How did Gothel hide coming and going from Rapunzel before she was old/strong enough to use her hair as a rope? Raps doesn't know about the hatch in the movie which is why she went through the window with Eugene in the movie. But she couldn't have been using her hair to haul Gothel up her whole life. The earliest she could have done it is maybe 8 or 9 years old, so was how was Gothel getting in before that? Gothel would hide the real entrance from Raps. Do you think Gothel used a memory wipe?
While this isn't canon, I have always headcanoned that Gothel used a big, person-sized basket with a rope, and lifted and lowered herself in and out of the tower while Rapunzel' was a baby's hair was growing out. She probably started doing that once Rapunzel was about two years old. After all the entry at the base of the tower was outright bricked up, so Gothel wasn't using that at all for years and years, and two is just about when the long term memory starts to kick in (ignoring Rapunzel's canonically brilliant and unrealistic infant memories).
Anyway, I headcanon she did this herself until Rapunzel was strong enough to "help Mummy," and then when it was completely worn out beyond repairing, she swapped it out for Rapunzel's now-long hair.
I always thought it was weird that Gothel used Rapunzel's hair as a rope at all considering how her life is attached it. Rapunzel's hair wasn't indestructible in the movie and I would think that Gothel wouldn't want to risk her hair ripping apart and losing its power.

















