A popular spot for the young and daring was deserted Tuesday after the deaths of two people there over the weekend.
The cliffs at Silver Harbour Conservation Area are usually a big draw on hot days as the 30 foot plunge into Lake Superior offers people a chance to cool off and have fun. But a rocky walk up the top Tuesday only offered a solemn reminder that the cliffs and unforgiving water below can also be fatal.
Messages and makeshift tributes to 32-year-old Kevin Spade and Marlene Fox, 26, were written near the cliff's edge, while water crashed into the rocks below.
The two died after jumping into the water Saturday. Fox was rescued and later succumbed to her injuries while Spade was discovered Monday morning by OPP divers.
"RIP chum," read one of the tributes.
"I miss u bro," wrote another. "It hurts so bad."
Those messages are the only warnings of a potentially fatal adventure. Ted Walter, a regular to the conservation area, said he's surprised that nothing more has been done to warn people.
"It's obvious that there is a danger," Walter said. "I really think that sometimes even the obvious should be stated clearly as a warning."
Walter said he understands the thrill of cliff jumping and that young people want to have some fun, but they should also be made aware of the risks involved, especially with Lake Superior where the water can change in a matter of minutes.
"It's a cold lake and it's a dangerous lake," he said. "It's not a lake you can take for granted."
Carlos Barientos and his family were visiting the area from Minneapolis. No strangers to adventure, having tried cliff jumping in lakes all over Minnesota and Wisconsin, they wanted to boulder, rock climb and try jumping from the cliff for themselves until they heard the news about Spade and Fox.
"I didn't want to take a chance," he said. "Hearing what happened it makes you think twice."
Barientos said it surprised him that there are no warnings near the cliffs, especially because of the risks involved with a lake as big as Superior.
The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, which runs the conservation area, did not want to comment. The Municipality of Shuniah, where the area is located, said it's not sure who would be responsible for signage or safety measures.
