moves doggedly up the inclined face of “Steel Monkey,” a difficult climb up a granite face that arcs over a clearing in the woods near Lake Tahoe, California. After the brittle heat, we appreciate the cooler air in the evergreens’ dense shade — as do the mosquitoes. I stand in rapt attention, belaying and watching my partner’s every dancing step across scarcely visible chips on the rockface. She reaches behind her to pull at the rope tethering her weight to mine, ready to clip it through the carabiner “quick draw” dangling before her. That’s my cue to further slacken the rope so she can pull it and secure herself to the draw. This route is just beyond our comfort level, difficult enough to make
