Heart of Gold

Overview

Heart of Gold is a nice 4 pitch 5.10A slab climb on Duty Dome. This route features interesting slab / thin face moves and good protection. Heart of Gold can also be linked up with Prime Rib on Warrior Wall above to make a 7 pitch 5.10B slab route.

Getting There

Drive up Icicle Creek Road until just before Icicle Buttress. You should be able to look up and see Duty Dome and Peakaboo Tower from here. Look for a climbers trail exiting into the woods to the West. Follow this path generally staying left at forks for approximately 20 to 30 minutes to reach the base of Duty Dome. Continue following the path along the southern edge of Duty Dome until you come to a cleared area next to a jagged roof with some bolts on the left side. This is the start.

Route Description

Pitch #1 - 5.8 - Traverse to the right above the jagged roof clipping several bolts as you go. Now climb straight up the slab following the path of no lichen and belay at the slings and bolts above. 130 feet

Pitch #2 - 5.4 - From the belay, head straight right going over the bulge with a couple small cam placements for protection. Now scramble past the tree and traverse the easy ledge still heading right to reach the anchor below the Heart of Gold slab pitch. 80 feet

Pitch #3 - 5.10A - This is the namesake Heart of Gold crux pitch, and is very nice. Start this pitch by first downclimbing then traversing to the right on some tricky thin moves. After clipping the first bolt, head directly up the thin and sustained slab until you reach the belay bolts above. 110 feet

Pitch #4 - 5.9 - Start this pitch by traversing to the right and pull over a bulge with a small cam placement for protection. Now head straight up the thin slab clipping several bolts as you go. Several tricky sections, but not as sustained as the previous pitch. 100 feet

If you want to continue up Prime Rib scramble up to the southern edge of Warrior Wall and look for the obvious delichened path.

For the descent you have 2 options:

#1 - Traverse to the south (your left) and scramble down a steep loose looking gully back to your packs.

#2 - Rappel the route, 2 ropes required. This is not a good option if climbers are below you as the rappel goes over loose terrain with a high potential for rockfall.

Essential Gear

1 each cams micro to 1"
10 draws or slings
1 or 2 50 meter ropes or longer
A helmet is strongly advised

External Links

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Images

View Heart of Gold Image Gallery - 5 Images