What's the Hold Up?

Pretty uneventful climbing today. I went back to Rubi to "Major Bolt Ladder", or at least that is the only name for the route I have ever seen (Thanks BigWall.com). At least I have a name for it now. Despite it's name, you still have to place some fixed gear before getting to the bolts. I do it in 4 moves. The first is a hook which is the only picture I got today. I tried to get a good perspective of what it is like to use a hook. In this picture, the only thing holding me up is the hook you see and it is held in place by my body weight.

Following the ledge down to the right, you can see a pretty bomber hand hold. The ledge where the hook is holding is about 7 or 8 feed from the ground. Using the hold on the right I can get in a good position to place the hook. I am 6 feet tall, shorter people may not be able to reach this as easily. As you can see I have a static line going to the top. A fall from here wouldn't be very bad. My feet are only about 4 feet from the ground at this point. I am also using the Solo Aid but on this route it is more for practice then actually catching a fall. I sling a large bolder at the bottom of the climb but doubt it would hold a fall.

The next placement is a small nut. I have been using a #2 or #3 here. Today neither was holding very well. I stood on the #2 and was getting ready to make the next placement when it blew. I lowered off, placed the hook, climbed up, and placed a #3. It passed the bounce test, I high stepped it, and then it blew. Third times the charm I guess. The #3 stuck this time. If I had been leading the route with no static line, I would have decked for sure from about 12 feet up. I am sure that would not be fun. From there the rest went well. I rapped off, then jugged up, and called it a day.