The second of three waterfalls at New York’s Plotter Kill Preserve, reportedly where the accident took place. (Wikimedia Photo)
After 17-year-old hiker Carly Sinnott died last week following a 50-foot fall at New York’s Plotter Kill Preserve, other frequent visitors to the preserve are reflecting on how the scenic area invites flirting with danger.
Writer and hiker Kelly de la Rocha recently wrote an article about the preserve’s dangerous beauty for DailyGazette.com. In it, she says she has hiked at the 632-acre preserve – with its waterfalls, cliffs and ravines – for years, and she finds it easy to understand how a visitor could take a horrible fall.
“Time and again, against my better judgment, I inch toward the edge for a glimpse of the Plotter Kill burbling far below the trail,” she writes. “I lean out over precipices for a view of a waterfall, an arm around a tree giving me the illusion of safety.”
She says the preserve’s trails hug the top of a steep ravine and unofficial paths offer tempting but dangerous shortcuts to scenic spots below.
Read about how Plotter Kill Preserve’s natural beauty also makes it dangerous.