Eric's attempt got no further than mine. Climbing this difficult rock section was complicated by the fact that we were wearing heavy, stiff mountaineering boots best used for tramping on trails and glaciers. The specialized rock climbing shoes were another luxury we left behind to make our packs lighter. Finally, Denny made an attempt without a rucksack and was able to get past the difficult section. We hauled our rucksacks up that pitch and continued on up the ridge.

Further along, Eric lead a relatively easy section around a corner. Eventually, there was little rope left and I yelled a warning to him. Apparently he could not hear me, as the rope went tight; I waited, but no slack was forthcoming, neither of us could hear the other and rope tugs were not answered. Finally, I got out of the belay and started climbing, figuring that the rope was snaked through enough turns in the rock that friction alone would make a belay unnecessary. I climbed out onto the very exposed northeast face; at this point, we were climbing through and up from the notch at the right of this photo. Eric was pulling the rope fast and I tried to keep up. As I climbed over a large (many tons) boulder, it came loose and started rolling down the face. The rope came tight, helping me scramble over the tumbling boulder. I continued on to find Eric on a large level area, standing and coiling the rope. I told him what had happened and he said all he felt was a slight tug on the rope. He was not happy about the incident. I was not sympathetic: he was the one who had climbed beyond the limits of communication and had continued to coil the rope when it should have been clear I was climbing up to him.

Our slow progress left us short of the summit as sunset approached. As we continued to climb, Eric and I whispered between ourselves and agreed that a bivouac would be necessary; Denny and his friend appeared to be unaware of our situation and we did not see any reason to alarm them yet. Upon reaching a suitable bivouac site, Eric and I broached the subject and Denny objected strongly. He insisted on an immediate descent as we pointed out that the sun would set in much less than an hour, giving us too little time to return to camp and precious little time to prepare a bivouac. He finally realized we were right and preparations began.