LITTLE ROCK — Two people recently fell from bluffs while hiking in Northwest Arkansas.
Lucy Thames, 59, of Fort Smith died after a 20-foot fall in Crawford County, and an unidentified teenage boy from Little Rock was injured after falling a similar distance in the Buffalo National River area of Newton County.
Daytime temperatures hovering around 80 degrees have sent people outdoors to hike or canoe rivers.
But precautions should be taken in Arkansas’ jagged Ozark Mountains.
“Nine times out of 10, it’s lack of preparation and/or overextending one’s abilities,” said Mark Clippinger, superintendent at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area near Rogers. “Some people think they’re going to knock out a 20-mile hike in a day.”
Caven Clark, a spokesman for the Buffalo National River, agreed.
Too many people venture into Arkansas’ forests for springtime activities without the proper gear, Clark said. Some wear flip-flops for hikes when boots with ankle support would be more appropriate. Others think “float trip” means they’re going to have a lazy float down a river, when reality is that they could encounter whitewater rapids that demand skill at handling a canoe or kayak.
“We’ve rescued people deep inside caves, and we’ve rescued people on the river,” Clark said.
Clippinger, who owns Ozark Rescue Suppliers in Rogers, said he has participated in 15 rescues during his 29 years with the state Department of Parks and Tourism.
He remembers when a family of four veered off a hiking trail at Hobbs. Without a tent, they slept in the woods huddled together to stay warm. They were just a quarter-mile from Arkansas 12. They could hear the traffic, but they were lost in a fog, unable to discern the direction of the highway.
People should know where trails go and plan their hikes, Clark said. They should inform others of where they’re going and when they should be back.
Clippinger said there are sheets for hikers to sign in and out at trail heads in Hobbs. If someone doesn’t return in a reasonable amount of time, park officials can go looking for them. He said 37,000 people hiked on Hobbs’ six trails last year.
The scenic beauty attracts hikers, but care should be taken when approaching the edge of a bluff, Clippinger said.
In 2010, 26-year-old Dylan Meier, 26, of Pittsburg, Kan., fell 94 feet to his death near Hawksbill Crag in the Buffalo National River area while hiking with family. He had climbed onto a 10-foot-tall boulder to get a better view, lost his footing and fell, Newton County Sheriff Kenneth Slape said at the time.
“It doesn’t take but one little step,” said Clippinger. “If you’re going to look over a ledge, get down on your knees, and as you get close to the edge, lay down on your belly. Or keep away from it, period. We’ve had several falls in the last few years.”
Tim Ernst, a nature photographer who lives near Pettigrew in Madison County,said it’s a matter of common sense.
“Stay away from the edge!” Ernst wrote in an e-mailed response. Also, he added, “Do not let go of your children whenever you are close to a bluff.”
Ernst said a fall from even a small bluff can be fatal.
C.J. Norvell, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, had advice for people hiking the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas.
“One thing that we always try to tell our visitors is national forests are inherently wild places,” she said. “There are dangers you’ll face out there, so it’s always smart to have a plan in advance. Know about the area where you’re going.
“People do like to get up close to the edge of a bluff, and after rainfall that can be a particularly dangerous time. It could be slippery and the soil could also become unstable because it’s saturated with water. Hiking through a national forest is not the same as taking a walk to the end of the block.”
In the karst topography of the Ozarks, layers of limestone and sandstone rocks can crumble underfoot, Clark said. He compared it to walking on ball bearings.
“Even a well-constructed trail has the potential for tripping hazards like loose gravel,” said Clark.
On the Buffalo River’s website, nps.gov/buff, hikers are warned about the hazards: “Each year, hundreds of hikers walk the scenic and rugged trails of the Buffalo National River. Most come out unassisted. A few, however, require a stretcher for the return trip.”
Clark said 1.5 million people visit the 92,000-acre Buffalo National River area every year. Most of them are there to canoe or kayak the river.
Clippinger said rescuers have been able to talk lost people back to trails and highways using cell phones, but Clark warns that cell phones don’t always work in the Arkansas wilderness.
People think if they have a cell phone, they don’t need to tell anybody where they’re going when hiking, but that’s not the case, Clark said.
Alcohol doesn’t always mix well with outdoor activities, Clark said. A man jumped off a bluff last year intending to land in the Buffalo River. Instead, he landed head first in a canoe on the river and was seriously injured, he said.
“If you’re doing drugs and drinking, sure we don’t want you to drive, but we may not want you to hike either,” said Clark. “You could fall and put other people in harm’s way.”
Rivers pose another challenge, he said.
“A lot of people get on the river, and they don’t even know how to hold the paddle, much less use it,” Clark said. “It’s more than just paddling. There are different strokes with a canoe. The person in the bow has different strokes from the person in the stern.”
Clark said he’s seen an increase in the number of kayaks on the river, and he believes that’s better for beginners.
“People with little or no river experience can adapt to a kayak much more readily than they can with a canoe,”he said.
Also, with “sit-on kayaks,” if it turns over in the water, the kayaker is thrown off and can’t get trapped underneath.
Clippinger said sometimes people who are lost continue walking, and that makes it more difficult for rescue workers to find them.
Also, Clippinger said, people often want to help with searches, but they should leave that to professionals. Many people will go into the woods on small all-terrain vehicles to help search, but the noise of those vehicles could drown out the sound of an emergency whistle, he said.
Clippinger advises people going on lengthy hikes to know where they’re going and take water, food, clothing, a flashlight and a whistle for each child in the group.
The Buffalo National River has a 24-hour dispatch telephone number for emergencies or unsafe conditions, (888) 692-1162.
Clark refused to release the name of the boy who fell March 23 in the Buffalo National River area, saying he is a minor.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 04/02/2012