Three teens in inner tubes have surprise encounter with Ti’lomikh Falls: ‘They tumbled down a rapid’

Published 2:15 pm Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Except for some bumps, bruises and a good scare, all turned out relatively well for three teenagers in flimsy inner tubes who had a surprise encounter with expert-class Ti’lomikh Falls on the Rogue River near Gold Hill.

But things could have been much worse.

“Hopefully, this is a life lesson,” said Jason Denton, a river patrol deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

Two of the teens endured a ride down a rocky side chute called Mugger’s Alley — so named for good reason — while the third one didn’t make it through and was feared drowned.

The initial call came in at 6:21 p.m. last Friday about a 17-year-old boy in an inner tube who had last been seen about halfway down the falls, located just upstream from Gold Hill Sports Park. A later report stated the boy was underwater.

The main channel at the falls is Power House Rapids, which drops steeply about 10 feet in two steps, while Mugger’s Alley beside it drops about 15 feet over a longer course. Collectively, the rapids and channels there are known as Ti’lomikh Falls — pronounced till-o-meek. The location is rated Class IV, expert.

As many as 15-20 rescue personnel with three watercraft responded to the call, according to Denton, who recounted the incident Monday in a telephone interview.

“There was a lot of people coming to this to help,” he said.

Denton couldn’t pinpoint where the youths had put into the river, although they said they hadn’t been on the water long before encountering the falls. Possible put-in sites upstream include the site of the former Gold Ray Dam, Fishers Ferry County Park and waysides along Highway 234. Denton Falls, also known as Nugget Falls, is a bit more than a mile upriver from Ti’lomikh Falls. It’s also rated Class IV.

“That whole stretch, from Sam’s Creek to the Power House, is the roughest section we have,” Denton said.

The group of three teens included two boys and a girl, all Rogue Valley residents born in 2006, which would put them at about 17 years of age, according to Denton.

None of them wore life jackets. And they didn’t know that the falls were ahead, according to Denton. They floated on inner tubes that he described as pool toys.

“Seventeen-year-old kids do what 17-year-old kids do,” he said.

Just upriver of the falls, near a water-intake structure, is a warning sign alerting river users to what’s ahead. Denton helped erect the sign long ago.

As the group entered the falls area, Mugger’s Alley was to their right, with Power House Rapids more to the center and Grandma’s Run farther to the left. A channel of slowly moving water was to the far left.

One of the boys and the girl went right, down the alley, which Denton described as a boulder-strewn chute that empties into the river below the falls.

“I’m sure that was not the most enjoyable thing that they’ve done,” he said. “They tumbled down a rapid. They ingested some yummy river water.”

Initial reports described one of them hanging onto a tree and another in an inner tube, yelling that their friend was missing. The reports sounded dire.

“We had some frantic adults,” Denton said, adding that a mother, aunt and father were at the scene at some point.

As it turned out, the missing boy managed to make his way to shore above the falls. At 6:42 p.m., about 20 minutes after the initial call, the boy’s father reported that his son was out of the water. At 6:44 p.m., that report was confirmed by personnel on scene.

“There was a lot of hugs,” Denton said, recalling the reunion between father and son.

Despite the happy ending, Denton still cautioned the boy.

“We reinforced the fact that you’re not invincible,” he said. “He didn’t want to be at the river anymore.”

“I do think this is a life-altering event for these kids.”

Denton’s advice for river users is to plan your route, know what’s ahead and have the appropriate watercraft.

“Life jackets are a must,” he said. “They didn’t have any.”

Steve Kiesling, who lives near the falls and continues to advocate for a whitewater park there, said Mugger’s Rock is about halfway down Mugger’s Alley.

“Basically you fall off and get thrashed,” Kiesling said. “It’s named for the mugging rock. You flip at the mugging rock.”

“The water’s not that deep, and it’s incredibly fast. If you’ve got a good life jacket and your feet are pointing downstream, you’re probably going to be OK.”

Kiesling said Power House Rapids actually is less brutal than Mugger’s Alley. Someone in the water at Power House will endure a 10-second ride before dropping into the “green room” at the bottom, where they will pop up, he said.

“In Mugger’s Alley, you get beat up.”

Kiesling is president of the Gold Hill Whitewater Center, which continues to advocate for a multi-faceted park at the falls that honors Native American tradition and serves thrill-seekers. He would like to see Mugger’s Alley modified and turned into an Olympic slalom course more friendly for river users and fish. The alley likely was created by miners who wanted to dewater the main channel in search of gold, according to a posting to the center’s website.