Distance: 4.7 miles round trip on dirt road and cross country
Summit Elevation: 1760'
Elevation Gain: 1050'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.8
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Old Palo Verde Road
Difficulty: Moderate (route finding, exposure)
Day one of an overnight in the Eastern Mojave centered in the Blythe area. My original day one goal was Stepladder, a 12-miler, but at the last minute I decided it would take too long in blistering afternoon heat. Looking for a shorter climb in the area, I stumbled on Palo Verde Peak. It wasn't on any list, but several well known hikers wrote glowing reviews. Access to the peak is on Old Palo Verde Road (or a much longer route from Highway 78). The road had big rocks, loose sand and gravel. 4x4 recommended. I drove in from the north side, stopping about a mile from the closest point due to boulders. As I approached the west side of Palo Verde, it looked technical. The reports I read talked about a gully scramble and a knife-edge section near the top. The main gully from the west ended at a cliff wall. Half way up, I stepped directly over a juvenile rattlesnake. Rattling started only after I walked over it. It's possible we surprised each other. In any case, I was lucky I didn't step directly on it. It coiled defensively and hid under a bush. The rest of the way, I was hyper-focused on the ground and where I put my hands. The upper gully was a loose mess of talus and gravel. Even large rocks gave way. I carefully exited the gully, then traversed left to reach a jagged saddle. I found a class 3 chute to drop in 40' below the saddle, making sure I could reverse the move. I couldn't initially see the continuation on the other side, but followed a couple of cairns to discover a ledge system. The next obstacle was a class 5 spine that could be bypassed by hugging the right side below the spine, then up a steep gully. Finally, I sat above a knife-edge strip of ridge with the summit just beyond. When facing a risky section, your mind automatically does the calculus. Skill, difficulty, holds, quality of rock, consequences, being solo. My mind ran the calculation several times, after factoring in the awful rock, I came up with a 97% chance of success. However, the consequences were high: a 40' fall on the left side, and a 400' fall on the right. I could clearly see how to proceed, but I didn't. I knew no one cared whether I climbed this peak of not. What mattered was balancing the risk with how much I cared. Not enough. I waved goodbye to the summit and started the slow backtrack and descent. My snake friend was not where I left her which was good news for both of us. When I got back to the road, I ambled back to the truck with temps inching toward 90F. The next day, I thought about how much mental energy I spent route finding, the close encounter with the rattlesnake, solving the gully crossing, the hidden continuation, and the spine bypass. If I went back, my only mental hurdle would be the knife-edge, probably increasing my odds to 99%. Maybe if I'm back in the area. Maybe.
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