Dwarfed By Ice

Tonti Canyon Ice Formations
Another view of the main ice fall in Starved Rock's Tonti Canyon. The frozen waterfall and canyon walls dwarf all who enter the canyon, including Ken, a fellow photographer standing on the snow covered mounds of soil washed from above.

With continuing cold weather, this ice fall will grow wider and wider until the outermost icicles touch the ground.  Once this happens, the ice is strong enough to support climbers. This is one of the ice falls in the part that is often attempted by ice climbers.

Fallen Ice

Just to my left as I captured the first image is the second waterfall of Tonti Canyon.  It's generally a bit smaller, but still impressive.  Once again, Ken is in the photo providing scale to the waterfall. If you notice, one of the large ice chunks fell from the top of the canyon and embedded itself into the ice mound on the canyon floor.  These huge chunks can injure or kill visitors wandering beneath the ice falls.

Visitors should always be aware of the dangers above, especially during times of thawing. Not only can the ice fall from above, but loose rocks can also fall onto the canyon floor.

No comments: