Miriam promised it wouldn’t rain on Sunday so we walked all the way down to the far end of the Trapps to prove it. I have a few projects down there but they were nothing I wanted to try wet (e.g. Frustration Syndrome and Wegetables). Even WASP was more than I was willing to tackle once I saw the profligate water streaks adorning both cruxes, but we were planning to walk past WASP anyway so we gave it a few mournful tsks and kept moving.

We were headed to the Dances area where neither of us had ever been. Moondance was lichen-y and Sundance was taken, so we made a guess at what Ghost Dance might be and I led up it to join the folks from Sundance at the top. Then I scouted around for a couple of the other Dances but either found them filthy or didn’t find them, so we did Sundance next door. Sundance had some nice moves and was worth doing (though not necessarily worth the walk as the guidebook had promised).

I’d thought we might do Casablanca but from the Dances we could hear the birds screeching at someone who was trying, plus I wasn’t sure we could get down with one rope. I’d thought we might do WASP but it was still wet when we passed by it a second time. I’d thought we might do Frustration Syndrome, if I was feeling very, very brave, but a very, very careful examination from the ground revealed at least one wet spot.

So we had to do something and Simple Suff wasn’t far away. I knew Miriam would enjoy getting on a 10. I’d led it onsight and followed Todd on it cleanly. I had no reason to believe I couldn’t do it and there was no sign of even the slightest drop of moisture.

We all have our favorite belayers, the ones we want when we’re planning to flail. Part of the reason why I’d never really have tried Frustration Syndrome Sunday was because Miriam wasn’t Todd or Steven or Scott, the three belayers I don’t have to think about, the three I’d trust to catch me on anything.

It’s a catching catch-22. A belayer gets into your “trust zone” by catching you but won’t get the chance to catch you until you trust him. (Unless you’re like Todd who, contrarily, proves he can trust his belayer by falling on purpose.) I wasn’t expecting to flail on Simple Suff or I wouldn’t have chosen it, but Miriam came through for me. It was a long, slow fight to the anchors and she belayed with competent patience.

P.S. It was wet.

Sunday with Miriam (Dawn led all)
Ghost Dance, 5.7-
Sundance, 5.6
Simple Suff, 5.10