hundred yards. This is a comparative walk in the park except for a small ledge that can be easily surmounted. Keep going up until above tree line. Then, upon almost reaching the point where the ridge rises very steeply into a buttress, follow a contour around, north then NE, into Negro Basin. At this point, across the basin, you can see the obvious route up a vegetated slope. This slope is on the south side of the SW trending ridge coming off Gold Dust. After ascending this rather short slope you then have the long slog up steep, somewhat loose, medium-to-large-size talus that goes and goes. It's a slog.

It took our group 4 hrs. 40 mins. from the trailhead to the summit. On the way back we tried a route on the northern side of Negro Basin. This didn't work and we retreated back uphill to a point where we could descend a substantial ledge down into the main drainage coming out of the basin. This is the apparent standard approach to Gold Dust mentioned in most posted reports. We even saw a few cairns. It is really poor compared to the route described above.

Negro Basin is very pretty and would be a pleasant place to camp.



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