I've heard it's been there since a week ... I worked on it for (apparantly) well over an hour today. Got it moving, but I have to hang my head in shame: I broke a trigger wire.

So whoever goes up there to kill it, be prepared. My apologies.

You are not the first......I clipped it Thursday while it was sticking halfway out! Doug and I both tried to get it, but only succeeded in welding it deeper after getting it moving as well. Perhaps a small hammer with chisel or something could extract it without destroying it.

I had a hammer with me, and got it to move around better with that. I'm not that experienced with a hammer, but I am experienced enough to know not to make things worse by just whaling away, so I didn't.

Then once the trigger wire broke ... I thought it best to leave for folks who really know the drill (no pun intended).

I'm pretty sure it needs to go downwards, to come out. Up is tempting, and it does move around a little better higher, but it likely went in from below and needs to come out that way.

I was very thankful that it was there to clip after falling 15 ft at the crux! That cam's not going anywhere!

Hey, were you the woman on Feast of Fools Sunday?

That was me! Were you one of the climbers on Hans Puss? I have to go back and try that one. It looked fun!

I assume that was all in the morning before we went swimming on the Stand around 1 PM.

Yes - I swam all the way back to my car. Thank goodness I wore my water shoes that day.

Thanks for letting us rap on your rope, by the way! It would have been bad to have been stuck up there. I feel sorry for everybody else on the rock in the downpour.

Did you all get any other climbs in that day?

We were actually down at the Slime Wall. I had to aid through the crux on the Stand to retrieve our gear. We hit a farm stand and headed home. I can't imagine that much dried out much after that soaking.

That was the only climb that we were planning to do that day. So it all worked out for us. We did all 3 pitches of Feast of Fools, and it was awesome! Rapped just in time!

Yes, I'm the one you guys inspired to lead P2. We didn't do anything else that day but thanks to you it wasn't a complete wash-out.

well, then thank you, dalguard, for the rap! We appreciated it!

P3, was good too... If you can find your way through the lichen. It has a fun 5.6 roof move.

Who brings a hammer to the gunks in 2008?

Civic minded folk who are trying to keep our asses out of a sling.

I bring one... Not always, but a fair amount... And it has come in handy!

How have you used a hammer in the Gunks recently? This I need to hear.

Haven't used it since april... I think...

Find it very helpful for removing garbage from the cliffs...