Rock Climbing the Gunks

Rock Climbing the Gunks Itinerary:

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• Day 1 Meet your guides and fellow adventurers and travel to our private camp near the Gunks, our climbing playground for the weekend.

  Your trip begins today at 4:45pm at the REI Yonkers store. You may choose to take advantage of the included 15-minute transfer from the Yonkers train station at 4:15pm (to coincide with the 4:14pm arrival of the train); look for your guide wearing an REI shirt. Once at the store, we'll spend some time getting to know our guides and fellow climbers while doing a gear check and trip itinerary review. Once we have covered all the details of the weekend activities we will shuttle north about 90 minutes to our private and secluded camp to get settled, stopping for a pizza dinner along the way. Once in camp, we'll review Leave No Trace practices before our first night under the stars. Pizza dinner included.

• Day 2 Begin the day with a briefing on gear, technique, knots, routes, and other basics. Later this morning, it's time to go climbing!

  We start our day with a cooked camp breakfast before preparing our packed lunches for the day. We will then do a short hike to our first climbing routes, either close to our camp or at a nearby park, depending on the groups experience level. Here we will begin with learning the basics of climbing site awareness, equipment use and terminology. We will cover basic knots and safety commands and get you on the rock to begin honing your skills. While top-roping today, we will start looking at beginner to advanced climbing movement and technique. We will have climbing routes available from 5.3 – 5.7 in rating today, as we familiarize ourselves with the rock. We'll enjoy lunch at the climbing site and then continue working on climbing techniques and skills into the afternoon before packing up and hiking back to our camp for dinner. All meals included.

• Day 3 Choosing from a variety of excellent route options, we spend the day climbing and learning new skills before departing for home.

  After breakfast and packing our lunches we will have a number of options for the day, all involve a lot of climbing time! Based on the skills and confidence of the group, we'll choose from a variety of excellent climbing options in the area. We'll cover some review in the morning before delving into new skills, and those that are feeling great and looking for more advanced options will have those opportunities as well. Again, we will have lunch at the climbing site and then continue climbing into the afternoon. We plan to finish up the day and begin heading back toward the Yonkers REI by around 4pm today, please do not plan to be back at the REI Yonkers before 6pm. Breakfast and lunch included.

Although we do our very best to adhere to the schedule above, the itinerary is subject to change for numerous reasons beyond our control, including weather and terrain conditions. This trip is operated rain or shine.

Contact REI Adventures prior to purchasing your airline tickets to confirm the trip has the minimum number of participants required to operate.

Professional instruction; optional transfer from the Yonkers train station to the REI Yonkers store; transportation from the meeting point to the climbing area and back; meals as noted in the daily itinerary; tent accommodations; group climbing equipment (see gear list for details); permits and fees.

Transportation from your hometown to group meeting point; insurance of any kind; alcoholic beverages; soft drinks; guide gratuities and items of a personal nature.

Newark - (EWR), NJ
JFK - (JFK), NY
LaGuardia - (LGA), NY

There are a host of options for transfers around and through the city, from train to taxi. Although potentially more expensive we recommend the use of taxi services within the city limits as they can be quite efficient. Taxi is a very good option from the major airports as well.

Taxi from LaGuardia to REI Yonkers will be approximately $45.
Taxi from JFK airport will be approximately $65.

This trip is rated Moderate [3] as we plan to climb for 4-6 hours per day and will have to hike a short distance from the parking area to where the climbs are located each day. To maximize your enjoyment of the trip and to avoid sore muscles, we suggest that you engage in a regular exercise regimen beginning at least three months prior to your departure. Most important to your enjoyment of the trip is your overall fitness level.

Temperatures can range from 50 – 90 degrees F during the day to 40 – 70 degrees F at night. Trip members should arrive prepared for all possibilities by following the gear recommendations below. Consider the time of year of your departure and check recent weather activity and forecasts.

This trip is subject to the booking information set forth in the current REI Adventures Weekend Reservation Information. Please read this information carefully and call us if you have any questions. A full gear list and detailed pre-trip information is sent upon sign-up. We highly recommend the purchase of travel insurance through REI Adventures. If coverage is purchased at the time of your initial reservation, the 'Pre-existing Conditions Exclusion' is waived (certain exclusions apply).

We look forward to having you join us for the trip of a lifetime! Why wait? Space is limited, reserve your adventure today.

The key to staying comfortable while on an active trip is layering. To get maximum comfort with minimum weight, you need versatile layers that mix and match to create the right amount of insulation, ventilation and weather protection. Try to bring only what is necessary—this will help you and the field staff.

Weather

Daytime temperatures usually range between 50^o–90^o F during the day to 40^o–70^o F at night. Trip members should arrive prepared for all possibilities by following the gear recommendations below. Consider the time of year of your departure and check recent weather activity and forecasts.

Gear Checklist