We went to Cochise Stronhold on the recommendation of several friends. It reminded me of a giant version of City of Rocks. Both the approaches and the climbs were bigger, and the very few bolts were put it with a very old-school ethic. This can be good or bad depending on what you’re into.
Unfortunately, while this place was amazing, Jen and I weren’t really feeling it. Honestly, we’re just a bit tired, and hour-long approaches to five-pitch climbs with slung horns for anchors was a bit more than we were really wanting to deal with. So, we did a day of cragging to get started, did the super-classic 5.8 to sample the longer routes, and then did another three-pitch route before leaving.
If we had come here earlier in the year, when we didn’t need to keep things low key, then we probably would have stayed at least a couple weeks. The rock is (mostly) great and has super unique climbing, the scene is super mellow, and the camping situation is awesome. Cochise is a great place for sure, it just wasn’t what we needed at the time, so we moved on.
