Moby Dick 

Fun climbing the whole way, although probably not the best for a leader who climbs 5.8 at best. Gear is crafty, and there are some areas that non-natives might consider run-out....especially if the wind is gusting 30-40 on the last pitch. Not being used to chicken head mentality, i quickly took the advice of kiwi who showed me the truckers hitch for tying them off. I also opted to run the 3rd pitch past the chicken head belaya nd use the bolt at the lip plus a chickenhead and a black alien as a belay. THen you can do the short slab traverse and the sea of chicken heads in one lead. the rap looks long but isnt, dont tie knots in your ropes there is a tree that they will get tangled in, and a crack down lower that could cause a potential nightmare by putting tension on your rope sideways nad not letting you get down, especially if its blowing.

was wondering if someone has better beta on the approach? had trouble finding the route last year and was wondering what else might be around the area.

The trick to the approach is to get on it right from the parking lot.....From the parking area head directly north (not on the main trail) there is a faint trail through the trees which drops into the wash after 300-400 feet (estimate) follow cairns north. The trail goes in and out of the wash a few times, but stays mostly in it. Follow it until you are directly beneath whale dome. Take the drainage up the south side of the dome. Look for the large overlap on the face that makes up the route.

Hope that clarifies it a little bit. It's actually a great approach with awesome views.

-Scott Drawz

thanks for the info scott. it'll be helpful next time around.

It would be a considerable public service if someone would haul a drill up and replace some of the older buttonheads at the belay stations and replace the anchors for the rappell as they are quite manky. Maybe at Beanfest?

I totally don't get the hype surrounding this climb. An unpleasant crux down low, a couple of hundred feet of roped hiking with 20 feet of decent climbing at the end. Then a problematic rappel. The views are nice, I'll give it that.

Good one. This route looks deceptively good in photos. I saw the photo in the old Kerry guide and thought the route was a vertical 5.8. Looked really cool. When I got to the base and saw it was really a 40 degree hiking slab I was pretty let down.

I've climbed this route three times. First time I brought two ropes. But you really only need one for the rappel. One will take you to the top of a large block and it is easy scrambling to get to the ground.
Anyone else only use only rope on this?

Also really easy to setup a single line rappel for newer climbers using a nice horizontal crack feature above the chains. That way they don't have to do the awkward rappel from the chains.

jbak. Climbs can be good even if they're not steep. Moby dick is a classic just like What's My Line. Ya gotta go back to yer early days man. Back when 5.7 was hard and multi pitch routes were a new, exciting challenge. Back then Moby Dick was a classic and it still is.

Jim it's not the steepness per se...I can appreciate an easy classic that has actual good climbing...I did The Wasteland recently and thought it was pretty good.

This is a great easy multi-pitch climb. Good gear placements. Can be climbed in 3 pitches with a 70 meter rope. Good choice because you won't have to pack in an extra rope. The repel is about 33 meters so 70 meters will reach the ground with a few feet to spare. Consider having the first one to repel carry the rope with them. If the wind is blowing it will get caught around the corner.

WAY overrated as a 'classic' route. It's no better than the hike up Magician Dome in the Needles, and without the ass-kicking views of that route. Compared to What's My Line, Endgame, or the other area classics, it is really not that special. Don't believe the hype -- if you only have time for a few routes at the Stronghold, don't hesitate to drop this off your list.

It's not a bad route by any standard, but for me, even the rappel was a bit of a let-down. Still, the worst day at the Stronghold is better than the best day at most crags, let alone work.

Me thinks this is overrated. The bolt/pro spacing are about all that can keep this thing interesting (if you sling but a few chickenheads), but I wouldn't call the climbing fun. I think the first pitch was the most exciting, but only because I got off-route and had to pull a 5.10 move to clip the bolt and blowing it meant ending up below my belayer. IMO: Wasteland, Peacemaker, and Absinthe of Mallet are all better climbs.

