Above images were taken by the Spanish police early in the morning on Saturday, August 3rd 2019, during a spectacular rescue of a mountain hiker who had become trapped in a cliff of the notorious Barranco de Argaga area near Valle Gran Rey, which is however part of the municipality of Vallehermoso. The trapped hiker had to spend the previous night in the precipitous location to await daylight and rescue by the Guardia Civil mountain unit police helicopter. In the first image (and the close-up of same below it) a rescuer had already been set down near the trapped man to assess the victim's state of health. Luckily he was unharmed and was then brought down to the heliport of Valle Gran Rey.
Please stay away from Argaga, as numerous accidents and even deaths have occurred there. Read more...
The rescue helicopter was needed once again in the Argaga ravine near Valle Gran Rey yesterday around noon, after a 34 years old female hiker fell several metres in an area of difficult access there. The helicopter had to put down a rescue crew nearby from where they then had to fetch the injured on a stretcher to the pick-up point to be flown to the hospital in the capital San Sebastian de La Gomera. The injuries sustained by the women were said to be minor, so she had a lucky escape.
The area where the incident happened is notorious for bad falls and the the walk up and down that ravine is extremely dangerous and has been officially closed for years, yet many still attempt it. Also, there are still copies of outdated walking guides in circulation which list this walk, even though the gorge has claimed the lives of several walkers.
If you intend to hike in the mountains of La Gomera without a guide, make sure that your information is up-to-date, enquire locally and stick to clearly defined paths. Avoid areas such as Argaga gorge where the paths have eroded or collapsed. Even sheep wouldn't go there.
The video above was posted by Ruben Martinez on his facebook page and shows the spectacular 'rock bombardment' of Vueltas harbour in Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera last Saturday. There had been a very heavy shower during the night before, but this rockfall occurred well before the thunderstorm on Saturday afternoon. The video only shows the end of the landslide and rocks had fallen for about the same length of time before. No damage was done as the fishing boats are moored well away from the spot where the rocks hit the water as the spot where the large lumps fell is known for such incidents. It was lucky though that no swimmers were in that part of the water, as sometimes people who're not aware of this danger zone swim out to there and snorkelling is also popular there. Swimming and sunbathing on the larger part of the beach toward the pier is safe, however, and that's where most people go.
Some rocks also fell onto the track that leads out to Argaga and the 'Finca Argayal' where the meditation centre is situated and many people walk under that cliff every day. See previous post about the dangerous path: Death in Argaga (click). There's an even more spectacular video at the end of that post.
It is important to bear in mind that during and even long after rainy weather (when the sun heats the rock and soil) the erosion landscape of La Gomera is more 'active' and that being near cliffs then is even more dangerous than normally, but bear in mind that the sign below was put up there for a reason and that the rocky side of the beach is rocky for the same reason:
Warning sign just before the area where the rocks fell last Saturday
The body of a 73-year-old German tourist was recovered in the gorge of Argaga which is close to Valle Gran Rey with the help of a helicopter yesterday. The man had been reported missing when he failed to return from a hike in the ravine which is the most dangerous on La Gomera. It is presumed that he slipped and fell in diffult terrain, but a post-mortem is to be carried out today to establish the precise cause of death. There are regular rockfalls in Argaga any weather and the paths there are very steep, eroded and difficult to find and follow. Officially the hike through the gorge has been closed for years, but it is still featured in several guide books, particularly the older editions. Most rescue missions on La Gomera concern the Argaga area and the spooky ravine has claimed several lives over the past few years. Even the most experienced and very fit hikers have gotten into difficulties there. My advice is to avoid the Argaga gorge entirely, as there are plenty of safer but still challenging alternatives.
With the help of mountain rescue teams, volunteers and two helicopters the body of a 75-year-old German tourist was recovered in the treacherous Argaga ravine this morning. The man had been reported missing yesterday when he failed to return to his accommodation after a planned hike through the most dangerous gorge on the island. Apparently he didn't bring a mobile phone, but there is no reception in parts of the ravine anyway. A post-mortem is being carried out to establish the exact cause of his death, but it is believed he suffered a fall. The area where his body was recovered is infamous for its dangers such as very frequent rockfalls, very steep unstable mountainsides, misleading goat tracks and eroded or collapsed parts of the former path leading through it. Officially the track has been closed for years, but it still features in many older guide books and despite all the warnings many tourists still attempt hiking there, not only risking their own lives but potentially the lives of their rescuers, too. Several people have lost their lives over the years in what for me is the least attractive area of the whole island. It has an eerie, spooky feel to it and you often you hear rocks crashing down in and around the ravine. Every time locals hear the rescue helicopter approaching Valle Gran Rey they shrug and say: ''Ah, probably Argaga again''. Even the most experienced hiker can get into trouble there, so please do stay away from it. There are lots of safer but spectacular tracks and paths to choose from if you need a challenge.
