Man Dies In Fall Down Face Of Yosemite's Half Dome
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) -- Yosemite National Park rangers have recovered the body of unidentified man who plunged to his death from the summit of the park's iconic Half Dome, a park spokesman said Tuesday.
Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman said a group of rock climbers reported seeing someone tumble down the granite peak's sheer face Monday evening. Because of nightfall, a rescue team wasn't dispatched until Tuesday morning, Gediman said.
"At that point, there is nothing we could safely do, knowing a fall like that you can't survive," he said.
Rangers located the body on a rocky slope early Tuesday afternoon. They also recovered some personal items on the slope and on the summit believed to have belonged to the man. Park officials are assuming that the man ascended Half Dome by the trail and cables used by hikers, crossed the expansive summit and then fell or jumped 4,000 feet.
The condition of the body makes determining the man's age difficult, and so far no identification has been found, Gediman said.
Investigators plan to review the permits required for hiking Half Dome, search cars left in the park and interview people who were on Half Dome on Monday evening, he said. Although no one has been reported missing in the park, it isn't unusual for several days to pass before worried relatives report that someone hasn't returned from a multi-day trip, he said.
This year has been one of Yosemite's deadliest in recent history. The death marks the 17th either to occur in Yosemite or to result from injuries sustained in the park, Gediman said.
Last month, three people were swept over a snowmelt-swollen waterfall and a 26-year-old woman was fatally injured when she slipped down Half Dome while descending the steep cabled slope.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
