rockfall Beacon week of Jan 26-31

[rl23455]

Heard 3rd hand, a body sized rock was dislodged by a climber and the rock fell all the way to the tracks, railroad crew came out. Am trying to get more information.

Tom

[ivan]

on 1/31 i saw a big old fresh scar on grassy ledges, about 50 feet west of the jills anchor - it would have fallen from the summit area of the south face though and i doubt it would have been a climber's fault (couple years ago a summit block looked pretty clearly pried off by folks who hopped the railing and it impacted in the same area). giant shit cuts lose from up there all the time and yup, it's high enough to make the tracks

[pink]

on 1/31 i saw a big old fresh scar on grassy ledges, about 50 feet west of the jills anchor - it would have fallen from the summit area of the south face though and i doubt it would have been a climber's fault (couple years ago a summit block looked pretty clearly pried off by folks who hopped the railing and it impacted in the same area). giant shit cuts lose from up there all the time and yup, it's high enough to make the tracks

 

 

always the climbers fault, never the meth heads

[billcoe]

Somewhere in a 5 day timeframe you are saying a climber might have dislodged a rock? At the very tail end of the climbing season where there are a bunch of folks out there trying to get a last lap in? Not likely but it could have occurred I suppose a rock had already fallen half way off, landed on a route and was teetering. Start of the season there is always fresh rockfall here or there on the climbing routes that might get knocked off. End of the year, not so much at all for man made rockfall.

 

There are 3 fresh and very huge recent rockfalls (multiple rocks) on the East Face from @ the last month where no climber or human ever treads. The rocks rolled all the way down from near the very top to the hiking trail on 2 of the falls, big stuff. All natural rockfall. Maybe it's just that time of the year that the natural rockfall occurs more frequently. Rocks fall off all the time, rarely off the climbing routes and rarely due to an active climber. (I've done a bunch of pre-openings where the park and Railroad folks co-ordinate us tossing rocks off before any climbers show up to help minimize those kinds of issues)

 

Those times they do encounter it, climbers try not to knock off the loose stuff as they never know who is below you that you might kill. Thats why when rocks fall off from up high and land on ledges that climbers frequent, you'll often see loose rocks towards the cliff where they cannot be accidentally dislodged, climbers push they away from the edge. Climbers I know will only toss rocks there if they feel that not doing so will most likely cause an unplanned rockfall later that might do more damage. For example, if a rock is about ready to peel off, and it picks it's time, it might kill a couple hikers and hit the RR 10 seconds before the next train (a train full of 90 percent liquid sodium hydrochloride roaring towards PDX 20 feet from the river for instance). So in that instance I could see a climber nudging it after the train has cleared the area.

 

You can see the fresh rocks that came off on there own on the East (not the RR side) side still, although climbers and hikers have been moving them back off the trail.

[stevetimetravlr]

Frost wedging happens.

[ivan]

cool impressive rock fall off the n side of the rock too in the past month, imbedded deeply in the ground very close to the water-faucet - the scar is quite plan just a few feet left of the 2nd pitch of stone soup

[pink]

cool impressive rock fall off the n side of the rock too in the past month, imbedded deeply in the ground very close to the water-faucet - the scar is quite plan just a few feet left of the 2nd pitch of stone soup

 

 

Takes every chance to get a Stone Soup PLUG

[ivan]

or just pointing out that 3 of beacon's 4 main faces have had major rockfall in the past month?

 

that said, the profits ARE pouring in from all these shameless plugs - i'm practically drowning in top-shelf trim - you should come out thisaways soon so i can throw a trio or two yer ways!

[billcoe]

Yup. The recent stuff off the North face was pretty sizable and scary close to the cars. Just feet from the water fountain. That might be some of that Barney Rubble. Crap is falling off on it's own everywhere recently. Was not that long ago @2 dump trucks of rock fell off from the top on the SE side when the wind blew over the largest fir tree on that side and the huge root system lifted everything up and then gravity took over. Did it during the closure so there was no humans anywhere near. Course, they would have been blown off in the wind if they'd been there, must have been one of those 100 MPH East winds that nuke the gorge on occasion.

 

The scar after.

 

 

In retrospect, looking at the picture, that's much more than 2 dump trucks full.

[billcoe]

pointing out that 3 of beacon's 4 main faces have had major rockfall in the past month?

