Rescue workers search for body after 308 foot plunge-
Man goes over Falls. Jackson Hole Daily. By Cory Hatch
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Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project.
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He should have broken the fish off.
The water going in such volume and so close in proximity draws folks emotionally along. Those not seriously considering suicide all at once become serious..and do it. people have removed wedding rings before going over. The common thread (I can’t say if this is so here) has been family didn’t know they were that bad before.
The answer is the park should either put up some sort of pychological warning sign of how the water can emotionally and physically draw threm in or keep people from the brink. I doubt there is a person who views from this close distance doesn’t have to “fight it”.
Interesting theory Bob, but I can honestly say, I have never had to “Fight it” and I have been at that viewing area several hundreds of times over the years!
So everyone who views a waterfall closely wants to commit suicide. No they don’t need to put up a warning to people not to kill themselves or to resist the urge to jump in. It is common sense. And no they shouldn’t close down the trail either.
The last time I stood at the precipice of the falls I was with a crazy alcoholic girlfriend and became worried that she was going to jump or throw me in. I’ve never been back. I also left her.
Although I’ve never contemplated something like this, I do know from pleasant experience relaxing near waterfalls that you can sort of let yourself mentally drift along.
I feel sorry for the searchers. . we had one like this here not too long ago and we spent days looking for him. He finally “surfaced” quite a ways from where he jumped in. Very sad for the family.
And I have also been on searches for those “going over” also…and I don’t mean like in the Cohen Brothers movie “Burn After Reading”. Real nasty business I must say….the only good thing is there is no need to explain the details of the tragedy to the next of kin. And Ralph it is very relaxing for me also to be there….and get hypnotized and feel like “drifting along”.
When I worked at grand Canyon N.P., about 5 -10 people fell in by accident or of their own accord. This of course led some to suggest that a fence should be put up. That would be a lot of fence material. However, if people are intent to do to themselves harm a fence would not stop them.
I think there is something to Mr. Jackson’s theory but we already have enough people trying to protect us from ourselves.
When I was in the Military, I often had chance to sit and watch tracers arc over our heads or even hit close by, they were fascinating and almost hypnotic to watch as well as drifting along with them, but never once did I have to fight it to keep myself from becoming one with the tracer round..
As I said above, never once did I have to fight the urge to jump in the river, of course my fascination was always with the power of the river and watching it go by..
I was at the parking lot. It was raining, so we waited because it was clearing off. If we had gone down when we pulled up, we very well may have seen him jump. I had my 10 year old with me. I really upset him the remainder of the day. It was a very powerful learning experience for him about how dangerous nature can be if you don’t respect it. It was very sad.