Rock slide kills lady at Taughannock Falls

[Matt]

This is from last year, but interesting and a good reminder to watch out for rocks the size of a truck falling on your head:
http://ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 30332/1002

Woman killed, 3 hurt in gorge rock slide
Family was hiking near falls floor at Taughannock

By JODY ROSELLE
Journal Staff

ULYSSES — What began as a leisurely hike down the Taughannock Falls trail Monday afternoon turned into a tragedy for a family of four, as a New Jersey woman died following a rock slide on the northwest side of the falls.

Deborah A. Rowen, 51, of Westmont, N.J., was flown by StatMedEvac helicopter to Arnot Ogden Medical Center in Elmira where she was pronounced dead at about 6:38 p.m. after rescue workers removed her from the gorge floor. New York State Park Police say Rowen had been on the gorge floor, off the trail, with her husband Paul M. Arsenault, 52, their 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son.

Emergency workers were dispatched to the gorge at 12:48 p.m. About 20 Trumansburg firefighters arrived first at 12:57 p.m.

“As far as we know there was some kind of rock slide at the falls,” said Trumansburg Fire Chief Jason Fulton. Fulton reported no injuries to emergency workers, but some loose rock fell during the rescue operation.
Park Police, New York State Police, Tompkins County Sheriff's deputies and Bangs Ambulance arrived a short time later at the park near the trail's entrance. Rowen was taken from the gorge, put into a pick-up truck with emergency workers and taken to a waiting Bangs Ambulance which brought her to the east side of Route 89 to the helicopter landing zone. Ithaca Fire Department's rope rescue team had been asked to remain on standby but firefighters later canceled the request.

Arsenault and his son were taken to Cayuga Medical Center for treatment. Their conditions were not available Monday.

Witnesses told The Journal that falling rock struck at least one person and that there was “dust everywhere.”.

Taughannock Falls is approximately 215 feet high and surrounding gorge walls are at least 25 feet higher. The gorge trail extends from the parking area on the west side of Route 89, along the stream and across a bridge to an observation area downstream from the falls.

“Every year we send out scalers and we send them to all the gorge parks,” said Major Richard Waffle, commanding officer of the park police for the Finger Lakes Region. Waffle was referring to New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation workers who scale down gorge walls to knock down loose rock along the trails before the season begins.

“That area where they were was not scaled because they were where they weren't supposed to be,” Waffle said.

The summer weather has left Taughannock Falls largely dry this season. Large expanses of dry, white rock can be seen along the stream from the trails leading to the falls.

“They were in an area that would've been, under normal conditions, very close to where the falls would've been,” Waffle said.

Park police say charges are pending in the incident. According to Title IX of the New York State Code of Rules, going off public trails, overlooks, roads and “other ways” provided by the parks office is a violation.

Arthur Bloom, a retired Cornell University geology professor, said the area has a “nasty history of rock falls.”

“The dry weather probably caused the rocks to crack and shrink,” Bloom said. “More likely it happens during rain or especially in the winter when ice builds up in the cracks and that can push out the rocks.”

Bloom, who said he has lived in the area since 1960, said the local shale rock appears susceptible to shrinking then sliding or falling.

“Almost any (rock) will, but our local shales there have a lot more openings and they tend to shrink and break up,” he said. “It can be more or less rapid - extremes are very dangerous to people. It's very dangerous rock to be climbing around on.”

[cbobcat49]

The author, Jody Roselle, is a good friend of my wife. They grew up together near Jamestown. Jody gets to write all the morbid stories around Ithaca. People falling into gorges, stuff like that.

Chris

[Matt]

On a road trip down to Taughannock with a couple of buddies once, one of them climbed the shale stone pile to the left of the falls, it reaches up about half way up the gorge at times. There's an overhang right above it and well... that wasn't the smartest thing, but nothing happened. This was prior to this incident, I'm pretty sure they won't allow any of that anymore.
Back then it was a pretty busy day at the park, mid-summer and we were swimming in the pool at the base of the falls. A lot of people were. I hear they patrol for that now.
A section of rock coming loose and crushing a family is a rare, rare occurrence. Most rock cleavage will happen in the winter with rock shift in the spring, during high rainfall.