 

Its may be that the West Face also had significant rockfall and as it wound up landing on the big scree at the base it looks the same as the other loose boulders and rocks piled up there so no one noticed it. The trail has been taken out twice by loose rock - no climbing routes anywhere near the location the crap is coming from, and if you look above the trail, there is still a big chunk of crap hanging up there waiting for the next stiff breeze or wayward puff of wind to push it off.....

 

...you can almost hear the ticking if you pause and look right at it. I understand that climbers offered to get up there and pry off any loose stuff when they all but closed the park when the trail was taken out by boulders last time, but were rebuffed. Too bad.

 

Next time we need to press our case harder on that. We can get that loose stuff @ 100 feet above the trail off and increase the safety margin for hikers and tourists. Just like the per-opening assists the railroad and increases their safety margin in a huge way: by getting the loose stuff that's accumulated over the winter off at a time of everyone's choosing so that a train isn't accidentally derailed by a stray boulder (or group of them) rolling off naturally on it's (their) own.

 

 

[pink]

I always wondered why the tracks are so close to the rock?!

[denalidave]

Those times they do encounter it, climbers try not to knock off the loose stuff as they never know who is below you that you might kill. Thats why when rocks fall off from up high and land on ledges that climbers frequent, you'll often see loose rocks towards the cliff where they cannot be accidentally dislodged, climbers push they away from the edge. Climbers I know will only toss rocks there if they feel that not doing so will most likely cause an unplanned rockfall later that might do more damage. For example, if a rock is about ready to peel off, and it picks it's time, it might kill a couple hikers and hit the RR 10 seconds before the next train (a train full of 90 percent liquid sodium hydrochloride roaring towards PDX 20 feet from the river for instance). So in that instance I could see a climber nudging it after the train has cleared the area.

Reminds me of the time Geoff and I were climbing the 3rd pitch of Young Warriors and some kind/considerate climber left us a "hot coiler" right smack in the middle of the route. Sure, they could have at least gone a few feet off in the grassy area. But no. Instead, they covered it up with a 10lb belay slayer flat rock. It was quite an uncomfortable silence when we caught up with the presumed offenders, as I was bitching and moaning about it as I approached the belay. IF YOUR GOING TO SHIT ON ROUTE. AT THE VERY MINIMUM, PLEASE DON'T COVER IT WITH A ROCK THAT WILL ONLY KILL SOMEONE BELOW. GETTING HIT BY A SHIT COVERED ROCK WOULD BE A BAD WAY TO DIE. WORSE WAY TO GET INJURED...

[ivan]

I always wondered why the tracks are so close to the rock?!

'cuz trains work better above water than below?

[pink]

I always wondered why the tracks are so close to the rock?!

'cuz trains work better above water than below?

 

 

 

 

[billcoe]

This started last month. I didn't realize the expense they were putting into it. They have crews all over the tracks, it would have been nice to have coordinated with the RR for climbers to be prying any loose rocks off now when the trains aren't running. No mo Slow Trains A Comin' until they finish, when ever that is.

 

SEATTLE (AP) - Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad says it will spend $189 million to improve its track system in Washington state this year.

 

The Tri-City Herald reports the money will pay for surfacing on 1,000 miles of tracks and replacement of almost 50 miles of rail. It al

 

BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas says it will focus on the Columbia River Gorge main line east of Vancouver and the route between Vancouver and Seattle.

 

Melonas says the railroad expects to start construction this year on the replacement of a railroad bridge over the Washougal River in Camas.

 

The Washington upgrades are part of a record $6 billion capital investment campaign across the entire BNSF system this year. Work has already started. Last week rail crews moved along the Gorge route near Stevenson. It's one of BNSF's busiest in the region.

[LostCamKenny]

Frost wedging happens.

...as does erosion of organic matter which surrounds giant blocks above the main climbing areas.

[stevetimetravlr]

I agree Kenny. It's why no current routes go through that morass, its freaking scary up there. The only route that I know of that tempts fate and could easily bring down obviously detached hanging blocks is Menstruation or Masturbation or whatever it's called.

[ivan]

there's 2 more pitches of uprising that go up there too, they just don't ever get done

[billcoe]

there's 2 more pitches of uprising that go up there too, they just don't ever get done

 

I did that finish once. It was the last time, never wanted to go back. Once you get though the shit, the last pitch ended as an excellent sweet fingercrack. Unfortunately, ends right under a big fir, so there was like sweeping shovelfuls of pine needles off as you climb.

[ivan]

indeed - really only worth doing w/o a rope given the brush n' wanderish'ness - the finish crack is cool but also has an extremely persistent covering of vine thistles to add to the piney goodness you mention