[Journal entry for May 17, 2011; Rock fall at State Line Lookout, Alpine NJ]. On Saturday night, May 12, 2012 at 7:28 PM a column of rock fell off the Hudson Palisades Cliffs at State Line Lookout (Alpine NJ), a hundred feet or so south of the refreshment stand. The rock cleaved just short of the stone retaining wall, so that the pedestrian walkway atop the cliff sustained no damage. The column left a vertical and flat scar of beign colored clay, that ran up the otherwise dark brown cliff. What's left of the column is now an apron of debris at the foot of the cliff, extending out a little into the Hudson River. The rock fall obliterated the trees below the cliff, as well as a section of the Shore Trail. Most of the vegetation just disappeared, but a few mangled tree trunks are intermixed with the boulders.

At about 10:30AM, I launched my sea kayak Hraun (Icelandic for lava) at the end of Washington Spring Road in Palisades NY and paddled southward a mile of so to a point directly offshore of the rockfall. The trees along the river are fully leafed out now, and are losing the bright green of spring. Some trees are still in bloom, including the invasive Paulownia with its lavender flowers, but the canopy has mostly turned the darker green of summer.

The face of the cliff of the rock fall is surprisingly flat. A single joint, extending all the way from top to bottom, must have parted. A little turf overhangs at the top. The debris apron is a very light grey in color, very distinct from the dark brown of the weathered rock. A few of the boulders are as large as cars, but most are smaller. Boulders a yard across are plentiful. I pulled into the little bay at the south end of the debris apron, and enjoyed its calm waters while I switched lenses on my camera; the river was choppy enough that I didn't dare try this operation in the open water. I was shooting with my expensive Cannon EOS 50D, alternating between medium telephoto and wide angle lenses. After a few loops, I paddled back to Palisades.

I passed several older debris aprons along the cliff north of the new one. I have hiked across them many times, starting in the 1970's, so they must be very old. The cliff has smaller beige scars of what I assume are small rockfalls. The last big ones that I remember fell in the fall of 1999, during Hurrican Floyd. About ninety minute on the water.