College student falls to death during storm on Yosemite's iconic Half Dome
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.