Moving up the last thin moves in the corner.

Again, Brian did a great job of leading this section. As a point of reference, he had taken an alternate [unprotectable] line the last time he had climbed the 1st pitch, so this was his first real look at the corner.

While seconding, I felt backward and slow, and at one point reached up to a slung chockstone about half a move above me and held a biner while I corrected my crampon points on verglassed rock. Brian later told me that when he had seen me grab the gear he figured "you were done for." Generally speaking, on the odd occasion I have employed aid in the past, it has signalled a not-too-distant and mostly early warning that I'll soon be ready to head down. Oddly enough, this time I was very simply trying to regain a few minutes I had lost by fumbling lower. I felt fine. I didn't exactly yard on the thing, but I did briefly grab it.

I pulled up the last couple of moves and joined Brian at the tree - for about one second. "I'm going to go ahead and head up and set up the second pitch," I told him. And then I moved on.

I still feel a little bit bad about bolting so quickly. There were a couple of things happening to me externally and internally.

Externally: There were a few parties that seemed to be wanting on the route (as it turned out, most of them didn't make it up the 1st pitch). As I had started up the 1st pitch I had seen a group of four show up at the gunsight tree. I didn't want to be anywhere near them, wasn't thrilled to be scrutinized on the mixed pitch, and wanted them far away when we were climbing the 2nd pitch.
Internally: I'm relatively new to leading ice. To date I've done some very easy soloing, some short sections to keep us moving here and there, and a couple of water ice leads in Alaska. Mostly, however, I've been seconding. And I've gotten extremely tired of it. I know I have the technique to climb and lead ice. I just haven't had the headgame. The 2nd pitch of Hitchcock Gully can be pretty easy or quite steep and more difficult, depending on conditions. I didn't much care. I just wanted it to be fat enough to take 13cm screws. And I wanted to lead it. Badly. I wanted to lead that pitch as badly as Brian wanted the pitch before it (he had said earlier: "Fury alone may get me up it"), possibly more. I'd been thinking about it ever since I'd first climbed the route. It was important to me. More than anything, I wanted to contribute.

The fact of the matter is that I wouldn't have gotten the chance to see the 2nd pitch if Brian hadn't led the first. So thanks, and nice job. I'll slow down next time.

Dignan: Did it ever occur to that your old pal Dignan might enjoy a great stay at some mental hospital out in the middle of nowhere? Going running at night. Getting a tan with a bunch of beautiful girls. Did you ever think about that? What do you think Dignan was doing that whole time you were out there, man? Dignan told you he got fired. Out on his ass. But you never thought about that, did you? No. Because in the end, it's easier just to think about yourself than to think about Dignan.