I really enjoyed this climb. Not dangerous but runout enough to keep it interesting. I placed pro whenever I could and still didn't manage to need more than 1 set of nuts and a set of cams from fingers-hands. Bring lots of slings for all the heads. I brought a #3 and #4 camalot and managed to use them both at least once. I was happy to have them, especially pitch 2 when the #4 camalot ended a fairly long runout when I placed it in a narrower portion of the big overlap. The views of the West Stronghold from the top were spectacular.

As far as the approach, make a hard left into a drainage at the end of the road where the Cochise Stronghold trail starts. Cairns on the left after a couple of hundred yards in the drainage leads to a trail. The route winds in and out of the drainage on various trails. Follow the cairns. Head up the gully on the south side of Whale Dome. The double cracks at the start are pretty obvious. You can leave your packs at the base as you return to them after descending the gully after the rap.

holy christ, talk about a climb that gets mixed reviews. i guess some people get it and some people don't. personally, i get it. granted the roped hiking is a little annoying but i think the rappel adds to the fun. i wish there were more climbs like this. the fact that it looks like a whale's mount rushmore is almost worth a star by itself.

HAHAHA John you kill me. I agree - it's a great climb! Fun climbing, great views, mostly traditional. A fantastic climb for a relatively new climber.

The only bad part of this climb is the rap ... would anyone object if I move it to a better spot?

oooo new rap anchors, eh? sounds cool. that way people can choose between the exciting rappel or the one that doesn't require them to buy new pants afterward.

I'm curious, what's wrong with the rap as it is now??
It's a big part of the climb. Just like down climbing the tree on Lizard Marmalade Direct.

The rappel is fine, it's just a free over hang. I guess some people might not be comfortable with the start because you have to swing around into the rappel position or lower yourself into it.

However, as it's mentioned, if there is wind, either rap with the rope (use a backpack as a stuff bag, or a cloth grocery shopping bag because it's flat and light to carry), lower someone, or lower your gear in a backpack. You just want to keep the rope end weighted so it doesn't whip up and get stuck, which really sucked...

First off, I think this route was fun. The gear placements aren't immediately obvious, and it's a blast wrapping those chickenheads for an anchor. I agree with a few previous posters who said a few larger cams 3 and 4 camalots could be useful. I used 2 #3s and a #2 for my final anchor and there were opportunities to use a #4 or even a #5 in places if you wanted some extra security. Seriously agree that the bolts on this climb and the anchor in particular could be replaced! I took a 40ft. pendulum swing on the rap anchor after retrieving my rope which the 40 mph winds took to the nasty rope eating crack on rappeler's left. Can't imagine I'm the first one to do this. I've run into a few NOLS groups out at the stronghold. Perhaps some enterprising leader would like to do us all a favor?

Good route - each pitch is a bit different. I give the 5th pitch a 5.6R rating(the two guidebooks we had called it 5.7+ and 5.8). It is easier than it looks, but very runout on steeper terrain than the earlier pitches. For the approach, do not go down the main trail at all(not even to the sign). Look for a small cairn on the north side of the parking area and follow the cairned trail. The anchor bolts at the top of pitch one looked a bit suspect(old buttonhead), but it is possible to back them up with cams. The pitch 2 anchor only has 1 very small tree(book mentions 2), but you can sling good chickenheads just above the ledge.

Did this over Labor Day Weekend '09 and it's a fun climb with gorgeous views and a great rap down. I just wanted to backup a few of the other comments.
1) One 70-meter rope will just get you to the ground. We brought with a pullcord but we didn't find it necessary.
2) The wind on that rappel is a thrill. About halfway down it sent me sailing a good 15 feet off the rope line. We weighted the rope ends and lowered them between gusts no problem.
3) There is a very nice trail that parallels the wash and allows you to avoid 75% of the rock hopping to the base of the climb. We missed it on the way up but it's clear as day on the way down. To take it do not start in the wash, instead start north directly across and a couple feet past the brown Forest Trail 279 sign. A couple dozen yards into the woods you'll run into a campsite and a cairned trail that goes up from there. Saves a lot of time.