cleaning unfinished trad with an aid hook

Leaning to climb 10's at the Gunks can be expensive...

What are the options if you cant finish a route?

1) Get stronger
2) Down climb/whip through cruxes
3) Leave gear
4) Lower off a hook?

I would specifically like comments on the last option...

what are the pros and cons of lowing off a hook. with a good hook, you could lower your self either piece by piece or even all the way down. When down, shake the rope and here comes your hook.

seams to easy and that many more people would be doing it if it was a good idea.

I know that if the hook blows you have 2x as much rope out and that can be REALLY bad...

Comments?

Could you create a hook anchor? is there such a thing?

rap off the hook with another line, while still on belay as you clean the gear. if the hook pops, you take a normal lead fall as if you would while you were leading. good luck with that.

sounds sketchy. best option is just to let your girlfriend finish the route.

Bad idea.

Way safer to first:

1) Try and aid or french-free through the cruxes and top out the route.
2) If you can't, leave gear. If gear is expensive, walk around to the top of the route (you are at the Gunks, after all), and rappel and retrieve gear.
3) If the route is too overhanging for this, you could downclimb/whip through cruxes, but this is sketchy and should only be done if you have placed a lot of gear and the falls are clean.

Don't lower off a hook, but if you do,do what Darren said, or put a prussic on the belayer side of the rope (and attach it to yourself) as you are lowered to lessen the fall if the hook pops.