I can't add much to what Gary already said. The winds were probably over 50 MPH most of the day, which made the climbing feel about two grades harder than usual. If Gary's shoulder hadn't failed him, we would have finished the route despite the wind. We were already past two of the three hardest sections.
I invited Gary on this adventure because he comes across as levelheaded, eager to learn, and an all-around nice guy. The wind and the bum shoulder made the trip much less fun than we had planned, but Gary held up pretty well. No panic. No whining. His biggest concern was getting word to his family that he was OK. Gary is a class act.
I think the Bulldog family will be back on Cathedral Pk. with me next summer. If we can trust the shoulder, we'll try the SE Buttress again. If not, I'm going to try to get the whole family on the summit by one of the easier routes.
Oh, yeah. When I went up to tell Ben that we might need his help freeing the two 70M ropes, I snuck around the back way and tagged the summit.
Barb, Bri, Steve, and Dave: it was a pleasure meeting all of you.
Bob
