Eminence Break

On Night 3 of our trip we were camped at Eminence Break-  a fault line that splits marble Canyon from the rim to the river- and the next opportunity to hike came the following morning. No, the group would not be hiking all the way up to the rim, Only up to the next lowest rim…..

I borrowed this picture from Becky to show the red wall cliff that was the destination, and indeed, in this picture are very tiny hikers in the center of the picture, waaay up on the closest ridge. Do check out Becky’s blog to see more pics and ‘the rest of the story’.

Matt talked with the group the evening before to let us know what to expect. He said that this hike would be like the steep and rocky part of the North Canyon hike, only it would be all the way. A short (about a mile each way) but steep hike. I felt that Matt was actively discouraging those who had had difficulty on the North Canyon hike from even attempting this one. I really had not enjoyed the steeper section of the North Canyon hike, so I decided to stay behind, as did Becky and Pricilla and Deanna (who had sprained her ankle the day before). Tom and Nancy, the older couple, had decided to start out on this hike and go just a ways up before heading back down. While the hikers tackled Eminence Break, we enjoyed a quiet morning on the beach.

Fred decided that he was up for the challenge……a very steep and rocky trail going almost straight up. The group hiked hard and fast, taking few breaks. This quick break was captured by Jeff who shared his photos. (Fred, like me, does not think to take many pictures along the way.)

This group photo was taken at the top.

Good views of the river – special because it was the first overlook hike.

And one of Fred with the river as a backdrop.

They could see our camp from their way up high vantage point.

And we could see them…..well sort of. Becky took this picture and cropped it so that you can just make out the people on the ridge.  We knew that they had made it to the top, when we heard distant shouting……..What was that they said? Pizza? It sounds like Pizza and ………Beer? Yes, those wise guys were shouting down an order for pizza and beer! Well- they would just have to wait for that!

On the way back down, Fred took a couple of pictures to show the steepness of the trail.

These pictures from Jeff show a broader view of the group hiking down. It looked STEEP to me!

This hike challenged the group which you could tell from their stories and the relief as the group gathered back at camp. It had been 2 hours of hard hiking over very challenging terrain and they were all proud of their accomplishment.  I had a pleasant time, reading and visiting,  while they had been gone……but it felt strange to be standing on the beach looking up at the group and watching and waiting as they made their way back down.