Getting Down: Rap Stations in the Gunks

If you top out a long way from the Uberfall, it's often rather hard to spot the start of the rap routes that start from the summit.

There's no real need for rapping in the popular parts of the Near Trapps, although some folks do. There is a rap station at the tree on top of Fat City just right of Gelsa. This needs two ropes and doesn't bother climbers since it's so overhung. While many of the routes in the central part of the Nears have rap stations to avoid loose finishes, I'm not aware of any good routes down from the top until you get to Main Line (30m). There's now a bolted station about 40' down so you can get down here even on a 50m rope. If you have a 60m rope work right at the bottom to hit the base of Positively 4th Street.

There are a lot of rap routes in the Uberfall area but, again, most of these don't start from the top. There's no real reason to rap when the walk down is that close. Please don't rap down Baby on crowded days: there's a lot of loose rock and you're going right over a very popular route.

Here are the main rap lines in the Trapps:

• Rusty Trifle. Unless you came up Rusty Trifle, it's sort of hard to reach the top anchor. Three raps to the ground on a single line. Definitely bothers people coming up Rusty Trifle.
• Three Pines. You can't do the top rap on a single rope unless it's 60 meters. Choose the southern tree at the GT if you have a single rope. This line goes right over good routes - avoid it on crowded days.
• Tequila Mockingbird. If you have two ropes there's a rap from the GT near the top of this route.
• Blueberry Ledges. A pine in a low spot on the GT ledge just past Asphodel will get you to the ground on a single 60 meter line (with a little downclimbing).
• Minty. This can be done with a single rope. The last rap is from the anchor at the top of Snookys - often in use for top roping.
• Madame G's. The bolts atop Magame G's provide one of the scariest raps in the Gunks. Since you don't touch rock most of the way down this rap doesn't bother climbers much. Needs two ropes to reach the ground. A 60m rope takes you to a bolted anchor just above the ledge atop Guides Wall.
• V3. There is a good full length rap from the summit trees down to the pine atop the first pitch of V3. Just north is a rap route for a single rope but I wouldn't reccomend it.
• Middle Earth. One of the few rap stations easy to locate from the trail along the top. Can be done with a single rope (?).
• Three Doves. You only need one rope if you can handle a little easy downclimbing at the bottom. The lower rap annoys parties on the first pitch of Three Doves. 60 meter ropes get you all the way down. This is true for the new bolts on top of Arrow too but you will have to downclimb a bit if you use a single rop from the bolts at the GT on Arrow.
• Easy V. This is easy to find from the top: a tree just past the top of Arrow. A little scrambling is needed to get to the tree. This rap doesn't bother climbers on any of the nearby routes. If you have a single rope head over to the Three Doves rap station once you hit the GT ledge. The Andrew tree is another alternative if you have a single rope. If you have two ropes, use the tree just to the north. Don't bother people by rapping down the first pitch of Arrow.
• Jim's Gem. This is a great rap route when High Exposure is busy. I saw one party make it all the way down to the ground on a pair of 50m ropes on this but maybe they had long ropes? 60m for sure though. Anyway, you reach the GT in a short rap and can either continue on double ropes from a tree on the GT or hike south to the CCK tree where you can get to easy downclimbing with a single rope.
• High Exposure. This gets a lot of traffic on busy days. Fortunately, this rap line doesn't interfere with any climbing routes. Either 2 raps on a pair of ropes or 3 raps on a single rope. You can bypass a party going down slowly on the first rap by scrambling north to the GT ledge and walking back to the second anchor. The trail along the top of the cliff leads directly to the top rap station.
• Silly Chimney. This downclimb isn't that bad but looks horrendous the first time you do it. Massive exposure. You can rap (2 ropes) a tree just south of the top of the chimney.
• Airy Aria. The tree on the GT atop Airy Aria will get you down on a pair of 60m ropes.
• W.A.S.P. Takes two ropes from the GT ledge.
• Roger's Escape Hatch. An easy downclimb. Look for the cairn.