An Arizona college student died earlier this month after slipping and falling down during a hike at California's Yosemite National Park, officials confirmed Wednesday. Grace Rohloff, 20, was hiking with her father on July 13 and had successfully reached the summit of Yosemite's Half Dome, one of the park's most famous and challenging hikes. But while descending the during a sudden thunderstorm and downpour, she slipped on a wet portion of the rock and fell down the side of the mountain, her father, Jonathan Rohloff, said .
The Mariposa County coroner's office confirmed that the fall resulted in Grace's death. "She was in between the wooden blocks and slipped to the ground and you know it just happened very fast," Rohloff told KPNX "There's no way 10 minutes before, when she was up there smiling ear to ear, that I thought I only had 10 minutes left with her. It was a tragedy.
" Rohloff described how the pair had completed several hikes together throughout Arizona, and how his daughter was thrilled when she secured a permit to hike Yosemite's Half Dome. The dome stands over 8,800 feet above sea level, and a round-trip hike to the summit covers more than 14 miles. The Half Dome cables encompass the final portion of the hike and allow hikers to climb without rock climbing equipment.
"She told me it was something that was on her bucket list, that she always wanted to do, and she was so happy about it," Rohloff said, describing her daughter as "fearless." According to Rohloff, Grace.