Gunks AAC campground update?

Last year was a fluke, by the standards at the Gunks. It was the work of one individual(or one group), and occurred in a very short time frame. Compared to T-Wall, it was nothing. though of course those affected wouldn't fell that way.

Considering the ease of access to parking at the Gunks, we are really lucky there isn't a theft problem. Let's hope the incidents from last year remain a very infrequent occurrence. Nonetheless - having lived in NYC several years I learned to reduce my chances of being a victim to opportunistic crime by taking care to remove anything of value from sight. This extends to stowing unused gear inside my pack, then closing the clasps, rather than laying the stuff on top.

I drove through the campground last weekend. Can someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that the tent area (one per campsite) cannot accommodate more than one two-person tent? So, if four people were to share a campsite, they would need to share one large tent (which looks like it could fit). What's there is there and it isn't going to change, but seems like the tent platforms could have been extended by a measly 4 feet so that two groups of two could make use of them. That, plus the one parking spot per campsite, will really limit use to a group size of two. Oh well, the rest of the setup looked great, though. I look forward to staying there (with my one friend).

Happiegrrrl wrote:Last year was a fluke, by the standards at the Gunks. It was the work of one individual(or one group), and occurred in a very short time frame. Compared to T-Wall, it was nothing. though of course those affected wouldn't fell that way. Considering the ease of access to parking at the Gunks, we are really lucky there isn't a theft problem. Let's hope the incidents from last year remain a very infrequent occurrence. Nonetheless - having lived in NYC several years I learned to reduce my chances of being a victim to opportunistic crime by taking care to remove anything of value from sight. This extends to stowing unused gear inside my pack, then closing the clasps, rather than laying the stuff on top.

All good advice. I also no longer park near the guardrail where someone could stop on the main road, do a quick smash and grab, and drive away. I know they can still walk into the lot and do the same thing, but they would be more likely to be seen and have a longer getaway.

camped with my buddy last weekend, our two two-man tents both fit with a narrow alley in between. 4 people is definitely doable.

ml242 wrote:camped with my buddy last weekend, our two two-man tents both fit with a narrow alley in between. 4 people is definitely doable.

sweet...great to hear.

ml242 wrote:camped with my buddy last weekend, our two two-man tents both fit with a narrow alley in between. 4 people is definitely doable.

The campground is already open ?? I thought it is for may 15th ?

waltereo wrote: The campground is already open ?? I thought it is for may 15th ?

There was an AAC thing last weekend where you could help out and camp. Don't remember details but they sent an email a few weeks back

Hi,

Is there potable water at each camp site ?

So is MUA still open, at least for now? When I looked into it, it seemed like the state was planning to re-evaluate and might eliminate or further restrict camping, but no deadlines had been set. Is that accurate?

kevin neville wrote:So is MUA still open, at least for now? When I looked into it, it seemed like the state was planning to re-evaluate and might eliminate or further restrict camping, but no deadlines had been set. Is that accurate?

Yes the MUA is open.

I have to agree with your sentiments about the preserve. They dont care about climbers only their coffers, look how much they spent on the visitor center. Ive never been in it. Thankful I got to climb there when sky top was still open and we thought $3.50 a day was highway robbery.

june m wrote:I have to agree with your sentiments about the preserve. They dont care about climbers only their coffers, look how much they spent on the visitor center. Ive never been in it. Thankful I got to climb there when sky top was still open and we thought $3.50 a day was highway robbery.

This is a rather self centered and elitist opinion, the preserve has many supporters that pursue many activities. The Preserves mission is broad and though climbing is a major activity I doubt the average climber is their most generous supporter, let's look at the bigger picture. Maybe there is a thread out there where hikers, bird watchers, cross country skiers,runners,bikers and nature lovers are all whining about how they get screwed by the Preserve , somehow I do not think so.

Here's a pretty good overview of what the campground has right now:

philly-chapter.squarespace.…

june m wrote:I have to agree with your sentiments about the preserve. They dont care about climbers only their coffers, look how much they spent on the visitor center. Ive never been in it. Thankful I got to climb there when sky top was still open and we thought $3.50 a day was highway robbery.

