It’s the first daytime Wagonwheel session I’ve attended for a while. Curtis is the only one there at the proposed 11 am. I roll in at 11:30, then Ted, Randy, and Greg show up. I feel kind of unmotivated, but warm up anyway. Soon I’ve done a problem on the Big Loaf that I’ve only done once before, and remember being hard. First try, no less. My legs feel shaky, but otherwise I feel strong. The highlight of the day comes on a problem we just call The Flake. Ted and I have been working on it for more than a year. Today Randy makes it up on his second try, using a handhold off to the left that we had never considered. Ted then makes it after a couple tries, then me. It’s a strange feeling to climb something after working on it for so long. I almost wish that handhold weren’t there. Even though I’d probably never climb the problem without it, there are enough features there to feed the imagination. It’s a thrill to make it up this problem, yet sad to give up my imagined idea of it.