Those first couple pieces are the most critical. Sometimes it's safe to be "high". A couple years ago I sprained my ankle catching my partner decking from about 20'--missing the 2nd bolt on a 5.10 sport route. He had a bunch of slack out to make the clip. I've contemplated if I should've run with the rope to take up the slack, but he was sure glad that I was there to catch him. Although the granite was excellent in that area, we've both worn our helmets since.