Thanks to Ben, Katie and Amazon...
The next 'blue pool victim' is already planning their hike...
On June 26, 21 y/o Kenny Truong drowned after jumping into the waters of Tamolitch Falls, better known as “Blue Pool.” Friends watched him struggle to swim back to shore before disappearing beneath the crystal-clear surface. He could not be saved.
If you have ever been to Blue Pool, Oregon, the water is so crystal clear and unadulterated, emanating from an underground spring and filtered through rock, that you feel like you could reach your arm in and touch the bottom. Until you do. Then you realize it's 30 feet down to those rocks, and you've lost circulation within seconds because the water is a lethal 37°F–38°F year-round.
When we say "lethal," we mean cold enough to trigger an immediate, involuntary gasp reflex. That's fine if your head is above water, for now, it's simply a shock to the system. But if your head is underwater, that involuntary gasp doesn't draw in air. It draws in something else. And you drown.
You don’t realize how dangerous it is until you’ve experienced it. And by then, it’s often too late.
Luckily, we have “in love” travel bloggers to help us find it, show you what not to do… just days later… and then try to sell it to you.
Here you have it, “Two Wandering Soles”, served on a branded silver platter, in Oregon, over a campfire, and straight to their website. True love.
Let’s just read the caption to start: “Katie jumping in from the water’s edge. We do not recommend cliff jumping here.” This is the caption. Under the photo of Katie cliff jumping.
Posted on June 30th, three days after Kenny Truong’s death. Listen, we don’t have to work “hard” at The Corvallis Inquirer on this one… the story writes itself. Actually, Katie and Ben wrote it.
But mainly to sell you shit.
Between clicking their shop, the other shop, the vanlife tutorial academy shop, the e-book shop, the other… stop. It took us a fair amount of time to even get to this website screenshot while trying to “x” out the ads.
Seen that bird here before… in that stock photo… yup, it’s called “Two Wondering Sold.” And guess what, Katie and Ben? You weren't the first. And neither was the recent tragedy that just made national headlines.
Following last week’s drowning, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement on the Blue Pool in Oregon, “it’s taken lives before and will take lives again if visitors do not understand what they are facing.”
History doesn’t suggest, it says they’re right.
Authorities and numerous news reports describe Blue Pool as having claimed at least six lives over the past decade, although a complete public record of every fatality is not maintained by a single agency.
Two of the fatalities that have been widely identified are Joel Jesse Martin in 2015 and Kenny Truong in 2026.
The problem is that Blue Pool doesn't look dangerous. It looks inviting. And thanks to Katie and Ben of Two Wandering Soles, they showed you how to get there, where not to jump, and what not to do, all while doing it themselves… just three days after Kenny’s death.
P.S. They also want to sell it to you, from every angle, even through Amazon, as stated on their website:
“We participate in the Amazon Associates Program, which means we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through Amazon links, at no additional cost to you.”
You’re right, Katie and Ben. Two Wondering Sold. It was no additional cost to us. We didn’t make a purchase from your website (once we got through the ads). We did lose a part of our soul… the fact that we were forced to write this article… sigh… I guess we all paid the price on this one… even our readers.
Hopefully, Katie and Ben’s Amazon affiliate gets their cut, and so do they… after all, they truly are, at heart… wandering souls.
You can, if you want, read more about Katie Diederichs and Ben Zweber at www.twowanderingsoles.com. They are based in… you guessed it… Bend, Oregon. Most likely on social media as well.
This article was “staff” written by The Corvallis Inquirer. It’s good getting together. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
Do you have a story for The Inquirer? Email: editor@corvallisnow.com
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