Egypt 3

[Slot Machine]

I soloed Egypt 3 on Saturday, March 10th, 2012. It was one of the best hikes I’ve ever done.

I had never ventured out to the Egypts before Saturday and was hoping for some peace and quiet. Boy, did I chose the right place. I had the Egypts entirely to myself. I didn’t hear a sound from any human on this hike, no airplanes overhead, no cars passing by. For me, it was a unique and refreshing experience.

Egypt 3 is a fantastic canyon with two distinct halves. The top half contains chutes, slides and a large pothole. The walls are stunning and the obstacles are fun.

The bottom half is dark, narrow and sinister. The walls are rough and passage is slow and hard earned. The width of my hand is 9 inches from my thumb to the end of my small finger. I could nearly span my hand the width of the canyon along much of the lower slot. I estimate the minimum width of the canyon at 10 ½ inches.

The Egypt area is pristine. There are many balanced rocks that would be easy to topple, there are many sandstone fins that would be easy to crush. If you head out there, tread lightly.

Currently conditions are ideal for hiking in the Escalante area. The high temperature on Saturday was around 60, the low was around 30. The entire canyon was dry except for one pothole that contained a bucketful of water.

Free advice: If you decide to visit this canyon, wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, knee pads and elbow pads. You will be glad you did. Don't do this hike mid-summer. The hike back to your vehicle is up a southern facing slope that is completely exposed to the sun. Mid day temps of 60 degrees are just right, 80 degrees would be nasty, 100+ degrees could be lethal.

Lastly, before any grandmother reading this freaks out- YES several people knew where I was, YES there was a note on the dash of my car, and YES I knew what I was getting myself into.

And YES it was awesome and I would gladly do it again.

Bob

Here\'s a short video of Egypt 3. Sorry about the shaky footage.


Upper Egypt 3.




Looking straight down onto twisting slide.


Large pothole with a slide in the background.


Another larger slide, about 20 feet long. People can upclimb this??




I came across a rope ladder about a third of the way down canyon. Was it left for those that choose to ascend Egypt 3? I would argue that you\'re missing the best part of the canyon if you skip the top section.




Lower Egypt 3.


My half full pack lodged easily between the canyon walls.






After the hike I drove down to Hole in the Rock for an awesome sunset and a celebratory beverage.


http://amazingslots.blogspot.com/2016/05/egypt-3.html

[spinesnaper]

[ratagonia]

Awesome!

Rick Green put that exit rope in there after a couple folks got killed there in a flash flood. Rick had to pick up the pieces... and really, I mean pieces.

Tom

[Sandstone Addiction]

Loved your TR! Looks like the lake was quiet too. Thanks Slot Machine.

[ghawk]

nice tr. I need to get down to that one some time. - I haven't done a good skinny one in awhile.

[PG Rob]

Nice TR Bob.

Glad you didn't have the same mishap that you had in your kitchen.

How long was the drive from Egypts to Powell?

[Slot Machine]

Nice TR Bob.

Glad you didn't have the same mishap that you had in your kitchen.

How long was the drive from Egypts to Powell?

50 miles that took a little less than 2 hours... The view is really nice from the cliff above Hole in the Rock, but I don't think it's worth the drive.

[Audilard]

Wow! That looks great! I need to get away.

[powderglut]

Nice TR!! I've been meaning to get out there for ages. It's on the list.
It's been many years since I've been out to the end of the road. Is it still a rocky potholed mess?

[Slot Machine]

Is it still a rocky potholed mess?

Yeah, kind of, although the level parts were in really good shape. I even saw one person returning from HITR driving a Hyundai Accent. That driver probably got a small taste of what it was like to be one of the original settlers. I might take my chances driving a covered wagon over that Hyundai.

[sasteve49]

Musta been a rental!