Caution is the key for Glen Onoko visitors

It would be melodramatic to suggest the Glen Onoko area of Lehigh Gorge State Park is like an irresistible temptress who lures unsuspecting visitors to their deaths.

But it has a ring of truth to it.

Emergency crews were called to Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday after two young men fell. According to a witness, one appeared to accidentally drop a water bottle and slipped over the falls while trying to retrieve it. His friend, hoping to help, also fell. Investigators say both were sitting at a ledge with their feet dangling.

One of the victimswas pronounced dead at the scene. Rescue personnel from fire companies from Jim Thorpe, Lehigh & Lausanne, Penn Forest and Lehighton were dispatched. Keep in mind, responders to incidents at Glen Onoko don't merely drive up to the scene, jump out of their vehicles and offer help. Instead, they need to don appropriate gear and begin extensive hiking up the mountainside in uncomfortable heat to reach the scene. One rescuer was injured and treated for a knee injury.

In this case, the site of the tragedy was at the second falls, the highest at the site.

We've seen this kind of misfortune take place at the falls over and over.

"Here we go," stated a Facebook commenter, alluding to the possibility that more deaths and injuries at Glen Onoko will be inevitable as warm weather arrives.

Certainly, it's a familiar pattern. The falls have been the site of many tragedies. Truth is, the site has been a tourist attraction since the 1800s and it's anybody's guess how many Glen hikers have been killed or injured since that era.

On Wednesday, a few social media commenters called for the closing of Glen Onoko to visitors. Such a rush to judgment might be understandable given the grief and shock over the latest death, but it's an extreme and impulsive reaction.

The answer isn't to close off all dangerous venues simply because some folks don't take necessary precautions. Danger exists all around and is not exclusive to Glen Onoko.

Swimming pools can be dangerous. Rock climbing can be dangerous. Hiking in the woods can be dangerous and so can swimming in strip mine pits.

Glen Onoko might be a particularly troublesome spot. But, it's due, in part, to status as a well-known and outstanding destination of beauty. Visitors need to understand that Glen Onoko is not a highly developed and engineered theme park. Instead, it's Mother Nature's verdant marvel and a chance to immerse oneself in the glory of nature in the raw. A sign at the base of the falls reads: "Hikers have been seriously injured and killed as a result of accidental falls from the trail and gorge overlooks."

It can't be stated more clearly than that.

There's been no official count, but newspaper reports indicate there have been at least 11 hiker deaths at Lehigh Gorge State Park since the 1970s and most have been at Glen Onoko. It's a disturbing reality, but not unprecedented. Similar statistics can be cited for a natural attraction an hour north of Jim Thorpe. Since 1890, at least 40 have died in Nay Aug Gorge in Lackawanna County, most due to drowning, according to a Scranton Times report. Elsewhere, three people just died on Mount Everest in three days.

Glen Onoko is a stunning natural resource. It's not Mount Everest, but it has intrigue all its own. It's part of a deep, steep-walled gorge carved by a river. It showcases thick vegetation, rock outcroppings and impressive waterfalls.

It's breathtaking and extremely dangerous. It's also a tourism draw and has been safely hiked by tens of thousands.

There's probably no viable way to make Glen Onoko 100 percent safe. So in lieu of that, visitors need to do their part. They need to wear the right clothing, carry the right gear, and be 110 percent cautious.

When put in perspective, Glen Onoko isn't really a temptress luring unsuspecting visitors to their deaths. But it is a tantalizing wonder of nature that begs for common sense.

By Donald R. Serfass | dserfass@tnonline.com