Tragedy struck at Yosemite National Park on July 13 when Grace Rohloff, a 20-year-old Arizona State University student, fell to her death while descending the Half Dome cables during a sudden thunderstorm. The Mariposa County coroner's office confirmed the fatality of the fall, marking a grievous moment for the family who had enjoyed numerous hikes together across the United States and viewed the trip to Yosemite as the fulfillment of an item on Grace's bucket list, according to her father Jonathan Rohloff in an interview with KCRA 3.
The accident occurred shortly after Grace and her father reached the summit of the dome, the descent was made treacherous by inclement weather conditions, which Jonathan Rohloff recounted, stating that their descent had been delayed due to the slow and cautious pace of people in front of them and despite that both he and his daughter were experienced and athletic hikers, they found themselves trapped on the cables in a heavy rainstorm, Grace wearing a new pair of hiking shoes that tragically did not offer enough traction on the now slippery granite surface, her father sadly recalled "Dad, my shoes are so slippery," just moments before she fell, as per KCRA 3.
In an attempt to save his daughter, Jonathan Rohloff quickly descended the cables but was unable to reach her; he told KCRA 3, "I just wanted to get my daughter." Park rangers, including Shawna Daly, supported Rohloff throughout the ordeal, staying by his side for hours as they awaited the rescue team. Later, Grace's father, in a statement obtained by NBC News, expressed a belief that the design of the cable system should be made safer, emphasizing the need to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Grace was remembered as a smart, selfless, and passionately adventurous person, as described by her father and other family members, her high school celebrated a record-setting athlete and future math teacher who played an integral role in her community and in her roles as an aide for a girl with Down syndrome and a barista at Dutch Bros coffee shop, according to a cousin's message to KCRA 3, with a celebration of her life planned at Grace's alma mater, Valley Lutheran High School.
