Profile for Disaster
Things are getting lively near me, most of them just over the county line to the north and one in my county. The former events are making the national news, especially because memories are still fresh of another series of happenings in the Virginia-Maryland-DC area just a few years ago.
A few hours ago five vehicles were hit by sniper fire on I-64, the interstate that runs to Staunton (pronounced "Stanton") and points west and in the other direction to Charlottesville and points east. But there have been no fatalities and injuries, as far as I know. It is early and not much more than that has been reported so far.
Then today I also just finished reading in the county newspaper that at a falls in the Blue Ridge, along the western edge of the county, another visitor has met his death.
I have never been to this falls, but, from a geographical\geological point of view, it is the No. 1 sight in this county. It is supposed to have the highest vertical drop of any falls east of the Mississippi, and it is popular with hikers, campers, and sightseers. Every two or three years, it seems, you read of another such death happening there, and the total since I don't know when is now 25.
The story is that this fellow, a young college guy, along with some buddies, climbed over a safety wall and down and onto a large, slippery rock next to a river that, miles farther along and in a much more peaceful mood, runs just a half mile or so from my house, and in fact my creek runs into it. He fell off the rock into the river, and, running fast up there, it swept him over the falls.
The newspaper report contained sly suggestions that alcohol was probably involved, and that often enough in the past it has been. No one is surprised.
There are plenty of warning signs around the falls. One of them, as quoted in the paper, reads:
"Young men and women between 18 and 26 years of age, who are bright, intelligent, and educated, fit the profile of the victims of the siren of Crabtree Falls."
That's cold.
A few hours ago five vehicles were hit by sniper fire on I-64, the interstate that runs to Staunton (pronounced "Stanton") and points west and in the other direction to Charlottesville and points east. But there have been no fatalities and injuries, as far as I know. It is early and not much more than that has been reported so far.
Then today I also just finished reading in the county newspaper that at a falls in the Blue Ridge, along the western edge of the county, another visitor has met his death.
I have never been to this falls, but, from a geographical\geological point of view, it is the No. 1 sight in this county. It is supposed to have the highest vertical drop of any falls east of the Mississippi, and it is popular with hikers, campers, and sightseers. Every two or three years, it seems, you read of another such death happening there, and the total since I don't know when is now 25.
The story is that this fellow, a young college guy, along with some buddies, climbed over a safety wall and down and onto a large, slippery rock next to a river that, miles farther along and in a much more peaceful mood, runs just a half mile or so from my house, and in fact my creek runs into it. He fell off the rock into the river, and, running fast up there, it swept him over the falls.
The newspaper report contained sly suggestions that alcohol was probably involved, and that often enough in the past it has been. No one is surprised.
There are plenty of warning signs around the falls. One of them, as quoted in the paper, reads:
"Young men and women between 18 and 26 years of age, who are bright, intelligent, and educated, fit the profile of the victims of the siren of Crabtree Falls."
That's cold.
posted by Carl (aka Sofarsogoo) | 3:23 PM
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