The Thimble

Excerpt  from Stone Crusade by John Sherman

"When Gill ascended it in 1961, it was the hardest route of its length or longer in America. This 30-foot-tall, mitten-shaped pinnacle rises out of the Needle's Eye pullout on the Needles Highway.---
The Gill Route climbs the northeast face of the Thimble staying immediately right of the rounded right-hand wall of a groove. (Gill has said that the right hand dashed line marked on the Thimble photo in Master Of Rock, [p.35 in 1992 edition; p.7in 1977 edition] is slightly off. It should join the left line sooner, the best guess being between the second and third dashes from the top. Otherwise the line is accurate.  To the right of the Gill route is a harder toprope line climbed by Kevin Bein which climbs the cnter of the face to the summit.  This route is sometimes mistaken for the Gill route.)"

Excerpt from Master Of Rock by Pat Ament

"Gill stated in a letter to me (Pat Ament) in February 1992: 

"Although I do not recall the exact placement of the hold on the upper part, the entire purpose of my climb--a priate challenge--was to avoid as much as possible the other easier climb, without putting myself in extreme jeopardy. That I planned a pure line in the middle of the face is erroneous. I felt that was too dangerous. The way I went, I could have moved at somepoint into the easy groove--an escape exit (shades of option-soloing?). This just tipped the psychological balance enough for me to commit to a distinct set of moves to the shoulder above. I do recall there was some crystal I pinched out on the face with my right hand. Perhaps it's gone now. Who know?""

Needle's Eye Pullout