Getting psyched out at the Cochise Stronghold
Road trip through New Mexico and Arizona has to include rock climbing and cycling
I was climbing about 25 feet up a vertical granite wall last week when a new acquaintance, who was belaying me, began making a few concerned comments.
“All the holds on this rock look like they’re ready to break off.” “Seems like a long way between bolts.” “Whoa, that next move looks really hard.”
I paused and spoke up, “Zach, your comments are not helping. Where’s the positive psych?”
He became quiet, then said, “Oh, sorry, I’m just nervous, I guess. You look like you’re actually making this look pretty easy.”
We were rock climbing in a semi-famous area in southern Arizona called the Cochise Stronghold.
The area is known among rock climbers for its giant granite spires, similar to Idaho’s City of Rocks. Although, unlike the City of Rocks, many of the routes are accessed after a long, stair master-like approach. My tender quads were talking to me the next day.
The Stronghold is more famous because of its history. The huge rocky formation in the Dragoon Mountains were once the hideout for the Chiricahua Apache leader Cochise and his people. History states that he was never defeated by the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars of the 1870s and later negotiated a peaceful resolution for his people.
My sweetheart and I were on a road trip last week to the fun states of New Mexico and Arizona to visit her relatives in Albuquerque and Tucson. In between, we stopped off at a longtime climbing friend’s home roughly in between.
“You up for a crazy climbing adventure?” my friend asked. “I know a route in the Cochise Stronghold you might like.”
My batting average for rock climbing in Arizona is poor enough to get me kicked off any little league team.
Just so you know, I think I’m a decently OK rock climber, but there’s something about climbing in the Grand Canyon state that is humbling.
I’m game for most things, so I told him “I’m in.” What I was “in for” was definitely not my cup of tea. He took me and some others to a nasty “off width” crack climb that we were to free solo. It involved full body mashing, knee pads and wriggling through foot-wide slots. I went up a bit and bowed out, retreating to watch the others grind through it (I prefer fun climbing that doesn’t make me wet my pants). Off width cracks are challenging because they are too wide to jam hands or fingers into, and not wide enough to stem out like a chimney. Off widths tend to swallow your whole body. It’s not a technique I have much experience with.
We later went to another face-climbing rock dome in the Stronghold to give me a chance to redeem myself.
Before I expound further, let me describe Arizona rock climbing. Ego has gotten out of hand down south when it comes to climbing difficulty ratings. I have climbed thoughout the West and most of the time when a guide book or online guide says a route is rated a 5.9, you have a rough idea of what you’re getting yourself into. In Arizona I’ve learned to dial that up a number grade or two. Climbers, like golfers, call it “sandbagging.”
We climbed a few “5.8-9” routes that definitely felt like it had a few 5.10 moves on them. But, despite my new friend Zach’s comments, the rock quality was solid.
My whining aside, the climbing was fun and I would love to return to Cochise Stronghold for more (maybe not the off-width cracks).
While in Albuquerque, my focus turned to cycling. I managed two long rides on a combination of bike paths and less traveled roads. The weather started out chilly but turned sunny and pleasant.
On one ride, I rode down from the foothills to ride along the Rio Grande. It was one of my first rides outside this year and I didn’t want to stop. If it weren’t for family obligations, I might still be pedaling.
