Climbing Fatality on Yosemite Cookie Cliff

Yosemite National Park (CA)
Climbing Fatality



Climbers at Cookie Cliff heard a rockfall late on the morning of October 15. "The Cookie" is a popular Yosemite day use climbing area in the Merced River canyon below Yosemite Valley. Later that afternoon, two climbers found the body of 23-year-old Philip Jones at the base of the cliff near the point where the rockfall had occurred. A sling anchor was found set-up near the top of the cliff, 150 to 200 feet directly above the body, and a rope was found unattached to anything hung-up on the cliff. It is likely that Jones had fallen at the same time that the rockfall occurred. It appears that he was alone and preparing to rappel when the accident occurred. The accident remains under investigation.
[Submitted by Mark Harvey, El Portal Subdistrict Ranger/Incident Commander]

http://data2.itc.nps.gov/morningreport/morningreportold.cfm?date=2002%2D10%2D25%2000%3A00%3A00