Joel belays me from near the top of one of the first massive towers we would encounter. From far away, buttress and face look intimidatingly steep and flat, but up close there are enormous features which keep the climbing varied and easy, but remind us how big this rock is and that we have to keep moving fast. Joel is roughly at the top of the second pitch and it is already 1:30pm. Not a great sign. At this point, I started to get really worried about our (lack) of speed.