Hetch Hetchy Rockfall

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CA.Timothy

climber
California
Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 8, 2014 - 02:31am PT
saw this over on summitpost

http://www.nps.gov/yose/parknews/rockfall-closes-trail-to-rancheria-falls-in-yosemite-national-park.htm

Synchronicity

Trad climber
British Columbia, Canada
Apr 8, 2014 - 03:50am PT
Looks sketch sketchy....
Clint Cummins

Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
Apr 8, 2014 - 04:07am PT
There have been other, smaller rockfalls at that exact same spot in the past 10 years. One time I was climbing with Tim at Hetch Hetchy Dome and a small rockfall happened there. Later, when we went to hike back to the car, there was some tape across the trail. Of course we hurried a bit through the fresh section!
I have a 2005 photo showing almost the same active talus slope, also showing those 2 trees in the middle of it. They are gone now.

In the grey rock above the left side of the fresh slope, there is actually an offwidth splitter. In spite of the occasional rockfall from above, it's still intact. It would take a huge impact to move the giant slab on the right side of the offwidth. I imagine it may have been something like a tree which pried off the initial blocks above the fresh talus. Then later failures from the same source area.
stuv

climber
NL
Apr 8, 2014 - 04:22am PT
interesting, thanks for posting!
gstock

climber
Yosemite Valley
Apr 8, 2014 - 10:43am PT
From the link above:

A rockfall in the Hetch Hetchy area of Yosemite National Park closes trail east of Wapama Falls.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on March 31, a large rockfall occurred from the cliff just east of Wapama Falls above the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. No visitors were injured. However, the trail was closed just east of the Wapama Creek footbridges for safety purposes, and due to boulders preventing access beyond Wapama Falls.

Roughly 16,000 tons (5,500 cubic meters) of rock fell from a source about 500 feet (150 meters) above the base of the cliff. Rock debris hit the slope below the cliff, breaking into numerous boulders, crushing trees, and creating a small dust cloud. Fresh boulders completely covered the slope, and many boulders tumbled into the reservoir. Roughly 400 feet (120 meters) of the Rancheria Falls Trail were destroyed in the main impact area.

Hikers can still access Wapama Falls starting from the O'Shaughnessy Dam. The trail to Rancheria Falls just after Wapama Falls will be closed until further notice. The park is working to reopen the trail at a later date.





ydpl8s

Trad climber
Santa Monica, California
Apr 8, 2014 - 12:59pm PT
Mother Nature doing a little maintenance.
Sheets

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Apr 8, 2014 - 01:07pm PT
Always seems like the opposite of maintenance to me. Even something as awesome as the cliffs of Yosemite are going to disintegrate into rubble someday.
limpingcrab

Trad climber
the middle of CA
Apr 8, 2014 - 01:55pm PT
I'm gonna get the first ascent of that new brown spot
Grippa

Trad climber
Salt Lake City, UT
Apr 8, 2014 - 03:50pm PT
Greg Stock we're looking forward to your lecture here at the U this week!
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Apr 8, 2014 - 06:35pm PT
I'm gonna get the first ascent of that new brown spot

That thought occurred to me, too, now that I'm old and have nothing to live for. I really wish, though, that I could have had the last ascent of that block before it fell. FA's come a dime a dozen, but how many can say that made a last ascent?

John
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
Apr 8, 2014 - 06:37pm PT
There goes my proj.
limpingcrab

Trad climber
the middle of CA
Apr 8, 2014 - 06:58pm PT
That thought occurred to me, too, now that I'm old and have nothing to live for. I really wish, though, that I could have had the last ascent of that block before it fell. FA's come a dime a dozen, but how many can say that made a last ascent?

That's why I want to do more crappy new routes in remote areas, then I get the first and last!
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
Apr 8, 2014 - 08:28pm PT
Crabby, you'll have to do better than HH for "remote."

Any candy-ass can drive there.

(Even the Chuff), "he said with a grin."
HighTraverse

Trad climber
Bay Area
Apr 9, 2014 - 02:41pm PT
Any candy-ass can drive there.
But it's such a LONG walk across the dam, through the tunnel and along the far side. Can't belay from the bumper.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Apr 9, 2014 - 02:50pm PT
One serious question. When they say the area is closed, does that mean that it would be illegal (rather than merely off trail) to approach Hetch Hetchy Dome from the bottom?

John
tithaf

Trad climber
Sierra Madre, CA
Apr 9, 2014 - 03:17pm PT
Hi Greg et al.

The NASA JPL/Caltech Airborne Snow Observatory mapped the entire Tuolumne above O'Shaughnessy on 23 March 2014 and then on 7 April 2014 (delay due to the storms). Our lidar data have point density of about 1.4/m^2 at that elevation, so we should have a fantastic map of the change in cliff face and talus/boulder field along with what trundling of vegetation ensued.

Will post the imagery here soon-
Tom Painter
Lynne Leichtfuss

Sport climber
moving thru
Apr 9, 2014 - 03:19pm PT
Thanks for the share QITNL. Wonderful pics! And I love my new camera!
Cheers, Lynne
limpingcrab

Trad climber
the middle of CA
Apr 9, 2014 - 04:04pm PT
Crabby, you'll have to do better than HH for "remote."

Any candy-ass can drive there.

Ha! Little misunderstanding, I want to do more crappy FA's in OTHER more remote areas, not Hetch Hetchy. Of course I mean after I get the FA of the new scar!
drljefe

climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
Apr 9, 2014 - 05:28pm PT
The NASA JPL/Caltech Airborne Snow Observatory mapped the entire Tuolumne above O'Shaughnessy on 23 March 2014 and then on 7 April 2014 (delay due to the storms). Our lidar data have point density of about 1.4/m^2 at that elevation, so we should have a fantastic map of the change in cliff face and talus/boulder field along with what trundling of vegetation ensued.

Very cool.
Data! Data! Data!
gstock

climber
Yosemite Valley
Apr 10, 2014 - 08:58am PT
Fantastic Tom! You're timing couldn't have been better. I'll email you for more info.

Greg
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