Four dead since 2011 in hike to second waterfall

by Laura B. Monteros

 

File photo of chopper crew rescuing an injured hiker in Eaton Canyon.

Reserve Chief Deputy Mike Leum oversees the eight Los Angeles County Sheriff’s search and rescue teams.  He told Altadenablog that though Eaton Canyon is probably the busiest single location in the county, search and rescue teams responded to 560 calls countywide last year.  “That’s a 10 percent increase from the prior year,” he said.

 

He reminded us that it’s not just the climb to the top of the second waterfall that is treacherous.  “People have gotten killed just in the effort of climbing Acrophobia Ridge to the top of the first falls,” Leum said, noting that the 17-year-old who died in March fell trying to reach it.  His statistics indicate that more than 40 percent of the injuries take place at the first waterfall.

He sent the statistics his department has compiled from January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013.

Four people have died since 2011 hiking in the area of the second waterfall.  The number of injuries in Eaton Canyon are as follows:

2011:
Injured in the area of the first waterfall:  12
Injured in the area of the second waterfall: 18
Requiring rescue, uninjured second waterfall: 41

2012:
Injured in the area of the first waterfall:  10
Injured in the area of the second waterfall: 12
Requiring rescue, uninjured second waterfall: 32

2013: (as of June 5th)
Injured in the area of the first waterfall:  5
Injured in the area of the second waterfall: 8
Requiring rescue, uninjured second waterfall: 16

Total injured, both 1st and 2nd falls : *65
**Total rescued: 89
*(not including 4 fatal injuries resulting from a serious fall)
**(The number rescued were people who were unable to negotiate the terrain back down out of the canyon or had become disoriented and were lost in the area of the second waterfall)

After speaking with many people we have determined the most accurate estimate of the number of people attempting to access the second waterfall in Eaton Canyon is approximately 40 people on the weekends, (20 Saturday and 20 Sunday), attempt to hike to the second waterfall during the weekdays it is dramatically less, unknown to get an exact estimate.