Alright, Geoff! You know what it's about.
Cool, man...Smith, Squish, Yo...you did it up! I hope to make it up more north sometime. PNW (Smith, Index) and north of the border are all-time destinations (as you know).
I honestly think I enjoy the easier climbs more. Soloing, and especially aid, is just not too relaxing. Why do we do it?? Certainly not "because it's there"...must be some deep-seated defect.
We did North Ridge of Mt. Conness (5.6, grade III) last weekend and just loved every inch of it. And it kicked our asses!
Why did you stop? There are so many spectacular outings to be had at every level...class 3 peaks, ad infinitum. And not far from you in SD. Heck, head up to Idyllwild in <2hrs. You can tag up with us at Tahquitz if you feel like getting back to it. We love the easy stuff there. Maybe head over to one of the Solid Rock gyms in SD/Poway to re-break the ice--?
Cheers in any case. Sorry, man, you got me going off there!
Mike