Fortress Peak

[ClimbingCooneys]

We were recently climbing Fortress peak north of Redcliff in the west fork of the Cimarron. When arriving at the summit, we found a nice cairn and unofficial register. Mike Garrat had signed it recently. The summit with the cairn and register appeared to have a "sister" summit just a short distance north. By all appearances, it was of equal height. To get to it though required descending a gash of 15 feet or so and ascending a vertical wall of unstable conglomerate with quite a bit of exposure. We found little if any indication of anyone going over to this other summit and did not go ourselves because we had no protection with us for this traverse. Has anyone measured this other summit? I could not find anything on Roach's site nor here. It could even be higher by a foot or so.
Climbing Cooneys

[Layne Bracy]

The only TR on 14erWorld, by Gary Neben, says, "Thank god that it is a few inches higher than its twin about 40 feet away. It would be some trick to get to that summit."

[Ken Nolan]

Rosebrough's San Juan Mountains Climbing and Hiking Guide says "Fortunately, the detached pinnacle you see from the summit is not quite the high point". Ormes Guide makes no mention of it. When I visited in 1993, although I was not carrying a hand level, I thought that the easy point was clearly higher than the spire.