Grace Rohloff died tragically after slipping on the cabled section of Half Dome. Photos: Give in Kind//Wikimedia Commons
On July 13, Grace Rohloff and her father Johnathon went hiking at Yosemite National Park. She was an experienced hiker, but sadly, it would prove to be her last. Rohloff slipped on the way down from the top of the iconic Half Dome and plunged some 300 feet to her death.
Rohloff, who was just 20 years old, wanted to be a math teacher. She loved hiking — so much, in fact, that she hiked Angel’s Landing at Zion National Park in the snow — and was no stranger to the dangers that are inherent in climbing to the top of a mountain.
According to reports, Rohloff and her father were on their way down from the top of Half Dome when a storm appeared. They were on a more difficult part of the hike that required cables to navigate, and the squall turned the 400-foot section into a slippery mess. In a blink of an eye, to her dad’s horror, she slipped and fell down a 200-300 foot cliff.
“It all happened so fast,” Jonathan told the SF Chronicle. “I thought there was a possibility that she was still alive.”
Hikers on Half Dome are warned not use the cables when storm clouds are visible or the ground is wet. Rohloff’s dad said that the foot traffic at Half Dome has worn down the granite to a smooth, slippery surface. The SF Chronicle reported that, “At least 15 people have died on the cables at the top of Half Dome since 1948, with many close calls in between.”
Those endeavoring to hike Half Dome are required to secure a permit, which is awarded via a lottery system. When Rohloff got one on July 11, she was excited. She and her dad drove from their home in Phoenix to Yosemite the next day, and after spending the night preparing, set off at around 8 a.m. Although there was a storm in the forecast, when the father/daughter duo reached the cabled section of the hike, the skies were blue.
Along with a handful of other hikers, they climbed to the top and marveled at the view. After a few pictures to capture the moment, they began the arduous hike down. That’s when the first clap of thunder cracked through the air.
“A black cloud was rolling in like gangbusters,” Rohloff said to SF Gate. “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.’”
Stuck behind a group of slower hikers, Rohloff and her father decided not to rush. That proved to be a mistake, though, and soon they found themselves on the cabled section as the sky opened up. With about a quarter of the cables below them, Rohloff lost her footing.
The infamous cabled section of Half Dome. Photo: YouTube//National Parks Service
“She just slid off to the side, right by me, down the mountain,” Johnathon said. “It happened so fast. I tried to reach my hand up, but she was already gone.”
With his daughter out of sight, Johnathon scrambled to the bottom of the cables and peered over the edge of the cliff his daughter had fallen off of. He was going to attempt to climb down to her, but soon realized it was far too steep. As onlookers gathered, he called 911 and began the agonizing wait for rescue.
He shouted down to Grace on the off-chance that she could hear him. He told her he loved her and that he wasn’t going to leave her.
“It was one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen,” Erin McGlynn, a 22-year-old from Las Vegas who was on the trail at the time, told the Chronicle. “But it was also one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen. He was able to compose himself, just in case he could provide any comfort to her. He did everything he possibly could have.”
It took three hours for a helicopter with rescuers to arrive. Tragically, when the reached her, Grace was beyond saving. A coroner’s report found that she had sustained a severe head fracture that likely killed her during the fall. That, at least, is some small comfort to her family.
“That was at least comforting,” Johnathon said. “If she was gone, that she didn’t have to suffer… She lived every second of her life to the fullest. Grace made everyone feel important. She really took care of everyone and made everyone feel loved. I don’t know how I’d be able to get through this loss if I didn’t know she had great faith.”
Editor’s Note: A donation campaign has been set up for people who wish to donate in Grace’s memory to these two causes: FritzandFriends.org and Valley Lutheran High School Girls’ Athletics.
