THE EAST WALL

EDD’s is the most remote area on the island. While directions to Edd’s are fairly simple, getting there is not. There are NO TRAILS to Edd’s. Park at the light tower turnaround at the end of ‘Lighthouse Road’ (aka Major Donald Drive). Walk directly east to the Bluff edge, turn right (roughly south) and follow the edge of the Bluff for about 40 minutes (time it, it is helpful). This is not as easy as it sounds. This part of the Bluff is a windswept headland full of the Devil’s meringue (very nasty ironshore) that actually clanks like iron plates when you walk on it. It is a barren, lonely place where there is little protection from the sun and weather. It is not a good place to get caught in a storm. Take these things into account when going here.

The hike is gnarly although the climbs are worth it. You will pass three ‘DOS’ Markers along the way, #’s 153, 154 and 155. The climbs are located about 150 feet past (south) #155 near a sizeable cairn of white rocks, an actual distance of about 3/4ths of a mile. The wall gets early morning sun and is shady from about noon on. It’s probably best to head to Edd’s prior to sunup. It is generally climbable during the morning hours, and it cools considerably once it becomes shaded.

Routes are numbered from R to L when facing the sea at the . *CAUTION: ONLY TWO routes are rebolted with titanium Tortugas (as of May, 2010), two (#’s 3 and 4) are not! DO NOT CLIMB ROUTES 3 AND 4 (the leftmost 2 routes when facing the sea) at this time!!

*NOTICE: There is a well-established booby breeding colony a few hundred feet past Marker #153. If you happen to look over the edge and see a pile of large boulders at the base of the bluff wall, you are very near it. This place is known locally as ‘Besowerd Cay’. Some also nest along the edge of the Bluff and will usually give out a warning call if you approach them. Give them wide berth. Brown-footed Boobies are one of a kind and an endangered species. There are major efforts underway in the Cayman Islands to preserve them. Please move back from the rim during such encounters and please don’t disturb these birds.