what's this walled-off cave near Oneonta?
what's this walled-off cave near Oneonta?
Near Oneonta trailhead is this shallow cave that's been walled off. Well, I guess it's a stretch to call it a cave; it's probably no deeper than it is wide, just enough that it would be a nice spot to seek shelter if a squall passed through. Anyway, masonry closes it off, kinda like the way old mine shafts are gated. Why did somebody go to so much work to close off a non-hazardous geological feature? If it was in a city park, I might suspect they did this to keep people from setting up camp or partying. But in an undeveloped area like this it seems weird. Even if authorities wanted to eliminate one drop-in-the-bucket party site, bars would have been fine, since it's not in a prominent spot where they need to maintain a pretty touristy feel.
- Attachments
-
Re: what's this walled-off cave near Oneonta?
I'm guessing it was either a short lava tube or a mound of earth that the approaching lava covered and subsequent erosion removed the softer soil and left the "cave." Either way, the "authorities" opted to keep people from exploring this depression in case geological forces worked against exploration (e.g. cave in).
Liability laws have changed over the past century. I like the old postcards of Yellowstone with people peering into the geysers between steam blasts, knowing it was their own fault if something went wrong. It is only a matter of time before all of the trails close because of the fear of what might happen (think of the tall fences at Multnomah Falls because a rock came down from the Perdition Trail and struck a woman in the shoulder - 2 million visitors/year x 100 years, but one incident closed the trail so these fences could be installed).
Liability laws have changed over the past century. I like the old postcards of Yellowstone with people peering into the geysers between steam blasts, knowing it was their own fault if something went wrong. It is only a matter of time before all of the trails close because of the fear of what might happen (think of the tall fences at Multnomah Falls because a rock came down from the Perdition Trail and struck a woman in the shoulder - 2 million visitors/year x 100 years, but one incident closed the trail so these fences could be installed).
Re: what's this walled-off cave near Oneonta?
I should add, the rock to which I am referring is not the slab that broke away from the wall behind the waterfall and resulted in a wave that drenched the wedding party on Benson Bridge...and thus closed the wading pool at the base of the falls forever.
The rock I am referring to is a fist sized rock that bounced its way down the cliff to the west of the falls and resulted in a long fence above the trail.
The rock I am referring to is a fist sized rock that bounced its way down the cliff to the west of the falls and resulted in a long fence above the trail.