Another Yosemite Death

[Ken Helwig]

Just read about a Bay Area women slipping off the cables on Sunday. Very tragic….. indeed. For those reading this and wanting to climb Half Dome, please do not climb it when it is raining. I really hope that they have a ranger at the bottom of the cables and that they start regulating this climb more. I have hiked this climb once, and it is an accident waiting to happen.

http://www.kpsplocal2.com/news/state/story/Woman-dies-at-Yosemite-park-on-Half-Dome-descent/KwKtMFLxA0-NmB2yCit49w.cspx

[Jesse H.]

I actually went to high school with her, sad story :( But if I die doing something I love, I will die happy.

[Ken Helwig]

Sorry to hear that Jesse…..The news said she dug Yosemite….sad

[Jesse H.]

Thanks, one of those people you "sat behind through high school" so we weren't close, but it's always sad to hear of a tragedy like this.

I did half dome year before last… beautiful last site to have before you meet the painter of that canvas.

when I did it I brought a UL climbing harness and "snake tongue" for retaining myself to the cables, was it necessary? no way! but for about 7 oz. it was a nice piece of mind to have.

that said it seems every year people get "summit fever" and take risk's maybe they shouldn't the year I went another person from I believe livermore (very close to san ramon, and my home in hayward) also fell to his demise on the dome, again in rainy weather. Always sad, but sometimes avoidable…

(the pic in my avatar is from that trip, BTW with the dome being just out of range on the right, it truly is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been)

[Greg F]

Very Sad to see people die here and Angels Landing. The reality is that on these hikes your margin for error is slim and penalty points are high for mistakes. The shear number of people hiking make these deaths somewhat inevitable.

With Half Dome protecting yourself is so easy that I am surprised that more people don't do it. For me it isn't the cables themselves that scare me but all of the other people around you. One person slips above you and can take you out.

It may be selfish but I hope that this incident doesn't further restrict peoples ability to hike half dome.

[Author]

Posts