The storm died down just as predicted and all modes of transport are operating normally again. All warnings and alerts have been lifted and the weather forecast is for lots of sunshine this weekend as high pressure is becoming established again. Here in Valle Gran Rey there still is shock and disbelief after the death of a 26 years old German tourist (see updates 17 + 19 of Storm will affect Canary Islands (+ 21 updates) ) on Monday during the storm. The victim had attempted to walk to a ravine called Argaga with a friend when she was killed by falling rocks just after a very heavy squally shower. She had been warned and advised not to walk out there, but decided to risk it anyway in the face of the worst possible weather conditions and a red alert. Let me explain about the extremely dangerous path they took: Argaga is in the municpal area of Vallehermoso, but can only be reached by following a private dirt track from the harbour of Vueltas in Valle Gran Rey which follows the coastline for about half a mile below a several hundred feet high sheer cliff. This path is extremely dangerous even in the finest weather, as every now and again rockfalls do occur in this area and there are 3 huge signs plus another regular sign warning of the risk. In bad weather this path becomes a deadly trap. Some images taken yesterday will explain the location better (click to enlarge):
Warning sign even in English
Only about two weeks before this fatal accident there was another death caused by a minor rockfall in Playa de las Arenas, aka 'Schweinebucht' (see my post: Mother of two killed by minor rockfall on La Gomer...) . My sincere condolences to all concerned. Now let me stress that thousands and thousands have walked, cycled and driven out there without any problems. There are three attractions in the Argaga ravine: First the 'Finca Argayall, which is a retreat and yoga centre operating like an alternative hotel (see: http://www.en.argayall.com). Then there is a fruit farm where more than 160 varieties of fruit are cultivated and guided tours with fruit tastings are offered twice a week (see:http://fruchtgarten.com/ger/index.htm) and the hippie caves at Playa de las Arenas, better known as 'Schweinebucht' , where the young mother died tragically two weeks ago. There are also about half a dozen private houses in Argaga and a banana plantation owned by an Englishman. The whole Argaga ravine is privately owned and also contains some demanding and dangerous hiking trails, which regularly see the rescue helicopter being called when inexperienced hikers attempt the ascent to the mountains from there. Now the local administrations of V.G.R. and Vallehermoso want to close the track completely and erect fencing at the end of the harbour beach to prevent access and put up more signs. V.G.R. wants to spend 8000 (!!!) Euros on this projectwhich to me sounds like they plan the erection of an 'iron curtain'. The existing signage is loud and clear and whoever wants to risk walking out there is well aware of the danger. When you're under that sheer cliff and see fallen rocks and debris around you, you don't even need any signs to put 2+2 together ! Should every dangerous bend on a road that has caused fatalities, indeed all dangerous locations, be closed and fenced ? Accidents DO happen and humans DO take risks and will continue to do so no matter how safe the location. A few years ago I made a personal decision not to use that track anymore when returning from Argaga I found a huge wedge of razor-sharp rock stuck a foot deep in the ground exactly between the imprints of my boots in the dust left from walking out there just an hour before.... Others had much narrower escapes as the video below illustrates (watch the white car !). It also shows what that track is like in heavy rain, and you can watch big lumps of rock crashing into the harbour:
The story behind the video:
Harry,the driver of the white car, had just finished work at the 'Finca Argayall' that day (Feb. 17th 2010) and could see bad weather rapidly closing in, but being tired after work wanted to make a dash for home. He knew that it was dangerous and also knew that if he din't make it home in a hurry that he might be stuck out there for hours, as it is often more dangerous AFTER the rain when loosened material heats up and expands in the sunshine.
What happened then is seen in the video, but what you don't see is that just before he reverses the car a lump of rock fell straight through the roof of the car, missing him by a couple of inches. The car was also scraping on fallen rocks on the ground and got stuck in the end. Harry scrambled out and escaped on foot, leaving a totally wrecked car.
I meet him directly after his miraculous escape in a local bar where he once had worked and where I was sheltering from the rain. He was as white as a sheet and badly in need of a stiff drink !
Very sadly, less than three years after the incident he died in his mid-forties at home on the sofa of a heart attack.
P.S.: While I was writing this post the rescue helicopter was circling the mountain behind my house once again. A local man put it to me a couple of days ago: ''The helicopter hardly ever has to come for one of the locals. Why don't the visitors stick to the hundreds of miles of SAFE walks and paths and why do they feel attracted to danger and go places we avoid in poor weather ? This is getting worse every year !''
