Several options at ice caves, none of them good

How do we prevent tragedies at the Big Four Ice Caves?

The Forest Service is tackling that question after the July 6 collapse that killed a woman. In our latest poll at HeraldNet.com, we asked what should be done.

“Reopen them as they are” was the leading response, with 38 percent of the vote. That’s a reasonable stance considering that the hike around the ice caves is perfectly safe for those who stay on the trail, but it won’t prevent tragedies. It doesn’t feel right to just shrug our shoulders and move on, does it?

We could use fences to keep people at a safe distance, the choice of 24 percent in our poll. But fencing would spoil the view for everyone, and you get the impression that many people would see a fence as a challenge, not as a barrier.

The next option, more warning signs, got 23 percent in our poll. Existing signage makes it quite clear that it’s unsafe to approach the caves, but they just seem to have an allure. You could hang a giant marquee over them flashing the words “keep out” and some would still ignore it.

And then there’s the nuclear option: 15 percent voted to close them permanently. That would surely minimize the fatalities at the ice caves, but we would lose one of Snohomish County’s most treasured sights. It would be unfair to deny nature’s wonders to everyone after a tragedy. If we did, the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls would be safely off limits.

So it seems there are no good options, which brings us back to shrugging our shoulders.

Until science develops a force field to keep people at bay while preserving the beauty of the place, that might be the best we can do.

— Doug Parry, @ParryRacer

— — —

For our next poll, we’d like to know what you’re doing to prepare if a really huge earthquake hits.

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