Eric Holden
07-02-2014, 01:55 PM
Lower Eaton Canyon - 3BIV
Lower Eaton Canyon is the crown jewel of the San Gabriel canyons. Its a fun water park with some beautiful rappels. On 7.1.14 the US Forestry Department had planned on closing the lower part of the canyon, essentially banning canyoneering. On 6.30.14 we decided to run it one last legal time before the possible closure went into effect.
Eaton has about 20 slides and jumps along with about 8 rappels. Trip went great, we had a small injury to a chin from a slip and fall but nothing a little rappelling couldn't fix. Great times. As you descend the final rappel it is always into a group of people that hike up from the bottom. As each one of us hit the bottom we were met with a round of applause. As I was pulling the rope from the final rap, with 40 onlookers.... it got stuck. Took about 2 minutes to free the rope but eventually got it down. We made it car to car in 6.5 hours on the nose.
Video of our descent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Jr9FqM07E&feature=youtu.be
Pete and myself gearing up
75118
First Falls
75119
Frank on rappel in the gully
75115
Pete on the second to last falls
75116
Final falls, or first depending on which way you go, with crowd.
75117
Lower Eaton Canyon is the crown jewel of the San Gabriel canyons. Its a fun water park with some beautiful rappels. On 7.1.14 the US Forestry Department had planned on closing the lower part of the canyon, essentially banning canyoneering. On 6.30.14 we decided to run it one last legal time before the possible closure went into effect.
Eaton has about 20 slides and jumps along with about 8 rappels. Trip went great, we had a small injury to a chin from a slip and fall but nothing a little rappelling couldn't fix. Great times. As you descend the final rappel it is always into a group of people that hike up from the bottom. As each one of us hit the bottom we were met with a round of applause. As I was pulling the rope from the final rap, with 40 onlookers.... it got stuck. Took about 2 minutes to free the rope but eventually got it down. We made it car to car in 6.5 hours on the nose.
Video of our descent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Jr9FqM07E&feature=youtu.be
Pete and myself gearing up
75118
First Falls
75119
Frank on rappel in the gully
75115
Pete on the second to last falls
75116
Final falls, or first depending on which way you go, with crowd.
75117