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Arizona woman dies while hiking at Yosemite National Park
The fourth-generation Sun Devil was about to graduate with a degree in education, well on her way to becoming a student-teacher at her high school alma mater.
PHOENIX — An Arizona State University student and Valley Lutheran High School graduate died after slipping and falling while hiking up Yosemite’s Half Dome with her father earlier this month, according to family members.
Grace Rohloff, 20, was an experienced hiker and was ecstatic to secure a permit to hike Half Dome with her father, Jonathan Rohloff, on July 11.
“She told me it was something that was on her bucket list that she always wanted to do and she was so happy about it,” Rohloff said during a sit-down interview.
The pair reached the summit just before a thunderstorm rolled through. The father and daughter were trying to make their way down the cables when Grace Rohloff slipped and fell down the mountain, Jonathan Rohloff said.
“That day was supposed to be 65 and cloudy and so we knew that it would be dangerous, you know, that was Half Dome,” Jonathan Rohloff said.
Jonathan Rohloff describes hearing a “loud thunderclap” overhead as the pair had completed their ascent up the rock. As they made their descent, he says his daughter slipped on a slippery portion of the rock caused by the downpour of rain.
“She was in between the wooden blocks and slipped to the ground and you know it just happened very fast and she slid down the side of the mountain,” Jonathan Rohloff said.
Jonathan recalled the smile on his daughter’s face ten minutes before the fall as she had just accomplished one of her greatest feats yet.
“There’s no way ten minutes before, when she was up there smiling ear to ear, that I thought I only had 10 minutes left with her. It was a tragedy,” he said.
‘She was fearless’
There are many adjectives Jonathan Rohloff used to describe his daughter, but the one used the most is adventurous.
“She was fearless. She was an adventurer. We did hikes all throughout Arizona. Grace and I put on thousands of miles hiking,” Jonathan Rohloff said.
The soon-to-be fourth-generation Sun Devil was about to graduate with a degree in education in just two and half years, well on her way to becoming a student-teacher at her high school alma mater Valley Lutheran High School.
“Grace was born a Sun Devil. She brightened up every room she was in. She was an amazing human being. And you know her spirit still surrounds me,” Jonathan Rohloff said.
Yosemite National Park officials have not issued a statement on the death. Her family hopes to work with Yosemite officials to make the cable system used by thousands of people every year more secure.
Jonathan does not want her death to be in vain. Instead, he wants it to create meaningful change that could save lives in the future.
“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,” Jonathan said.
At least 15 people have died on the cables and at the top of Half Dome since 1948, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A celebration of life for Grace Rohloff will be held Saturday, July 27 at Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Litchfield Park at 10 a.m.
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MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
