Don't fret! Send me your pics at branco83@newpaltz.edu and I will try to help! I've been growing pumpkins for about ten years now.

Joe

How awful! We haven't had the problem here (yet), but could it be damage from squash vine borers (SVB)? You might try an Internet search for "squash vine borer damage" images to see if you see something familiar.

If the symptoms look alike, there are several threads here about how gardeners deal with the bugs. What I remember off the top of my head is slitting the stem where you see the "frass" and removing the larvae. Pulling soil over the joints ("leaf axil" might be the proper term) where the leaves and blossoms emerge can help the vine to root there, which might save the plant.

Also, for photos, what I do is upload them to a hosting site like Photobucket (free unless you're doing something special). After they're downloaded, scroll over the photo you want to post. Look for the box that says "HTML Code" - it's the 3rd one down on Photobucket and should start with something like " Hope all that helps.

Certainly sounds like a classic case of SVB. If the plants aren't too far gone, you can successfully save them by slitting the stem at the site of the frass and go up from there, you sould find the white grub like larva inside the stem. Kill it and then bury the stem to keep it moist and encourage roots. Like Mrs. W said, try to bury a couple of nodes to encourage roots, if your pumpkins are VINE type. If they are bush type, bury the damaged area plus some additional main stem above the damaged area.

Good luck. SVB struck me hard this year as well and I had taken precautions. It's a tough one to fight!
Susan