A longtime New York wood ranger and trans advocator was killed Thursday nighttime aft falling much than 1,000 feet while attempting to climb a steep cliff successful Alaska, officials said.
Robbi Mecus, 52, of Keene Valley and her climbing partner some fell while crystal climbing an particularly treacherous portion of Mount Johnson successful Denali National Park known arsenic “the Escalator,” according to nan National Park Service.
Mecus, a transgender woman, died successful nan fall. Her climbing partner, a 30-year-old female from California, survived pinch “serious traumatic injuries.”
Another climbing statement witnessed nan tragic driblet and called for thief astir 10:45 p.m., but it took until 7 a.m. nan pursuing greeting for nan subsister to beryllium airlifted to a hospital.
Mecus’s assemblage wasn’t recovered until Saturday greeting pursuing deteriorating upwind conditions nan evening prior.
The outdoors enthusiast had been a wood ranger for nan Department of Environmental Conservation’s Adirondack region for 25 years aft joining successful 1999 astatine nan property of 27, nan agency said.
“I subordinate nan Department of Environmental Conservation family successful mourning nan abrupt and tragic passing of Forest Ranger Robbi Mecus,” interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said successful a connection Saturday.
Mahar said Mecus “exemplified nan Forest Rangers’ precocious modular of master excellence,” emphasizing her rescue efforts, her activity connected analyzable searches and her deployments to out-of-state wildfire consequence missions.
The interim commissioner besides commended Mecus’s activity successful “advancing diversity, inclusion, and LGBTQ belonging throughout nan agency.”
Mecus was besides a leader successful nan queer organization successful nan Adirondacks, NCPR reported.
She told nan outlet successful 2021 that she struggled done her teenage years to travel to position pinch her gender identity. She yet waited until she was successful her 40s to transition: “I was frightened and acrophobic and I didn’t cognize really I was going to unrecorded my life.”
That difficult clip is erstwhile she discovered her emotion of stone and crystal climbing, and opened her up to a organization that didn’t see galore queer people, allowing her nan opportunity to go a leader.
“There are galore reasons I didn’t travel retired until I was 44, but 1 of them was because I didn’t spot anybody other doing nan things that I still wanted to do and I didn’t deliberation I could do them,” said Mecus successful 2021. “I didn’t spot immoderate queer rangers. I didn’t spot immoderate trans climbers.”
According to her societal media channels, Mecus had visited Alaska respective times for expeditions complete nan years.
She moreover successfully made it up “the Escalator” past year.
It’s not clear what went incorrect pinch her last climb, but parkland officials pass nan way to Mt. Johnson’s 8,400-foot highest is among nan astir dangerous.
“The astir 5,000-foot way involves navigating a operation of steep rock, ice, and snow,” nan National Park Service said.
Mecus is survived by her girl and erstwhile wife, who unrecorded successful nan Keene Valley community.
Denali National Park and Preserve is astir 240 miles northbound of Anchorage.
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