Moxie Falls in the The Forks area is among the most stunning sites in Maine. Here is a photo of a high point on one of the falls. This one drops about 92 feet.

I was enthralled by this waterway on a recent trip. Actually, I had thought about going swimming. A dozen adults and even a couple children were dressed in bathing suits as we all hiked the mile from parking lot to falls.

It looks beautiful. But to an Old Scribe, a little dangerous. The water is really moving, and the rocks looked slippery.

In fact, most youngsters did not go in the water. And a couple 20-somethings remained perched on the side of the rocks below the big falls while I was there, reluctant to enter the stream. For if they were taken by the current, they would be thrown down against boulders and sharp outcroppings. There are no lifeguards, and it would be hours until medical help could be summoned deep in the woods.

I marveled at the beauty of fast-moving Moxie Stream. And then I was shocked by a simple memorial near one of the watery canyons: Garth Coon, 7-29-05. That was all it said.

In a different era, I would be wondering about that stone forever. But that night, thanks to Google, I learned a 39-year-old Oakland man of that name was killed after he was taken by the current. The wire-service story said he had been trying to save a friend who was in trouble. Both went over this falls. They were airlifted out once authorities were alerted, and more than 50 volunteers aided in the rescue. Garth died at the hospital, but she survived with multiple injuries, according to news reports.

As I left Moxie Falls, I thought, what beauty, what power. And yet most people don't know of the danger.

(Full disclosure: This having been said, my son, Drew, did go swimming. He is free, Maine-born and over 21, so I couldn't forbid him. Plus, I had neither a billy club nor a coyote trap with which to stop him. He went into one of the tranquil portions of the water, and I can't say I was pleased to hear his first comment, "That water is moving faster than it looks. And the rocks are slippery." Great. But I was relieved to get him back on land. All who go to Moxie Falls should be so lucky as to enjoy it without incident - or tragedy.)

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