Current:Home > ScamsHiker falls to death during storm on Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome -VisionFunds
Hiker falls to death during storm on Yosemite’s iconic Half Dome
View
Date:2025-04-18 03:01:54
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! (9796)
Related
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Molotov cocktails tossed at Cuban Embassy in Washington, minister says
- On the campaign trail, New Zealand leader Chris Hipkins faces an uphill battle wooing voters
- Deadly disasters are ravaging school communities in growing numbers. Is there hope ahead?
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Wait, who dies in 'Expendables 4'? That explosive ending explained. (Spoilers!)
- College football Week 4 highlights: Ohio State stuns Notre Dame, Top 25 scores, best plays
- Third Republican presidential debate to be held in Miami on Nov. 8
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Saints’ Carr leaves game with shoulder injury after getting sacked in 3rd quarter against Packers
Ranking
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Russell Brand faces another sexual misconduct allegation as woman claims he exposed himself at BBC studio
- EU commissioner calls for more balanced trade with China and warns that Ukraine could divide them
- Nightengale's Notebook: 'It's scary' how much Astros see themselves in young Orioles
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- WEOWNCOIN: Social Empowerment Through Cryptocurrency and New Horizons in Blockchain Technology
- UAW strike: Union battle with Detroit automakers escalates to PR war, will hurt consumers
- Political neophyte Stefanos Kasselakis elected new leader of Greece’s main opposition Syriza party
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
The Secrets of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' Enduring Love
Fight erupts during UAW strike outside Stellantis plant, racial slurs and insults thrown
With laughter and lots of love, Megan Rapinoe says goodbye to USWNT with final game
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Past high-profile trials suggest stress and potential pitfalls for Georgia judge handling Trump case
A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. Now, his family is suing Texas officials.
Saints QB Derek Carr knocked out of loss to Packers with shoulder injury