Panic Point

It's about a four foot drop to the next "step" here - far enough that, coming up, I had to pull with my hands as well as scramble on a couple narrow, slippery footholds. Coming down was a controlled "fall/drop".
Though I found it much easier to breathe in New Mexico, I ran into a bit of O2 deficit at the higher levels. And at one point I felt a bit of panic before I realized I just needed some breathing assistance from my inhaler. This shot was taken from the panic point, about 10 minutes from the top. I insisted that Nelson go on to the top without me, because I didn't want him to miss the view that fellow hikers promised. After about ten minutes and an inhaler hit, however, I regained my courage and continued on. Unbeknownst to me Nelson had gotten just a couple minutes from the top and turned around, wondering if I was okay. He was surprised to find me not all that far away and we hiked on to the summit together.