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Beacon Rock Update - 1/24/06
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!!!Caution!!! SE Corner Rockfall

Went out to Beacon today and got my ass kicked after three months of sitting on it. But I went out to survey the rock fall that occured earlier this month. It's a good guess that the ice took down a couple of pretty good pieces of stone and on impacting high up above Grassy ledges one big chunk bounced again and blasted the biggest branch off the SE corner tree angling to the East and another went West exploding above the first pitch of the SE corner raining rock around the base and sending at least one larger rock down by the tracks.

On there way down they took out some natural gravel/rock damns and so the whole of the SE corner is pretty strewn with a pretty exceptional amount of loose rock. Because of this anyone going out there for any reason should treat it more like an alpine setting with loose rock. Be doubly careful with your feet and ropes and don't linger under anyone - especially at the SE corner start.

And of course it closes next Wednesday. Again, we had already planned to do a pre-opening work session focused on the build up of loose rock up on Grassy Ledges - this just added a substantial amount of work to that effort.

Dog Carcass

Also, a couple taking the trail up didn't leash their dog and it unforunately left the trail and fell. Nothing to be done about it but the carcass is still there so don't be surprised if you come upon it. This was the second dog of the season to run off the trail to a bad end. Dogs on the trail up should definitely be leashed both for their own safety and that of others on the trail.

Joseph Healy
Beacon Rock Climbers' Association
Beacon.Rock@AvaSys.com