Aaron and a Brendon somewhere on pitch 2 or 3

Aaron jumared up pitches 2 and 3, losing time only when he stopped to clean the nut that I had almost fallen on. After he had worked on it for about five minutes, one of the Brendons caught up to him. Apparently they were free-climbing almost everything, so they were moving fast.

Aaron radioed up to me about the stuck nut, and we discussed it a little. We didn't want to leave any gear behind if we could avoid it, but after a moment, I heard a second voice, somewhat soft and very calm, coming across the airwaves. At first, I thought it was just chatter from someone else on our frequency, until I heard him say, “Just leave it. We'll buy another one at the Mountain Shop later.” Ironically, I realized who it was before Aaron did. I radioed back my agreement with Aaron's dad, and Aaron decided to leave the nut and keep jugging.

This photo, the first one taken through the telescope, shows Aaron following pitches 2 and 3. One of the Brendons is to his left. I believe this photo was taken exactly when Aaron was trying to clean the stuck nut, which would correspond with our first contact with his parents that day. (NOTE: Throughout these telescope photos, you'll usually be able to recognize Aaron by his blue clothes and neon green helmet, in contrast with my beige clothes and white helmet. The Brendons, visible only in these first few photos, were wearing mostly black, with shiny black helmets.)