The fatality marks the first death at Yosemite National Park this year. It’s the first Half Dome casualty since 2011.
Yosemite National Park rangers yesterday recovered the body of a male hiker who fell from Half Dome’s cables on Monday.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), officials received a call at approximately 4:30 p.m. Monday that a hiker slipped off the cable while hiking during a thunderstorm.
The NPS also said that, after they received the call, rangers provided assistance to a second hiker who had been with the victim. Authorities found the victim’s body around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday and are withholding the identity pending notification of kin.
Hiker Falls From Yosemite Half Dome Cables
The NPS calls the cables “the most infamous part of the hike” up Half Dome. Hikers use the cables like railings to finish the final 400 feet of the 5,000-foot Half Dome climb.
Rangers install the cables seasonally, typically just before Memorial Day. The NPS first put up the cables in 1919. Since that time, officials say “relatively few” people have fallen and died while using them.
All hikers who summit the Half Dome must first obtain a permit.
