Three well-known members of the YouTube channel ‘High On Life’ died Tuesday while hiking at Shannon Falls in Squamish, British Columbia.
Ryker Gamble, Alexy Lyakh, and Megan Scraper — YouTube travel personalities followed by more than 2.5 million people across social media accounts — were walking along the series of steep waterfalls. Scraper slipped and fell into one of the area’s pools.
According to various reports, Gamble and Lyakh tried to help Scraper but also fell. All three died as a result of the accident.
Gamble co-created the YouTube channel “High On Life” and regularly appeared on episodes about travel, culture, and adventure. The YouTube channel has more than 500,000 subscribers and the “High On Life” Instagram has more than 1 million followers.
‘High On Life’ Members Die in Waterfall Accident
The trio was part of a seven-person hiking party.
Gamble’s cousin, Rob Manglesdorf, said the group was going for a hike and did not intend for any foolishness, reported the Vancouver Sun.
Local search-and-rescue officials said that slippery granite and moss can create unexpected hazards where the accident occurred. Accessed by the Sea to Sky Gondola since 2014, the pool systems in the area can be risky.
“Unless you have the knowledge of that area, the expertise, and the right equipment, you should not be up there,” Cpl. Sascha Banks of the Squamish RCMP told the Edmonton Sun.
“High On Life” has been criticized in the past for ignoring park regulations. In 2016, four members of the group walked onto America’s largest natural hot spring, the ecologically sensitive Grand Prismatic Springs in Yellowstone National Park. They were banned from U.S. federal lands, required to pay fines, and served a week in jail.
In response to the recent accident, the surviving members of “High On Life” posted a video to their channel expressing their grief:
“They were three of the warmest, kindest, most driven and outgoing people you could ever meet, and the world has lost a great deal of light from the passing of our friends,” said the group.
They said they will work to keep the memory of their friends alive by living life to the fullest. Our condolences to their friends, family, and fans.
