Day 7 October 28, 2000 Climb to the Rim via Eminence Break |
Today's route stats: Distance: 1.5 miles Elevation Gain: 2100 feet Elevation Loss: 100 feetWe awoke early in a sea of mud. But the clouds looked like they were breaking up. We were concerned that if it did not stop raining, it would be too dangerous to hike out via Eminence Break. It also occurred to us that our cars might not make it out on the muddy roads. We broke camp around 8:00 and headed up the break. The weather continued to improve. It took us about 3 hours to get to our cars. The views were breathtaking. We popped out of the fissure and onto the rim just as the sun burst out. A glorious end to a great hike. But I must say that the Eminence Break route is not for everyone. Although we didn't need ropes, and the exposure wasn't too bad, it was very steep and loose. We hiked up in groups of 2 or 3 to avoid getting hit by dislodged rocks. And I would never want to enter the Canyon via Eminence Break. It is just too damn steep and loose. The roads were very muddy with lots of foot-deep puddles, but since we all had 4 wheel drive vehicles, we had little trouble. |
Hansbrough Point. |