MOUNTAIN HIKER, 18, SUCCUMBS TO BOULDER ACCIDENT

Several days ago, local to this blog's home base, an 18-year old female hiker was pinned against a tree by an errant rock rarity and died several hours after being extricated. The freak accident occurred in the Hawk Mountain (raptor) Sanctuary in Berks County, southeastern PA. Full story (2): http://www.geocities.com/w_wentzel/boulder3.txt

Huge rocks moving with little or no provocation are reminiscent of Aron Ralston's Blue John Canyon experience. In his book, he alludes to climber Gerry Roach's "Classic Commandments of Mountaineering" as they related to his own dilemma in Utah. Roach's commandments are reminders that rocks can spontaneously break away ("geologic time includes now"). One will pull loose after barely touching it...when you're using it for a handhold and it shifts...that sometimes one will fall after you've already stood on top of it.

"It's rare. But it happens. Has happened."