Just hours after proposing to the woman he loved, a veteran rock climber dropped 300 feet to his death in Yosemite National Park, leaving behind a devastated fiancée and one final message that his father says captured the joy of his last day.
For 36-year-old Brad Parker, few places felt more like home than Yosemite.
The experienced California climber had spent years chasing adventures across some of the country’s most iconic peaks, earning a reputation as a gifted athlete and appearing on the cover of California Climber magazine in 2012 after conquering the face of Half Dome in near-record time.
But on a warm Saturday in August 2014, it wasn’t another record or another mountain that made the day unforgettable.
After reaching the summit of Cathedral Peak in the Tuolumne Meadows area with longtime girlfriend Jainee Dial, the surfer and yoga practioner got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
She said yes.
After popping the question, Parker left for one more climb.
A lifetime of adventure
For those who knew Parker, squeezing in another climb before calling it a day seemed perfectly natural.
