First I parked at the Baldy chair lift and huffed my way up the gully. I tried to stay off the use trail and stick to the rock-strewn streambed--for optimal foot placement.
Met a dude and his kid in the gully. They turned around when the going got super steep.
Downed some fluids at the Notch. Lots of work going on there, some with heavy equipment.
View of Gold Ridge from the Notch.
Over at the Desert View junction, I turned right and soon left the road, jumping onto the ridge before the reservoir.
Up here it was a bit cold with periodic wind that chilled me to the bone. The reservoir was full.
After the reservoir I hopped back on the ridge. This part was pretty steep, but had some cool, gnarled trees.
The next section flattened out for a stretch, and the views of Telegraph started really popping.
Another brief drop alongside the road, then I was climbing again.
Only a little snow, mostly off to the side of the ridgetop. It was melting fast.
At last I reached the top of Gold Ridge, which I believe begins down in Miners Bowl. So I didn't really climb Gold Ridge. I merely got to its highpoint the sort of hard, roundabout way.
Someone uses Gold Ridge Highpoint for their own personal party spot.
I helped myself to one of their beers and enjoyed it on the service road back to the Notch.
