Gunks MUA scheduled to close?

So, any other MUA connoisseurs? Anyone else have an opportunity to appreciate the finest things the MUA had to offer, like seasonal ex-convict housing or human excrement in your tent site?

No other stories???

I was lucky enough to camp at MUA when a group of people moved into the site well past midnight and began to have very loud (and honestly very boring sounding) sex in their tents before my climbing partner (a wonderful and funny woman) yelled "ENOUGH ALREADY" in her meanest, boomingest voice and shut them up.

I also woke up one morning to rain and a man in a rain jacket ala "I know what you did last summer" staring at our tents before walking away slowly down the hill.

Was woken up once when we were in a closed site (it didn't have the "restoration" sign and we were new to camping there) and felt kind of guilty before I realized it was 4am and then was just kind of pissed (and climbed very poorly).

I watched a car when there was ice in the parking lot slowly slide into the porta-potty in sloowwwww motion while we all stood around in amazement and shock that he didn't end up sliding his car straight down the hill or into the other parked cars

Thanks Rob, very impressive, a true connoisseur no doubt.

Back when you could camp across the street, my wife and I were awakened by an actual rave, with strobe lights, pounding bass and dozens of high school or college kids. One kid tripped into the fire and burned his eyebrows off.

Way too loud to sleep, but if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, so we did.

Eric G. wrote: Way too loud to sleep, but if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, so we did.

HA! Awesome...

Late 90's, 4th of july, screw firecrackers at 4am, these guys were blasting quarter sticks of dynamite.

Everyone with their coffee in hand watching the pompous douchebag trying to maneuver his shiny BMW in the packed lot and ends up p
getting stuck on the obvious rock in the way.

Oh, that big rock! I HATED that thing. But yeah, it was something unexpected for someone on their first visit, and if you weren't paying attention....

I had generally decent times at the MUA. Used it in 2005/2006 but after that I had no vehicle, and would camp at Slime, and then, of course, I got the gig as Coxing caretaker and only stopped at MUA once in an "on land emergency(a pun - if you call the MP VC, the recording mentions this term)" where I didn't think I could make it to the VC to use the potty.

Believe it or not, the porta-potty was SO bad, even I could not use it, and I am not public bathroom snob. Even with the volcano about to erupt, that potty had the effect of the mythical sacrificing of a virgin to appease the gods.

There was also the time, after I finally got a vehicle, where I cleaned up the trash of people who couldn't be bothered to accept the terms of use(Carry In/Carry Out)

There was one time - I used to get there early on a Friday evening, around 4, and a pair of pickup trucks pulled in and blocked that gate area. It was a group of grown people(not climbers, not locals) who were "camping" for the weekend. They immediately started blasting a cassette player with hard rock from the 80's and kept it up solidly the whole night. At about midnight I went over there and blasted them with my double barrel mouth, and though they screamed and railed for a good 15 minutes, they did actually shut it down.

Happiegrrrl wrote: stopped at MUA once in an "on land emergency(a pun - if you call the MP VC, the recording mentions this term)" where I didn't think I could make it to the VC to use the potty. Believe it or not, the porta-potty was SO bad, even I could not use it, and I am not public bathroom snob.

Yes the port-a-stall was notoriously R/X rated.

One morning after perhaps too much drinking, my friend opened the port-a-stall door just a little bit, carefully peaked in, and started dry heaving uncontrollably as he staggered backwards like he'd been shot.

I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

In the early and mid eightys it was completly unregulated. I was usually there mid week and had the place completly to ourselfs. it was clean and barely enough traffic to even pack down the grass. I do not recall where we took care of #2 buisness but I do not remember any obvious messes anywhere near the camping. there was a place past the bridge where you parked on the side of the road and hiked downhill a few hundred yards to a swimming hole with a waterfall and a pool to dive into. everyone skinny dipped. Often i was too lazy to pitch a tent and slept in my car on the side of the road below the Traps. there was a tin cup hanging on a string by the spring next to the Uberfall that many folks used for a drink. I recall that I had my Siera cup most of the time. took my many years to realize the Siera cup basicly sucks. it's too small and shallow and spills way to easily. The gunks was great place back then untill my rack got stolen from the base of Directisima in 86. that burst the bubble and in large part spoiled the experience for me. as there in about 03? It felt way too hectic and urban. Too much worry about getting robbed, too many people, dogs and trash.

Nick - don't forget: the Sierra cup also burned your lips with hot food. Hard to imagine why it became so popular. I guess the answer has a lot to do with "The Sierra Club".

Thefts in those days was sometimes (largely??) attributed to one local individual who is no longer with us. I think things are pretty safe now, the thefts from cars a year ago notwithstanding.

Gunkiemike wrote:Nick - don't forget: the Sierra cup also burned your lips with hot food. Hard to imagine why it became so popular. I guess the answer has a lot to do with "The Sierra Club".

Yeah, we all had one and it basically sucked for everything. Coming from the northeast, I don't know how much of an impact "The Sierra Club" really had in my neck of the woods.

Marc801 wrote: Yeah, we all had one and it basically sucked for everything. Coming from the northeast, I don't know how much of an impact "The Sierra Club" really had in my neck of the woods.

Along the same lines, the Sierra Club's list of "The Ten essentials" included IIRC sunglasses. Anyone who's spent time in the mountains of the Northeast knows that excessive sunshine is FAR from the list of concerns.

When i was there in 03 folks were complaining about a smash and grab that happened up by the nears. window glass on the side of the road. one of the first things I look for when leaveing my vehicle in a parking area is window glass. saw that crap down at the New as well. I don't like those kinds of places.....

they sold that siera cup as supposedly won't burn your mouth. Fcker burnt the piss out of you which made you jiggle and 2/3rd of your fresh brew went over the side leaveing you with about 2 sips that you could actually consume.

I'm sure they dropped a bag of cement to block that spring (or was it a quake). Just another one of those liability issues that miraculously solved itself.

I also remember camping right in the woods off the west parking lot. You had to be careful with the grocery run, they would close the gate at 10 or 11. That was the first year I went there, then camping on the road under the hairpin and hitch-hiking up to the Uberfall (car would stop back then).

Last year that spring was running a bit again. Probably due to the huge snow over winter. I remember the year it dried up - so sad. There is still the spring coming out the lower section, but it is right aside the busy road. I think a person has to be pretty thirsty to go there..... but in autumn at dusk you can sometime see a beautiful red fox in that area. (Tow good reasons to drive carefully and slow down on that hill!)

Stayed at the MUA once and hated it. The only thing I liked about it was that it kept the riff-raff from Slime (10pm quiet time was self-enforced). Now that Slime is gone, and now that I´ll be pitching up relatively permanently in Acadia, I can´t see a return to the ´Gunks for a long time. Just not worth it. I think even if I were living in Boston still it wouldn´t be worth it. We used t decide at Friday lunch if we were going based on the weather (40% chance of rain and we would go). Can´t do that now.

That and I was in Arco recently. Farm stays make things WAY cheaper. Work for a morning, get your food and a place to stay taken care of, climb in the afternoon. Yeah, costs you a plane ticket and car rental, but man was it ever worth it.

Leave the ´Gunks to NYC. Come to Acadia. There´s more to do there anyway.

Gunks certainly was a magical place on the early eightys.... I am certain it was even more special before my time there.