Throwing rocks off a cliff, or what climbers call “trundling,” doesn’t seem like such a big deal. We’ve probably all done it and haven’t thought one thing about it. But before you toss that seemingly harmless rock or small boulder over the edge, make sure you skim over the cliff to be certain there are no climbers scaling the wall or hikers on a trail leading up to the top. It could be dangerous and also fatal to anyone that comes in its path.
Although it has been a rarity of a climber being killed by a thrown rock, it has happened. Climbers are aware that there is a possibility of falling debris and rock while they’re climbing. Falling objects are the third-most-common cause of climbing injuries according to collected data compiled and included in the annual publication, Accidents in North American Mountaineering, by the American Alpine Club. In fact, most accidents occur from naturally falling rock.
Sometimes people think no one may be in the path of trundling, but never assume just because you think someone won’t take the same route you would or it seems that there’s nobody behind you. One of the worst trundling incidents on record occurred back in 1994 when three young climbers set off a 50-ton rockslide down the north face of 12,799-foot Granite Peak, Montana’s tallest mountain. They figured that since they summited the peak via the north face route, which is a more difficult, less-used approach, that it wouldn’t be a problem. The climbers were sadly mistaken when the rockslide hit and killed climber Tony Rich, 33, on the way down.
Back on August 11, 2007, climbers Steve Herlihy and Pete Absolon were climbing on a route that they hadn’t been on before in Wyoming’s Wind River Range. They had both worked together at NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) and were like brothers. Absolon and Herlihy were excited to climb this unfamiliar route and had a goal set for the day. They had a full day of climbing, and as they were discussing how to handle the last pitch, without warning, something came plunging down from above. Herlihy heard a sudden crack and instinctively curled up next to the wall. Whatever it was, it had already passed the two climbers.
When Herlihy looked up and saw Pete Absolon just hanging from the ropes with his eyes and mouth open, completely still, he knew he was dead. Absolon’s skull had been crushed by a bowling ball-sized chunk of granite that was thrown from up above by a man who wanted to watch the rock fall. The man had peered over the edge just a little before throwing the rock, but didn’t notice Absolon and Herlihy. It wasn’t until after he threw the rock and crouched down further over the edge that he saw the two climbers right as the rock struck Absolon in the head.
The climbers that were responsible for the rockslide in 1994 that caused the death of Tom Rich were charged with negligent endangerment. Although the man who threw the rock, in the case of Pete Absolon, wasn’t charged, he has dealt with the repercussions of what seemed like a simple, innocent act that ended with an unnecessary fatality.
Be cautious out there. Look over ledges before throwing anything over a cliff. If you can’t see what’s below, don’t throw it at all. The risk of causing harm to another is not worth the thrill of watching a rock fall over a ledge.
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