A veteran outdoorsman fell to his death on a solo climb at Yosemite National Park in California the same day he proposed to his girlfriend, a newspaper reported.
Brad Parker, 36, of Sebastopol, California, and his girlfriend, Jainee Dial, climbed to the top of Cathedral Peak on Saturday and it was on that trip that she accepted his marriage proposal, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
Later, Parker set out alone to scale Matthes Crest a few miles away, the newspaper said.
Yosemite National Park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said other climbers saw him fall on Saturday evening from the Matthes Crest traverse, which is a jagged rock ridge hundreds of feet in elevation.
Park rangers found his body that night and removed it by helicopter on Sunday, said Cobb, who added that she had no information on whether Parker got engaged before he died.
Parker's father, Bill Parker, told the Press Democrat his son called him after his girlfriend accepted his proposal and told him it was the "happiest day of his life."
Bill Parker said he believes fatigue may have played a role in the death of his son, an experienced climber, after he climbed to Cathedral Peak and went on a run to Matthes Crest.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Jim Loney andEric Walsh)
Reuters
