Mind the Gap

By Susan Prince

In early February, Jim Ricker, my husband, got a call from a friend about a cable strung over the narrowest part of Giant Gap, from Moody Ridge to the Foresthill Divide. There were also rumors that B.A.S.E. jumpers (see below) had been jumping into the canyon and riding back up Green Valley Trail on motorcycles. As president of North Fork American River Alliance, Jim was concerned about what that might mean for the canyon and the river below.
The North Fork American is both a federal- and state-designated wild and scenic river. While not as stringent as a wilderness designation, the federal Bureau of Land Management, the BLM, and U.S. Forest Service have told Jim that designation doesn't allow use of motorized vehicles on their trails. Also, as you may know, as some locals have seen, and although it's not sanctioned, local pilots have been known to fly up the canyon in small planes, helicopters, and even the occasional fighter jet.

The cable had been strung by Mike Wilson, a Tahoe area resident known for his daredevil feats doing multiple backflips from rope swings. He and friends had been B.A.S.E.-jumping (B.A.S.E. = building, antenna, span, earth) from the cable, using parachutes to glide down into the North Fork American River Canyon. They'd used a helicopter to install the cable, and may also have used the 'copter to pick them up in the canyon after a jump or two. Rumor also had it that Wilson had tentative contracts for video footage of the jump into Giant Gap with Facebook and/or Youtube and/or Google. More pictures and information about Wilson's plans are here, with comments echoing some of our concerns

Jim and I drove out to Lover's Leap on Thursday afternoon, February 9, to take a look. The BLM had red-tagged the cable, saying it had to be removed by 2/8. The cable was mounted on a hand-crank winch device, bolted to the rock in several places, and was almost invisible, extending across to the Foresthill Divide. We were joined by former area resident Alex Henderson and a friend, and Gay Wiseman, a longtime Moody Ridge resident. Both Alex and Gay have hiked for years in the area and know Green Valley and the trails.

While we were there, a car pulled up with three guys in their 20s or early 30s, with gear to jump. We discussed our concerns with them and, while they acknowledged some of the points - like risk for aircraft - they also claimed they had a right to jump. While we all agreed they had the right to jump from the rock itself and hike back out, we disagreed they had the right to string the cable and jump from it. The jumpers also said the cable was coming down on Friday. One of our group notified the BLM again. The other end of the cable, on the Foresthill Divide, was on U.S. Forest Service land.

Jim and I drove out again in the late afternoon that day to watch the sunset from Lover's Leap and met two BLM rangers and a Placer County Sheriff's Deputy hoping to speak to the jumpers. About a minute later, a Subaru with the three jumpers pulled up. They'd hiked up out of Green Valley. We walked down to Lover's Leap, to let the discussion between the jumpers and the officers continue in private.

We don't have details on what happened between the jumpers and the officers, but contacts in the BLM and the Forest Service have said they may pursue legal action in the matter. Although there were rumors Wilson had said he had a permit from the BLM, and had notified the FAA about the cable, that didn't appear to be true. Wilson had filed a NOTAM, a Notice to Airmen, about the cable, but pilots don't always check those before heading out for a flight.

The bottom line is that the hand-crank winch and the cable have been removed. We haven't yet heard whether or not video footage will be available on the net of jumps made from the cable. In any case, that wonderful canyon, with roughly a 2,000-foot drop, will likely attract B.A.S.E. jumpers without a cable. After years of envying the hawks above the canyon, I can understand the desire to fly.

Updated 9/15/14