Tragically, a veteran rock climber passed away only hours after a marriage proposal was accepted. On Saturday, 36-year-old Brad Parker and his girlfriend went for a Cathedral Peak climb in Yosemite National Park.
Tragically, a veteran rock climber passed away only hours after his marriage proposal was accepted.
On Saturday, 36-year-old Brad Parker and his girlfriend climbed Cathedral Peak in Yosemite National Park. At the top of the peak, Parker proposed and received a yes for an answer.
The couple went their separate ways after and Parker spoke to his dad, telling him it was the happiest day of his life. No one had any way of knowing that date would quickly turn into a tragedy.
Brad went off to climb a nearby ridge on his own. He wasn’t using any ropes and was reportedly on an established rocky route when he somehow fell. A number of witnesses saw what occurred.
Park rangers located his body and on Sunday morning, a helicopter was dispatched to the scene to transport his remains. His father, Bill Parker believes exhaustion from the earlier climb played a role in his death. Bill stated “We're all so stunned. What happened is so unbelievable.”
Now his family and friends are left mourning and remembering him for the amazing human being he was. Parker worked as a yoga instructor and specialized in deep tissue massage.
He was also an experienced hiker, having graced the cover of California Climber magazine in 2012, as well as a mountain biker and surfer. His parents plan to spread his ashes in a Yosemite meadow and in the Pacific ocean.
