Moses said that, while he would caution anyone to stay on the trail, he can understand Kimler’s thought process. “Stay on the path and don’t explore too much,” Kimler said. Sitting in his Springdale living room, surrounded by family members, he offered the same advice most rangers would. Kimler said he realizes he put himself in a precarious situation in choosing to explore. Trails are the safest places to walk, he said, especially when the landscape includes wet rocks and bluffs. “In a couple of spots where the trail is narrow or looser materials, we think it may be wise to put some rails in to make it a little safer for the average day user that isn’t into back country hikes,” he said.Īccidents are more likely to occur when people wander off trails, said Middle District Ranger Kevin Moses, captain of the Buffalo Search and Rescue unit of the park. Those will help someone who slips while walking along the trail, he said. A portion of the trail is also accessible by wheelchair, and the projects will improve accessibility to the point where the waterfalls can be viewed.Ĭheri said Kimler’s fall wouldn’t have been prevented by the planned improvements. The trail takes hikers on a 2.1-mile round trip, with the Eden Falls and Eden Falls Cave at the farthest point. The combined projects are estimated at $303,929, and can be reviewed at /buff.Īt the Lost Valley trail head is a campground with several campsites, including one that is wheelchair accessible. The project at Lost Valley is part of a larger group of park projects that includes improvements to Rush Landing, the Hasty area visitor facilities and the parking area at Spring Creek. The work includes $215,000 of improvements to Lost Valley, which includes projects to increase compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he said. The safety improvements are part of a list of projects the park is seeking public comment on, Cheri said. To help reduce some of those injuries, the park is planning to add rails, or cables, in areas where someone might slip, he said. “That leads to some of the accidents that do occur.”Ĭheri said many injuries are caused by people not wearing proper shoes. “It’s just one of those areas where, because it doesn’t come across as very remote and primitive or rough, people tend to be complacent to their safety and aren’t paying attention,” he said. Many people are attracted to the area because it provides a variety of natural features, such as waterfalls and caves, that are relatively easy to access, Cheri said. In the other instance, a man carried his wife out before emergency workers arrived. Kimler’s wasn’t the only emergency call that summoned a helicopter to Boxley Valley this week, Cheri said.
It also receives its share of emergency calls, he said, though not all require rescues. Located in Boxley Valley off Arkansas 43 near Ponca, Lost Valley Trail is among the most popular in the Buffalo National River area, said Kevin Cheri, superintendent of the Buffalo National River.Ĭheri said 52,000 people visit the park each year.
“The answered prayer was that he didn’t need surgery,” said his mother, Robin Kimler, who had taken four of her six children to Lost Valley Trail for a day hike. He must wear it for the next six weeks while his No. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Mo., where he was flown by helicopter, Kimler returned to his Springdale home wearing a plastic brace around his torso. In a matter of seconds, Kimler slid downhill, along the waterfall, turning over before plummeting to the second of the three falls.Īfter four days in St. “It looked dry,” Kimler, 16, said of the grass- and moss-covered rock next to the waterfall that pours from the cave. LITTLE ROCK David Luke Kimler was making his way to a boulder near the mouth of Eden Falls Cave when he slipped and fell 20 feet to a bed of rocks.
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