Cleo's Needle Southwest Dihedral 

When me and my partner Paul reached the summit, we had a safety meeting. With each cough you could feel the block wobble. We freaked out a bit at first and then just starting geeking out, which didn't help with the wobble either. After a few minutes of laughter and enjoying the view, we rapped down.

LOL! Been that way for years! Welcome to the club.

What's been that way for years? Safety meetings?

Well, I'm not quite sure what a "safety meeting" is, but I can say that damn block has been freaking people out for some time now, and the club
I'm referring to is the club of being freaked out. Climb on!
I don't think Mr. Sanders trolls this site but if he's out there, but Ben I wish I had a photo of the look on your face when we were up there and he discovered the whole damn thing was moving!

P.S. I've just been informed what a "safety meeting" is. Thank you to Vince for enlightening me :) And, yes it's been that way for years.

Jay, I think both have been that way for years. LOL!

I wish I had a camera so Paul could see the look on his face. Sheer terror. Then visions of the hole block falling and taking us with it!

It's been rocking since at least the late seventies

And one day it's gonna go 'boom'...

So is this needle even safe to climb?? I don't want the thing coming down when Im on there?

Do a lot of people still climb it?

Andrew,

It's been rocking for eons (or since the late 70's--same thing). The single bolt used for rapping off the top should be more of a concern.

Seriously, though, the route is worth doing. It's a classic DL experience.

Now is that whole needle wobblin or just the "little" block that is the last like 5 or so feet?

Just the last block I believe.

ok good, that makes it a little less insane. Thanks


Jay? can you second this? just the last 5 or 6 feet.

Yeah. Nick's right. It's unnerving but I never got the feeling like it would fall off.

It's unnerving, but I don't think it's going anywhere...

It's more like the last 10ft or so that is wobbly. But I dont think it's going anywhere either. Just unnerving to feel it move when your hooked up to it.

Do you know that once way back in time Cleo's Needle fell down. The Army Corps of Engineers erected a big crane and hoisted it back up onto it's resting place and as well placed the large iron spike that keeps it all level..... Whoops....... the 1st of April was yesterday........

i got the top and the my second was coming up. the tower starts to wiggle....i think...i'll jump into those trees if this thing falls...that will help break my fall. And then i realize....i'm anchored into the top of the needle...and if it goes, i'm going with it.

much like the gendarme at seneca, climbing this thing is a must and a exercise in faith.

Dam, Melissa and I were up on top of this yesterday and she tells me she can feel the whole thing shift in the wind. I tell her to stop being a baby, it is all in her head. I don't think it's important to mention to her I was wrong. However, that little bolt in the rap ring from the sixties is a bit unnerving. Great climb though.

I finally got on the Needle yesterday via a few different routes. The view was excellent and I even spotted a peregrine falcon. My brother said he could feel the wobble but I disappointingly did not.

That pin and ring are definitely not the original one. (I'm sure the '64 is a tribute to the first pin placed.) Does anyone know when the newer pin and ring were placed though, or by whom? Since it is the only piece between you and the deck, it'd be nice to know about it's origin.

Oh... its original!