One of my favorite photos of the trip, Blowhole in alpenglowI remembered something about a steel bar cemented into a rock somewhere on the route. I asked Mike where it was and he said just ahead. Bang there it was, that didn’t look so bad but as I popped up on top of the rock with the handle I saw I had to step down about 3 feet and make a hard left on a step the size of the seat of a kitchen chair. The holds were good but the footing a little loose but still very safe. I negotiated the little move and froze.
I'll tell you something. Counting coming and going I've been across that spot 18 times. And I really don't like it. It's the only spot on the whole climb that can make me a little nervous. Not the chalk stone at the top of the Trough, not the Narrows, not the Homestretch, but that little spot on the ledges with the two steel bars (yes, there are two). Sometimes I just zip right past it without thinking, but sometime, if I pause and think about it, I see why it's the only spot where they have placed artificial aids as a concession to safety. The rock there is very slick. A person is not likely to slip, but if they did the consequences would be...well, to quote Mike Tyson, they would "fade into Bolivia." Sometimes I don't touch the steel bars (so as to do it "honestly"), but sometimes I do. I remember one time doing it in icy conditions and I was sure glad they were there. I don't think most people would agree with me, but I personally think that is the most dangerous spot on the Keyhole route.
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....that is so funny. I can just hear Mike Tyson saying that. 
