WNCOutdoors.info Blog

Update 7/23/2009: two more waterfall accidents happened just this week; luckily both individuals survived. A 14-year old boy fell off Triple Falls near Brevard while a 21-year old girl fell off Glen Falls near Highlands. This marks the second accident at Glen Falls this year. We wish both people a full and speedy recovery, and hope they’ll join the campaign to help keep people safe when visiting waterfalls after they do so.

With dozens of confirmed waterfall deaths in Western North Carolina since the year 2000, our hearts go out to those affected by these tragedies and we hope everyone involved will stay strong during their time of grief. But I think we as a society have to pull out a little bit of harsh reality and look at this situation from a different angle for once.

Waterfall injuries and even deaths are far too common, and it is absolutely senseless that anyone should have to suffer like this in connection with one of nature’s most beautiful creations. Historically, people are injured and die each year at North Carolina’s many waterfalls and others around the world, and all of the occurrences have a common thread: the person slips and falls at the top of the falls, or (more rarely) is swept over the falls or pinned underwater by a strong current. All judgment aside for anyone who’s ever been hurt at a waterfall, this message is to anyone who is considering doing it in the future. Folks, the solution to this is pretty simple.

Do not EVER put yourself in a situation where a slip could send you over a waterfall. Do not climb across the creek at the top of a falls. Do not swim in a pool right above a waterfall. Do not climb the rocks beside a waterfall. Do not wade or swim in swift water around waterfalls. Just use common sense!

Accidents do happen. And sometimes, there’s nothing that could have been done to prevent a tragedy – a true accident. But in almost every case – and this goes for more than just waterfall incidents – this kind of thing can be traced back to the actions of the people involved, which, had they done something differently or not done something senseless at all, the “accident” would never have happened.

I would think that people’s self-preservation instinct would tell them this already. But apparently not. Nothing except perhaps drunk driving burns me up more than people falling off a waterfall. The sad thing is that if you aren’t concerned about your own life enough to keep from deliberately putting yourself in danger, you might not think to care enough about your family who must suffer the tremendous emotional and perhaps financial consequences of your decision, the rescue workers who risk their own lives to haul you out of the woods, or the innocent bystanders who just don’t deserve to have to watch someone suffer a horrible death on what should have been a pleasant hike to the waterfall!

Consider the death of a man at Moore Cove Falls in 2006. As if this wasn’t bad enough, it happened directly in front of his new fiancé and other families and children who were visiting the falls that day. And regarding your kids, you might think “well they’re young, and fearless – I’m not going to do it but they can go ahead and climb up to the top”. But what about when they get in trouble? Are you willing to risk the pain to your family if something were to happen to them? Or having to put yourself in danger to save them? Keep your kids in safe areas, too!

I originally wrote this article back in 2007. It’s 2009 now, and we had several waterfall deaths last year and already a couple this year. I’m reminded of a recent trip to Big Laurel Falls, when another family arrived at the falls just after mine. The kids went straight from the trail up a scramble path leading up slick rocks to the top of the waterfall, with flimsy rhododendron branches being all that was keeping them from plummeting to the hard rocks below. Without even stopping for 30 seconds to enjoy the beauty of the falls from safety! And on the previous weekend, a man who drowned after saving the life of his son, who got trapped in the swift current above the falls.

It’s your choice, but this is one mistake you won’t have a chance to learn from, because you won’t be alive after making it. Most of our waterfalls are already named, one at least of someone who died after falling over them (Mitchell Falls). But we won’t be renaming any of them after you when you fall!