Yosemite National Park (CA)
Man Rescued From River At Top Of Cascading Waterfalls
On the afternoon of July 6th, Wawona rangers responded to a report of a man stranded on a rock in a small pool among cascading waterfalls in Chilnualna Creek. Incredibly, the 21-year-old man sustained no injuries after falling into the creek and being swept over a 10- to 15-foot-high waterfall into a small turbulent pool. He was able to climb up onto a small rock in the middle of the pool, but had no way to reach the shore and another waterfall below him. A short-haul rescue was attempted, but determined to be too hazardous. Rescuers were able to rappel to him, then ascended with him approximately 30 vertical feet back to the top of a rock ledge on the shore. Had the man continued over the next waterfall, the fall would have likely been fatal. Investigation of the incident revealed that he was one of a group of ten young men who had been climbing around the waterfalls and that they had attempted multiple creek crossings, one of which took him into the swift moving water. They persisted even though they knew the water was high from runoff. All ten were issued citations for creating a hazardous condition and one citation was issued for possession of a controlled substance. [Submitted by Chad Andrews, Park Ranger]
