The Supertopo example illustrates that the discussion is alive and well elsewhere too. However, the circumstances are not quite the same. The unidentified Supertopo situation involved an expanding crack. Hence, a bolt anchor sounds like a very good idea vs. Lost Arrows pounded to the eye.

Thanks for the cleanup Rich and Rob!

Reminds me of an instance a few years ago. We were doing trailwork, with the griphoists and rockbars, working a long stretch of cliff base trail, and someone comes along, thanks us and *suggests* a project for us might be cleaning up the ledges with loose rocks.

Of course, it IS a legitimate project. Maybe it was just the suggester's delivery was off.... But the reply(not from my mouth) was something along the lines of "That's a great idea. Let's you go do that!"

The mouth dropped gape reaction was priceless.

My knee is ok for moderate trail hiking (and Uberfall scrambling) at this point, and it withstood carrying packs of rocks up to a level spot thirty feet higher up. Naturally, I'm suffering from the general deconditioning imposed by four months of reduced activity (and 68 years of living), I can't run or jump rope yet without pain (boo hoo), and I can't high-step in a climbing position,

I feel your pain -- literally.

Nice work.

Great to see you were out doing some physical activity. When you are ready to test some light climbing just let me know.

Looks great, nice work, well done. Glad to see we arent all like me. Talk is cheap taking time out of your climbing day is commendable. I'll have to try it, someday.

Trailwork is tomorrow morning at 9am, Worth....

Thanks guys!

We ran up it Friday night and got a first hand look - nice work!!!

Well done, gentlemen. Curious how long before some rain brings it all back.

Empicard, I think that comment is inappropriate.

Good question. It appears that, over the years since Easy O was first climbed, erosion has averaged roughly 1/3 inch per year on average (about two feet, as I remember it appearing, in 71 years). Of course, even if the average rate is correct, the rate for any one season could vary (and has varied) very considerably, both because of the frequency of human traffic and the severity of weather.

If 1/3 of an inch is in the ball park, the area isn't going to look like the "before" shot for several years, and our guess that the cleanup will last a season seems pretty reasonable.

Rick's comment about water bars is on target. At this point, the top is a water chute that will continue eroding whether or not anyone tops out. But the lay of the land will make the water bars drain over Easy O, which could create new issues. I think it would be well worth having folks who know something about trail-building assess the drainage situation and see if water bars are a good idea; they certainly are called for in terms of the erosion of the present terrain.

One of the things that became apparent is the debris from the top does wash over onto the ledges below. We did try to clean up the ledge immediately below the lip, but, having brought up only a short static rope, we couldn't rap further to clean ledges lower down. The fact that debris from the top does end up on lower ledges makes the top clean up a good thing even if people aren't going to top out.