A heartbroken dad has revealed what his daughter said to him before she slipped and fell to her death.
Grace Rohloff, 20, lost her life on July 13 while she and her father, Jonathan Rohloff, were hiking at Yosemite National Park, as reported by SFGate.
The Arizona-based father-daughter duo were experienced hikers who had climbed up different mountains and obtained a permit to hike the park’s popular Half Dome cables.
Unfortunately, the 16-mile hike in a heavy rainstorm resulted in a tragic loss for the father who has now opened up about his heartbreak.
Prior to the hike, a ranger had warned the duo of the chance of storms later in the day. But when Grace and Jonathan arrived they were greeted with clear skies so they set off and made it to the top.
However, a clap of thunder interrupted their hike. "A black cloud was rolling in like gangbusters,” the dad told the outlet. “I was like, ‘We have got to get down now because we don’t want to be up here with any rain. It rolled in literally out of nowhere.’”
The dad recalled that the people in front of them were moving slowly, so he and his daughter were stuck in the cabled area as the storm descended.
Grace then quickly learned that her new pair of hiking boots weren’t offering the traction they had promised, telling her dad that her shoes "felt 'slippery'".
Trying to keep them both calm, he instructed her: “OK, let’s do one step at a time," but it was at this point that she suddenly slipped.
“She just slid off to the side, right by me, down the mountain,” he said. “It happened so fast. I tried to reach my hand up, but she was already gone.”
The shocked father then moved down the cables as quickly as possible, looking down in the hopes that his child had survived the terrifying drop. “I just wanted to get my daughter,” he told the outlet.
He then called 911 and shouted: “Grace, I’m here. I’m not going to leave you. If you can hear my voice, give me a sign. I love you,” but received no response.
Jonathan then started to pray for a miracle and was joined by others who asked to pray with him. A park ranger stayed by his side in the horrific weather while waiting for a helicopter to rescue Grace.
He later found out that his beloved daughter had suffered a severe head fracture and probably died during the fall, describing the report as "comforting" to know his daughter "didn't have to suffer".
Jonathan has praised his daughter as "fearless," adding: "She was an adventurer. We did hikes all throughout Arizona. Grace and I put on thousands of miles hiking,” as cited by NBC Bay Area.
He hopes her death will encourage park officials to make the cables safer. “If we can make the cabling system at Yosemite a lot safer for people to see that beautiful piece of God’s earth and not be put in danger then that would be something that she would have wanted,” he shared.
A celebration of life for Grace will be held on July 27, according to a Facebook post.
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