Failure at Tahquitz Rock

This is Tahquitz Rock in Idyllwild, California, one of the birthplaces of rock climbing in the US. People travel from all over the world and test their skills on granite mammoth, and we are lucky enough to have it right in our backyard. Well, backyard in SoCal terms means about an hour drive from home, a relative hop, skip, and jump compared to the 2 hour daily commute many endure in our area.
Jeremy and I have been training and collecting gear for a few months in order to make our own attempt on the historic rock. Our day of proving came last Saturday, and if you were thorough enough to read the title of this entry you already know that we failed in our attempt to reach the top. A little more than 1/2 the way up, we were forced to retreat back the way we came and kick pine cones down the trail in frustration.
Question: Cyrus, why are you such a wuss?
Answer: Three reasons - 1. I was totally unprepared for the amount of exposure on this rock and it really made me doubt my ability to climb, heck, being that high in the air made me doubt my ability to move and breathe without falling 1200 feet into the valley below - 2. I have only done a small amount of crack climbing and this climb was all cracks - 3. This was my first time climbing on my own protection, meaning there were no pre-placed bolts on the routes so we had to place our own anchors in the rock. These anchors look really solid when your feet are on the ground, but when your hundreds of feet in the air...well...i was a little less...sure.

This is the view from the start of the route. I know it is hard to tell from the picture, but at the start of the climb, we are already hundreds of feet above the surrounding hills and mountains. Intimidating.
The last shot is looking down from the first of 4 rope lengths up the rock. We got stuck about 2/3 the way to the top. We plan to return soon in order to re-establish ourselves as real men. Updates to follow.