Brian ran the rope out and built a belay up and around a corner. We had seen a party of two coming up the gully behind us, and they had caught up while we'd gone through our little gear drama. Brian called that he was off belay and I chatted with the duo, Alan and Tessa, Burlington, VT, while cleaning our belay. They had done the route before and were soloing (easier when you know what to expect from the route). I waved them on through, since they were obviously going to be faster than Brian and I. Alan offered a bit of beta about the route above, mentioning the various finishes possible (Chockstone Chimney, 5.5; various other direct finishes up to M3 - Alan had actually recommended the standard exit due to conditions). I thanked him and Tessa and inwardly cursed them for humiliating us with their speed and prowess.

With our maple syrup-swilling, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boy-loving Vermont friends out of the way, I followed the pitch, racked up at the belay, and set off on the second pitch, which, as it turns out, happened to be the crux of the route.