To get there, we hiked a mile of gradually sloping terrain till we reached a hogback that dropped over two hundred feet down. We had to navigate along the top of the long narrow hogback composed of mostly of crumbling shale that descended swiftly. Really rugged and tough, but fun!
The team worked together on their GPS devices to mark three entry points into the ravines. As we hiked, their devices recorded the latitude and longitude of the tracking points. Then they saved each trail so if they ever need to rescue someone in the gorge, they can relay the precise information to first responders. They haven't learned how to send it to the responder's radios yet and the programming is not yet available, but it will be. At this time, they could give verbal directions to the location.
All three access points are on private land. The forest ranger had already gained permission to travel on their property, but they emphasized that they didn't want anyone on the team to cross their property on their own. It was understandable because the gorge is spectacular. I suspect that very few people know about this gorge and at 300 feet down, even fewer would try to find a way down. Apparently, the county has purchased land that abuts the gorge, but it has 300 foot cliffs so it will not provide access.
Chautauqua Area Search Team
Intersection of Twenty-Mile and Gage Creeks
View from the top of the ridge
Falls view
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