Pic is hard to see-the color looks like a direct sun exposed trich...Areoles are fuzzy white and new spines are dark, and the older spines are grey-yes? Sounds like stenocereus. A seedling trich in your climate could easily be house tall in five years, if set out in the ground instead of a pot. But even potted, it should be taller than you in that time frame. Check out the linked pics and see if you find your friend...

Here is a link that might be useful: Columnar Cacti