20-year-old hiker falls to death during storm on Yosemite's iconic Half Dome

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — A bucket-list climb to the top of Yosemite National Park's Half Dome turned to tragedy for a young Arizona woman who fell to her death during a descent forced by a sudden storm that pounded the iconic granite monolith this month.

Grace Rohloff, 20, an experienced hiker and Arizona State University student, died on July 13, the news organization SFGATE reported Tuesday.

Rohloff was hiking with her father, Jonathan Rohloff, after securing one of the limited daily permits required to climb Half Dome and making the drive from Phoenix to Yosemite.

Half Dome rises to 8,800 feet (2,682 meters) above sea level. The hike is a 16-mile (26- kilometer) round trip with an elevation gain of 4,800 feet (1,463 meters). The last 400 feet (122 meters) of the climb is done with the help of cables supported by metal posts that essentially act as handrails.

Jonathan Rohloff said a ranger told them storms were in the forecast, and they did see clouds at times. But the sky was clear when they reached the cables, and atop the summit there were panoramic views — until thunder boomed.

"A black cloud was rolling in like ...