AAC and Gunks Camping

WoodwardnBernstein wrote:Climbers at the Gunks have a long history of loud, irreverant, and sometimes obnoxious behavior, beginning with the Vulgarians. It's the very nature of local climbing spirit in some ways. What makes anyone think that won't continue at the new campground? And if anyone thinks the preserve is being considerate of neighbors with this campground they are either not paying attention or they are drinking preserve Koolaid.

I almost never had a problem at Slime, and I've slept there at least a hundred nights. Each time there was a problem a simple "please be quiet" did the trick. I never liked the MUA as a result of the noise. Slime always seemed to me to be for people who wanted to climb the next day. I'm sad that it's going to go away.

worst noise i had at slime was an ambulance that kept their engines running for a few hours while the rangers looked for gumbies that got benighted and had to call for mommy.

sometimes just easier to sleep in my car in one of the lots..

I have never had bad noise at Slime, and usually not bad at MUA. But one particularly bad weekend at MUA really showed me why it had gotten it's reputation.

I had arrived mid afternoon one Friday and was setting up my tent in one of those right by the parking area spots. Two vehicles pull in and out gets about six people, couples, well past college ages. They are really loud, yelling and wooting and getting ready for their yearly weekend camping trip, apparently. They even brought a battery-powered radio/CD or whatever player, which was the first item readied. Music from their HeyDay, probably late 70's, was blasted from then until at least when I left to go do whatever I was going to go do.

When I came back to make dinner, the music was still going strong, and just ridiculous. At 10pm, instead of closing it down, they cranked it louder.

I can actually sleep pretty easily no matter, but when I woke up at what had to be after midnight and they were screeching and still cranking the music, I went over and yelled at them. I knew they were not going to respond to any sort of polite "Do you mind; could you turn it down" or any other sort of request. So I didn't waste my time and blasted them with a string of insults including their low quality taste in music, ending with something like "What in the hell is wrong with you all? Does it not occur to you that there are other people out here who are hoping to sleep?." And then I stomped off pretty quickly, in case one of them might get up.

Out of the 2 years I camped at the MUA, that was really only the 10 on a scale on 1 to 10 bad nights. But as I said - I am not really sensitive to noise, and so no doubt others have had much less pleasant experiences with the place.

Kevin,
I didn't read enough of the thread to reach what your current discussion was about admittedly I'm new to the area, so I'm not yet educated enough on the preserve history to comment on it's current ethic, but it's safe to say it has strayed far from the Smiley's original vision.

from a purely economic standpoint, the pay campground really could end up deterring me from climbing as often. I took full advantage of my season pass last year, but that was only because I had the option of taking the bus and hitchhiking up to the trapps/slime. I am a teacher on a VERY thin budget and putting ten or twenty more bucks on the top of every trip really does make me reconsider what I'm doing. I know that for most people that's "just a burrito" or whatever, but for someone that is using every last cent to climb, free camping going away is a game changer.

If the cost of my season pass keeps the Trapps, Millbrook and Near Trapps from being closed like Sky Top, then it is money well spent!

WillamR wrote:Kevin, I didn't read enough of the thread to reach what your current discussion was about admittedly I'm new to the area, so I'm not yet educated enough on the preserve history to comment on it's current ethic, but it's safe to say it has strayed far from the Smiley's original vision.

And I don't attempt to dismiss the usefulness of the preserve, but it's not a black/white issue as many would have you believe.