Peaks For Freaks: Cochise Stronghold- Mt. Glenn, Westworld Dome via Warpaint

February 14, 2026

This was day 1 of a 3-day climbing trip in Cochise Stronghold where we would climb 3 multipitch routes in 3 days. It had rained a copious amount the previous day and night and all the rocks were sopping wet, necessitating us to wait until around noon before any climbing was possible on drier rock. I used the extra time as an opportunity to hike up Mt. Glenn, the highest peak in the Dragoon Range.

Routes climbed:

Name	Grade (YDS)	# Pitches	Quality (1-5)	Type
Warpaint	5.10c	5	4	trad

Peaks/Towers climbed

Peak	Elevation	Topographic Prominence	Summit Coordinates (lat/lon)
Mt. Glenn	7,523 ft	2,904 ft	31.95271, -109.98782
Westworld Dome	6,208 ft	20 ft	31.93527, -109.99142

Gear

- 60 or 70m rope

- tagline or second rope (for raps)

- cams: single .4-3

- a few small to medium stoppers

- 12 alpine draws

Total Stats for Mt. Glenn

7 miles

2,750 ft gain/loss

Total Stats for Westworld Dome via Warpaint

3 miles

1,100 ft gain/loss

I started hiking north from camp at 5:30am, hoping to catch a sunrise from the summit of Mt. Glenn. It was a totally clear night and I could pick out several constellations in the stars. From camp, I headed north to intersect a high ridge which continued north and eventually wrapped in an arc east towards the highpoint. The terrain was grassy and dewy, rendering my pants and shoes a wet soppy mess after less than 15 minutes of hiking in it. As I passed 6,000 ft, the grass was replaced with chaparral which wasn't too bad to bushwhack through. A layer of clouds and fog had also quickly moved in from the north, blotting out the stars and glowing eastern horizon. An old dilapidated fenceline ran along the ridge, and I repeatedly stepped over it from one side to the other depending on which side contained lighter brush.

I continued along the ridge as it grew increasingly foggy, reaching the summit shortly after sunrise. I waited for a brief moment hoping that maybe the fog would clear, but gave up on that idea pretty quickly before reversing my route. Eventually the fog did clear on the way down and I got some great views of the granite domes of West Stronghold, some of which I would climb in the following few days.

Back at camp, the others had just finished breakfast and were deciding where to climb for the day. I suggested Warpaint on Westworld Dome, which was a classic sunny slab climb. From camp we walked a short ways east on the road to its end, then rock-hopped northeast up a rocky creekbed until we were directly below the west side of Westworld Dome. A short bushwhack brought us up to the west face, where there was some confusion as to where the route started. We eventually found it at the base of the lowest broad slabby arete extending west of the formation, with several bolts leading up the arete. This feature was difficult to make out from much of the approach due to trees covering either side of it. Since there were four of us, we climbed the route in two teams of two, which also made it convenient for the rappels which required two ropes.

The following pitch descriptions (in blue) are taken directly from Mountain Project, with my remarks below each one.

P1: 5.10c, 160'

Follow a line of bolts past the first crux, perhaps 1/3 of the way up the slab. This is runout at the top and the easiest line runs slightly left of center above the last bolt. If I recall correctly, this runout can be mitigated with a stopper placement if you desire to do so. You'll end on a ledge where some gear or a cordalette will make a good belay. This pitch sets the tone for the rest of the route.

This was quite a warmup for us, with copious amounts of pure friction slab. Both leaders took whips at the crux which was well protected with a bolt at ankle level. The second half runout on easier terrain was easily protectable with finger sized cams, making the overall pitch feel pretty safe. The pitch 1 belay was adorned with a fresh pair of bolts.

starting up the slab

view from the top of p1 towards the short p2 and Greg starting up p3

Elsie The Cow

P2: 5.8+, 60'

Look back and left to see a small corner with a crack. Climb up this, protecting with 1.5 to 2.5" gear to reach a bolted belay after 60 feet or so. This pitch is the only "easy" pitch along the route, and is out of character with the majority of the climbing.

Both teams spent less than 30 minutes each on this straightforward pitch. It could probably be linked from the previous one with a directional on the pitch 1 anchor.

P3: 5.10c, 150'

Climb up another line of bolts arcing slightly right for a short distance and continue 2/3 of the way up the pitch to the crux where the holds are incredibly sloper and small, but still good. Finish the pitch at another bolted belay. This pitch, like the first, is a classic on it's own merit.

This was my favorite pitch on the route. A short crack section led to an extremely fun bolted section with pockets in it. A cool hand-foot-match was icing on the cake.

P4: 5.10b, 160'

Climb up and right from the belay to reach the next solid section of wall. After a little more 5.10b slabbing you'll reach a section with larger and more positive holds, these end soon enough though and you'll move up and left again to reach a blunt rib of rock onto more thin 5.10 face moves. Another classic pitch.

Another extremely fun and well protected pitch. Some smearing up golden slabs led to a golden corner, then out right to a large chickenhead before some cool pockets.

looking up p4

P5: 5.10c, 150'

Tired? Are your tips sore? You can ease back to 5.10a or lower climbing now... almost! Step up and right off of this belay and make a right-hand sequence (10c) though a set of sharp, crystaline pockets to reach the final crimpers before the angle eases off. From there continue to move up and right to near the massive corner overhead. You can even move right far enough to get a stem or two for rest. Finish the route to another set of bolts before rapping off.

We had two options here. The original option headed left of an obvious arete. A variation which we all took climbed up the first few bolts of the original route, then cut right onto the arete. The arete contained two bolts and then gear/chickenhead tie-offs afterwards. I would strongly recommend the arete option, which actually includes the best part of the original pitch even before reaching the start of the arete.

looking up p5 with two options shown

David cresting the summit

The original option ended on a slabby ramp where the rappels began. The arete option ended on top of Westworld Dome where there were two belay bolts. After we were all up, we descended around to the north side to the original end, scooting down the ramp to access the rap bolts.

Descent

With two 70m ropes, we did 3 raps:

rap 1: top of original route to top of pitch 4

rap 2: top of pitch 4 to top of pitch 2

rap 3: top of pitch 2 to ground

With two 60m ropes, one would need to split rap 2 into two raps with an additional one at the top of pitch 3

view of Elsie The Cow while rapping