Current:Home > MyHiker falls to death during storm on Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Hiker falls to death during storm on Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome
View Date:2024-12-23 16:15:33
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A bucket-list climb to the top of Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome turned to tragedy for a young Arizona woman who fell to her death during a descent forced by a sudden storm that pounded the iconic granite monolith this month.
Grace Rohloff, 20, an experienced hiker and Arizona State University student, died on July 13, the news organization SFGATE reported Tuesday.
Rohloff was hiking with her father, Jonathan Rohloff, after securing one of the limited daily permits required to climb Half Dome and making the drive from Phoenix to Yosemite.
Half Dome rises to 8,800 feet (2,682 meters) above sea level. The hike is a 16-mile (26- kilometer) round trip with an elevation gain of 4,800 feet (1,463 meters). The last 400 feet (122 meters) of the climb is done with the help of cables supported by metal posts that essentially act as handrails.
Jonathan Rohloff said a ranger told them storms were in the forecast, and they did see clouds at times. But the sky was clear when they reached the cables, and atop the summit there were panoramic views — until thunder boomed.
“A black cloud was rolling in like gangbusters,” Jonathan Rohloff said. “I was like, ‘We have got to get down now, because we don’t want to be up here with any rain.’ It rolled in literally out of nowhere.”
The father and daughter tried to descend through the cable section ahead of the rain, but they were slowed by people ahead of them. Heavy rain turned the rock very slick, and Grace’s feet suddenly went out from under her.
“She just slid off to the side, right by me, down the mountain,” Jonathan Rohloff said. “It happened so fast. I tried to reach my hand up, but she was already gone.”
She appeared to have fallen as much as 300 feet (91 meters). When her father got to the bottom of the cables, he looked over the edge and realized it was too steep to reach her, but he kept calling out and praying.
Rescue climbers retrieved her body, and her father would later learn from the coroner that Grace had suffered a severe head fracture and likely died during the fall.
“Grace was such a beautiful soul,” her father said. “She deserves to have her story told.”
At least six people have died since 2006 after falling during wet conditions on Half Dome, SFGATE reported.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- Elle Fanning Debuts Her Most Dramatic Hair Transformation Yet
- One month out, New Orleans Jazz Fest begins preparations for 2024 event
- Michael Strahan’s Daughter Isabella Reaches New Milestone in Cancer Battle
- Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to kick off fundraising effort for Ohio women’s suffrage monument
- Jason Dickinson scores twice as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames 3-1
- Fast food workers are losing their jobs in California as new minimum wage law takes effect
- Former Chiefs Cheerleader Krystal Anderson Dies Days After Stillbirth
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- Singer Duffy Breaks 3-Year Social Media Silence After Detailing Rape and Kidnapping
Ranking
- Taking stock of bonds: Does the 60/40 rule still have a role in retirement savings?
- RFK Jr. threatens to sue Nevada over ballot access
- 2 pilots taken to hospital after Army helicopter crashes during training in Washington state
- California Restaurant Association says Berkeley to halt ban on natural gas piping in new buildings
- Kentucky governor says investigators will determine what caused deadly Louisville factory explosion
- In a dark year after a deadly rampage, how a church gave Nashville's Covenant School hope
- Court tosses Republican Pennsylvania lawmakers’ challenge of state, federal voter access actions
- Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed after Wall Street retreats from all-time highs
Recommendation
-
Father sought in Amber Alert killed by officer, daughter unharmed after police chase in Ohio
-
North Carolina elections board finalizes results from primary marked by new voter ID rules
-
Christina Applegate Battling 30 Lesions on Her Brain Amid Painful MS Journey
-
Are you eligible to claim the Saver's Credit on your 2023 tax return?
-
Horoscopes Today, November 13, 2024
-
Selena Gomez goes makeup-free in stunning 'real' photo. We can learn a lot from her
-
'No ordinary bridge': What made the Francis Scott Key Bridge a historic wonder
-
Kansas moves to join Texas and other states in requiring porn sites to verify people’s ages