The Visitor Center was funded entirely through member donations, not from land use passes. Your day fees did not fund the VC.

The Preserve had nothing to do with the Skytop closure. That was entirely the decision of the Smiley family, owners of the Mountain House.

june m wrote:I have to agree with your sentiments about the preserve. They dont care about climbers only their coffers, look how much they spent on the visitor center. Ive never been in it. Thankful I got to climb there when sky top was still open and we thought $3.50 a day was highway robbery.

Wow... ungrateful much? You do realize the preserve is private property and they are perfectly within their rights to tell us all to fuck off and go climb somewhere else? Climbers are a minority user of the preserve, so they probably won't even miss us. Instead we get to climb somewhere with well maintained trails, rescue services, and nice facilities.

As for complaining about the cost, I'm just happy that in your case it keeps one more whiner away from the cliffs.

Actually, climbers are a big user group at the MP and despite the opinion to the contrary by some, MP cares greatly about climbers and climbing(though of course they care about all user groups - climbers, hikers, cyclists, horse riders, photographers, birdwatchers, even canine companions and the miniscule population of sunbathers downstream at the Coxing).

I wonders, sometimes, if people have a real understanding of how highly skilled in high angle rescue the rangers of MP are, and how often they are called out to perform rescues that range from a turned ankle a miles hike in off the carriage road to the tragedy of picking up the pieces of someone who has perished. There are regular days scheduled where rangers go over potential rescue scenarios, in the field, and do the work to insure all understand the techniques and procedures to be employed.

The MP also supports major trailwork costs to maintain the climbing access trails, reduce erosion from the heavy use and make for safer carry-outs when the inevitable climbing accident does occur. They support the Gunks Climbers Coalition and work with them to help GCC achieve their objectives. They host events specifically of interest to climbers during the NP Climbers Film Festival.

Happiegrrrl wrote:Actually, climbers are a big user group at the MP and despite the opinion to the contrary by some, MP cares greatly about climbers and climbing(though of course they care about all user groups - climbers, hikers, cyclists, horse riders, photographers, birdwatchers, even canine companions and the miniscule population of sunbathers downstream at the Coxing). I wonders, sometimes, if people have a real understanding of how highly skilled in high angle rescue the rangers of MP are, and how often they are called out to perform rescues that range from a turned ankle a miles hike in off the carriage road to the tragedy of picking up the pieces of someone who has perished. There are regular days scheduled where rangers go over potential rescue scenarios, in the field, and do the work to insure all understand the techniques and procedures to be employed. The MP also supports major trailwork costs to maintain the climbing access trails, reduce erosion from the heavy use and make for safer carry-outs when the inevitable climbing accident does occur. They support the Gunks Climbers Coalition and work with them to help GCC achieve their objectives. They host events specifically of interest to climbers during the NP Climbers Film Festival.

I was able to watch some of the rescue training about 3 weeks ago -Awesome stuff. There were a lot of well known climbers and guides out there both learning and teaching.

I'm so glad I live out west.

I say this every time the gunks discussion turns into bitching about the fees.
I was climbing one afternoon and heard a death curdling scream. I was actually rappelling at the time. By the time I hit the bottom, unhooked, and ran over to the area maybe 100 yards away, there was a Ranger on the guy. With a stethoscope, talking to the pretty badly injured man and handling the situation like a complete professional. Moments later a stretcher appeared, and we all helped get him off the cliff bottom to the pickup truck where he was driven off to I can only assume a helicopter landing zone.
The Ranger, the pickup truck, the maintenance of the road, and the integration of all these things... I'll gladly hand over my annual fee which is the cost of what? One Cam and draw?

Any update on whether or not the MUA is still open now that it's a few days past May 15th? Looking to go up on Sunday and camp Sunday night but the new campground is all booked up. I don't believe this will stop us though from climbing.. where there's a will there's a way.