Sacred Falls’
dangers evident,
expert testifies

A veteran geologist says the
park is a rock slide hazard

---

By Debra Barayuga
dbarayuga@starbulletin.com

In more than 35 years as a geologist, Gerald Weber said he had never seen anything like it.

During a site inspection of the Kaluanui Valley at Sacred Falls State Park in March 2000, less than a year after the fatal May 1999 rock slide, he saw evidence of numerous and fairly recent rock falls littering the trail leading up the waterfall.

Three months later, he saw more evidence of fresh rock falls and debris on the valley floor. There were rocks ranging from the size of a baseball to as large as two-feet across -- their sides still angled from their recent break from the surrounding cliffs. Trees were split and scarred from rocks hitting them and canyon walls were barren after rocks had peeled off. What he saw was evidence of a trail being bombarded by rocks on a continual basis.

Based on those inspections, including a review of available records on rock fall incidents at Sacred Falls, geological reports by the U.S. Geological Survey and a state geologist who had entered the valley the day after the tragedy, he reached one conclusion: "This is the single most hazardous canyon in respect to rock falls I've ever entered."

He testified yesterday as a plaintiff expert in the civil trial against the state. "Nothing is comparable to it. It's a very, very high hazard," Weber said.

Survivors and family members of visitors who were injured or killed in the Mother's Day rock slide more than two years ago sued the state, claiming it was negligent for failing to adequately warn hikers of the rock fall hazards and take other steps to reduce the risk of injury or death in the park.

The state contends that while there have been rock falls at Sacred Falls, it is impossible to predict when they will occur and therefore visitors are warned and assume the risk. The state says the May 1999 rock slide was an act of God that could not have been prevented and was not caused by the state's actions.

Weber, who performed a rock fall assessment at Sacred Falls State Park, agreed with the conclusions of a report by the U.S. Geological Survey that the rock fall hazard in the valley was very high even before the May 1999 disaster and continues today.

From a geographic standpoint, the valley in Sacred Falls was a "rock fall trap in every sense you can think of," said Weber.

The narrow valley's wine-glass shape, characterized by extremely steep cliffs that form chutes that funnel rocks and other materials down into the valley floor make it very hazardous, he said. The cliffs also had "lunge points" where when rocks hit them, would cause them to be strewn clear across the canyon instead of down.

"This is a canyon where if something happens, if you happen to be in the way -- even if you hear it coming -- you can't get away," Weber said.

Weber concluded that the Sacred Falls rock slide began as a massive rock fall that free-fell a short distance, struck the sloping canyon wall -- breaking up the rocks even more -- and rushed like an avalanche down the cliff chute before free-falling about 100-feet into the pool.