A 20-year-old college student lost her life in a tragic accident while hiking Yosemite National Park’s iconic Half Dome in California with her father earlier this month.
- Related: Eyewitness Account of Terrifying Moment Woman Slipped to Her Death Off Half Dome, Yosemite, CA
Grace Rohloff, an Arizona State University student, slipped and fell approximately 200 feet to her death on July 13 while descending the cables section of Half Dome during a sudden rainstorm. Her father, Jonathan Rohloff, witnessed the tragedy unfold.
“She just slid off to the side, right by me, down the mountain,” Mr. Rohloff told SFGate. “It happened so fast. I tried to reach my hand up, but she was already gone.”
The father-daughter duo, both experienced hikers, had been elated to secure coveted permits to climb Half Dome. They reached the summit successfully but encountered treacherous conditions on their descent when an unexpected storm moved in rapidly.
“A black cloud was rolling in like gangbusters,” Mr. Rohloff recalled. “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.'”
As rain made the granite slick, Grace told her father her new hiking shoes were slipping. Moments later, she lost footing and plummeted down the steep rock face.
Park rangers and rescue crews responded, but Grace had suffered a fatal head injury in the fall. Her father praised the park staff for their compassion during the agonizing three-hour wait for rescuers to reach his daughter.
Grace was remembered as a bright, athletic young woman who excelled academically and in sports. She was on track to graduate early from ASU and begin a career as a math teacher.
Since 2006, at least six hikers have died after falling when rain made the granite surface slippery.
Yosemite officials have not commented on the incident. Grace’s father is now advocating for additional safety measures on the popular but perilous hiking route.
