In reply to Ariegeois:
I too did it with the right person - a really lovely guy called Jon Howell. A while before, when we'd all been bouncing around in a hire car, up steep, windy lanes in Spain, entirely unexpectedly, 'Forever Young' came on the radio. You can imagine the effect it had on me. I was sitting in the back with Jon, trying to keep my reaction hidden, not wanting to spoil the happy bolt-clipping mood of the day. Months afterwards, I asked him if he'd noticed. He'd seen but hadn't said a word, bless him.
We got on Heart of Darkness way too early in the day. It was bathed in slime. I hadn't any big cams (mind you, neither did you on the FA!) and slithered across, overgripping wildly. Although Jon had led Massambula and the Dervish, overall he hadn't done much trad. Even though I waited for ages for the edges of the breaks to dry, I thought he might have heart failure when he came round the arete and saw the traverse, with just a few wrong-sized runners. But he was great. When he unclipped the last bit of shit gear and continued, I was so proud of him.
Jon. Will. You. I did it with the right people.
Mick xxx