ERVING — A 23-year-old man from Ashburnham was airlifted to Worcester’s University of Massachusetts Medical Center after falling approximately 40 feet from the Farley Ledges on Sunday, marking the second fall at the location this month.
The incident occurred at 12:48 p.m. when the man was climbing the ledges with two other people, according to Erving Police Chief Chris Blair.
The man sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was conscious and alert when he was brought out of the woods, according to Erving Fire Chief Philip Wonkka.
In order to transport the man via helicopter, the bypass on Route 2 was closed for about an hour, Blair said.
In addition to Erving police and fire departments, the Western Massachusetts Tactical Rescue Team, Gill police, Orange ambulance and members of the fire departments in Turners Falls, Athol, Northfield, Greenfield and Amherst responded. However, Wonkka said the climber’s location on the ledges did not require a tactical rescue.
This is the third incident this year, the second in the month of July, where someone has fallen from the Farley Ledges.
On Wednesday, July 17, a young hiker was rescued after a 15-foot fall on the ledges on the Red Dot trail.
The 14-year-old boy was on a camping trip, hiking with two other campers about a half-mile into the woods on the trail, when he lost his grip on an assistive rope attached to the cliff face and fell, according to Blair.
Earlier this year, another boy fell about 100 feet in around the same location. Wonkka said the boy fell from the top of the ledges and broke a femur, but survived. Blair noted he was “lucky to be alive.”
Blair said he fears there will be more incidents on the ledges in the future.
“It seems there are more and more people who are going to climb there,” Blair said. “Some of them are not at the skill level to be up there.”
Wonkka said he advises people take an outdoor leadership or safety class, which are offered at local community colleges.
“Climbing the ledges is not like climbing in a gym, there isn’t a soft pad to fall on,” Wonkka said. “If you fall out there, you’re going to get hurt.”
Farley Ledges is partly owned by private land owners, FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. and the Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition.
“Farley Ledges includes both moderate and highly difficult challenges on sloping horizontals, small edges and sweeping features,” states an outdoor recreational resource document from the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG). “Group climbs are sometimes offered by the Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition (WMCC).”
WMCC owns a 16-car parking area and trail access to the ledge. The FRCOG document advises that Farley Ledges can be heavily visited on weekends and holidays, and encourages users to obey the rules posted at the kiosk and to respect the land. Users must also respect a peregrine falcon closure period, typically in effect from early March through mid-June.
Reach Melina Bourdeau at mbourdeau@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263.