City removes rope swing at Boulder Beach

For decades people have stood on rocks above the Spokane River at Boulder Beach and pondered whether they should grab a rope hanging from a tree and swing their bodies over the water and let go.

But as of Wednesday afternoon, thrill-seeking beachgoers staring down another broiling weekend won’t have that option: the city’s urban forestry team has taken down the ropes after another injury in July, although the city noted the ropes were removed to prevent further damage to the trees.

“I’ve never seen it taken down and I’ve been coming here since I was a kid,” Millwood native Chris Akins, 43, said around dusk Wednesday evening.

He stared at the naked tree in disbelief from a nearby boulder,

“I don’t think it broke, I mean, the knot isn’t even there. Someone must’ve cut it down – and they had to of used equipment because there are no branches or anything for, what, 30 feet?”

The only trace of the storied rope swing is scarring on bark of the tree limb that acted as the anchor of a human pendulum of countless swimmers.

The rocky outcropping of Boulder Beach has long been a place to cool off during warm summer days. Accompanied by a sandy beach, adequate shade and grassy areas, the site has been an ideal swimming hole for generations.

But for Akins, he was there for one thing.

“I’m not a leisure swimmer,” he said, accompanied by his friend, Jason Michael, and his girlfriend’s son, Noah James. “We’re only here for the swing.”

Recently, the beach and its rope swings, including the one a short walk upriver, were hopping with people during the record heatwave of the 20 consecutive days of at least 90-degree temperatures.

Beginning Thursday, another impressive streak is looming, according to Todd Carter, meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

“We’re typically not comfortable naming daily high temperature values past seven days,” Carter said, “but I’m going to go out on a limb and say there will be nothing below 90 degrees for the next 10.”

Puns aside, the heat wave will likely attract swimmers to Boulder Beach with the ambition to grab hold of a rope once more. Although its absence may spoil the days of some adventurous beachgoers, its presence has been known to do the same; because as long is the history of the use of the rope swing is, the history of injuries because of it is long, too.

For instance, on a sunny day in August 2011, an injured man was placed in a full body splint by the County Fire Department’s District 9 Team after launching his body from the rope onto rocks beneath the water’s surface.

In August 2017, the Spokane Valley Fire Department treated two people on the same day who suffered injuries using the swing, according to KXLY.

And just last month, an injured man required extraction from the riverbank by the Spokane Valley Fire Department, according to KHQ.

But despite repeatedly spending time and resources hurrying to Boulder Beach, Spokane Valley Fire Department officials have never expressed motivation to remove the rope, according to Patrick Erickson, the Department’s spokesperson.

“If something happens over there, we are definitely the ones who respond,” Erickson said.

Though the park lies within county jurisdiction, it’s owned by the city of Spokane, according to county property records.

Akins is hopeful his swimming hole since childhood will be returned to its rightful order.

“Isn’t it supposed to be over 100 (degrees) this weekend?” he asked. “Someone will climb up there and tie a new rope within a few days, its only a matter of time. Hell, if someone else doesn’t – I will.”

Editor’s note: This story has been changed to reflect information shared with the newspaper after deadline. The city of Spokane has acknowledged that members of its urban forestry team removed the rope swing at Boulder Beach to prevent damage to trees.