One of the trips that I look forward to every year is the annual sojourn down to Southern California with the Navy. We fly down to the garden spot of El Centro to take advantage of the good weather and flying conditions down there as opposed to the usually nasty and rainy weather up here. This year was no exception. Our average temperature was around 75 degrees, and we did not see a drop of rain.



It's not raining!



Great views!

One of my annual traditions while in Southern California is climbing Picacho Peak. This impressive looking volcanic plug is off in the desert along the Arizona border next to the Colorado River. When first sighted, it looks like there is no easy way up the peak, but it turns out that a series of ledges can be followed to the summit. For this trip Holli and I had two others, Shrivel and Skirt.

Sunset in the desert



Picacho from the approach road

The peak is approached via a thirty mile dirt road from Yuma Arizona that continually grows rougher and rougher. The rocks on this road are very damaging to tires, as proven by our flat. Perhaps if we had been driving slower we could have arrived intact. Near the Colorado River, this road is left for a three mile off road route that leads to the base of the peak following some old mining tracks and washes. Seeing as how we had used up our spare already, we decided to walk this section. After our scenic trek through the desert, we arrived at the scrambling section.

Flat tire



Picacho Peak up close

The approach is through a wash surrounded by interesting volcanic formations. A gulley is taken up between the peak and a sub-peak, then ledges are scrambled to the false summit. Two spots where technical climbing would be required are passed by ladders. Yes! Not quite an Italian via ferrata, but a welcome addition. The ladder passes a section that goes at 5.9 with marginal pro. I’ll take the ladder, thanks. At the false summit, a blocking spire must be topped and rappelled to reach the true summit. On the way to the summit, the ropes are left on the final rappel to facilitate the return. This climb goes at 5.8 with difficult pro, so the top-rope option is the best.

Ladders are us!

Rappeling down the spire

At the summit, the views of the surrounding desert and Colorado River were outstanding. A fun top-rope up and rappel down the spire led us back to the ladders. All in all, a very fun and moderate route up an improbable looking peak in a scenic area. Highly recommended!



Summit shot with the Colorado River

Great view from Picacho

Also, on the to-do list while in Southern California is a stop by Joshua Tree National Park. The park is located north of Palm Springs, and is an unique place of over 5000 climbing routes in two desert ecosystems. The rock is exceptionally good with most climbs having short or no approaches. The climbs are usually single pitch, although a few quality multi-pitch climbs do exist. The majority of the moderate climbs are traditional or mixed, and even the high end bolted climbs are known for having no bolted belays at the top of the formations. The park can get crowded during the high seasons on the weekends, and a campsite in the park can be hard to acquire. In fact, if you are a climber and have a campsite, if another group of climbers asks to stay with you, it is common courtesy to let them. Many campsites are next to climbs, and if the campsite next to your selected climb is occupied, you must first get the permission of the occupant to climb. We did this much to the chagrin of a certain camper, who at first gave his permission, but later informed us that there were a million other places to climb and wondered why we had to pick that one. He became mollified after I gave him a detailed explanation of the ratings and protection.



Mid climb on Fote Hog

The Headstone.  A J Tree must do!

We started off on a 5.6 “warm-up” climb. The moderate climbs in Joshua were mostly put up in the 70s or 80s by hardmen when the grading system was more limited. As a result, it seems that the climbs below 5.9 are hard for the grade. After flailing on an overhung 5.6, we moved on to some of our favorites:

Sunset in the desert

Holli on the Headstone arete

White Lightening: The crux is right off the deck, but the climbing is consistently fun and challenging. Bring a lot of pro.
The Headstone: Another difficult 5.6 up the aręte, and a fun 5.8 up the face. A must do on every visit to the park.
Sail Away: A very aesthetic formation. Good pro.
Double Dogleg: Just downright fun!
Classic Corner: A great layback exercise. Escape the crowds and tick the Aiguilles de Joshua Tree on the way!
Overseer: Challenging, but good pro at the crux.
Where Two Deserts Meet: A fun layback. Actually easier than the grade.
Gargoyle: Another hard 5.6. Practice your crack climbing technique (and perhaps your hanging technique).
Fote Hog: A two pitch overhanging 5.6. Fun!

Shrivel on Diagnostics



J tree rock

Layback on Classic Corner



Trashcan Rock

Holli and I spent three days in the park over two weekends exploring areas that I had not visited before and were joined by Shrivel, Beav, Torch, and others. A great trip with great weather with great climbing partners.