But standing under overhangs or on or around piles of shale doesn’t come without risks.

[VinceClortho]

..

[Matt]

I went there this weekend and everyone was talking about it
"where ewas the lady killed?", etc..
IT was enough to keep pretty much everyone behind the barrier.
One guy took his kids for a awim in the plunge pool.
We saw maybe 2 park pratrols along the gorge trail.

Most of that area is now overgrown, including the piles of shale.

[Falzguy]

The Adventures of Falzguy

Falz date 06.27.1999. Arrive at the upper overlook for Taughannock Falls, 8 miles north of Ithaca, New York at approximately 10:00. The volume of Taughannock Creek is very low. Observe several people walking on a ledge at the level of the plunge pool and passing behind this 215 foot high falls! Falzguy is seized by a strong desire to do the same.

Arrive at the Gorge Parking Area for Taughannock Falls and eat lunch. Start the 3/4 mile hike to the falls. Stop at Lower Taughannock Falls, height 20 feet, and observe several youths jumping off crest of falls and into plunge pool. Continue hike to base of Taughannock Falls and arrive at lower overlook at approximately 12:00. Several signs warn not to go beyond the overlook, which is roughly 300 feet from the base of the falls. Many other people have ignored the signs and have gone closer to the falls. Some are swimming in the plunge pool, while others are passing behind this 215 foot high falls! Falzguy is seized by a powerful desire to do the same, ignores the signs and goes closer to the falls. Deciding to take a few photos first, Falzguy makes his way to the southern side of the plunge pool. The view is fantastic. Falzguy is mesmerized by the falling water and takes a few photos. He notices two guys on the ledge just above the plunge pool, starting on a journey behind the falls. They are about 50 feet from reaching the edge of the curtain of falling water when Falzguy hears a loud, piercing CRACK above the noise of the falling water. His eyes quickly lock on a mass of falling rock about above the two. The mass of rock (Geneseo Shale) is roughly 25 feet wide, 20 feet high and 7 feet thick. It has broken loose about 40 feet above the plunge pool ledge, immediately above the two guys. The mass of rock falls about 15 feet and hits a ledge. The bottom 1/3 of the mass explodes into a multitude of fragments which shower into the plunge pool. The upper 2/3 of the mass stops for an instant and then topples over into the ledge at the plunge pool and breaks into several large pieces. Some of the pieces tumble into the plunge pool. Falzguy has now lost the urge to go behind the falls.

Some of you may be wondering what happened to the two guys. Just as the mass of rock hit the first ledge, the two guys dove into the plunge pool and swam straight towards Falzguy. When they emerged from the plunge pool Falzguy talked with them. As they neared the falls, they first saw some smaller (basketball sized) rocks falling from the cliff ahead of them and decided to turn back. One wanted to swim across the plunge pool and the other decided to join him. They had their backs to the cliff and were looking for a spot to dive from when suddenly they were showered with small gravel sized rocks. Then they heard the loud CRACK above them and immediately dove into the plunge pool. One of the guys had a small scratch on his left shoulder. Falzguy told them to buy a lottery ticket, as this was their lucky day.

[Matt]

great story. Wow. Must have made quite a noise.

I have been maybe 6-10 feet from the falls in low flow summer and it is exhilarating. This gorge in particular seems very unstable. The rock piles are evidence enough. The gorge walk seems pretty safe if you are in the creek bed away from the walls. Some of the trails are below overhangs and I wonder.

[Falzguy]

The worst part is that I had put my vieso camera away about 10 seconds befor the rockfall.

I saw a large bus sized rock fall up-river of the Lower Falls at Letchworth a few years ago. It hit near the riverbed and a second later I heard the loud crash above the noise of the falls. Quite imperssive!

By the way the Lower Falls is also on the Livingston/Wyoming County line.

I have a video of an ice fall at a falls in Canada. You hear the noise of the ice hitting the rocks below and the sound of the falls changes. Must find the time and a way to put it on the net.