Pictured: New York trans woman, Robbi Mecus, 52, falls to death while ice climbing on Alaska mountain
A trans woman from New York fell 1,000 feet to her death while ice climbing on an Alaskan mountain.
Robbi Mecus, 52, of Keene Valley, died after she and her climbing partner fell Thursday evening while climbing Mount Johnson, an 8,000-foot peak in Denali National Park.
The other climber, Melissa Orzechowski, 30, from California, survived the fall but suffered “severe traumatic injuries,” the report said. National Park Service.
Around 10:45 p.m., other climbers who witnessed the tragic incident called for help, but a rescue helicopter pilot and mountain rangers were unable to save the surviving climber until 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Later that morning, a park helicopter and two rangers returned to the scene to recover Mecus’ body, but had to return due to “deteriorating weather.”
Robbi Mecus, 52, of Keene Valley, died after she and her climbing partner fell Thursday evening while climbing Mount Johnson, an 8,000-foot peak, in Denali National Park.
Mecus, a New York forest ranger, was recovered from the bottom of the mountain known as “the escalator” on Saturday morning after the pair fell 1,000 feet.
Mecus, a New York forest ranger, was recovered Saturday morning from the bottom of the mountain known as “the escalator” after the pair fell about 1,000 feet.
Mecus is survived by her ex-wife Sam and their daughter Hazel.
“I join the Department of Environmental Conservation family in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of Ranger Robbi Mecus,” Interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement.
The other climber, Melissa Orzechowski (left), survived the treacherous fall and suffered ‘severe traumatic injuries’
Mecus was a ranger for the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Adirondack region for 25 years after joining the department in 1999 at the age of 27, according to the agency.
Maher said Mecus not only “exemplified the high professional standards of the Forest Rangers,” but also praised its work in “promoting diversity, inclusion and LGBTQ sentiment across the agency.”
“During her 25-year career at DEC, Ranger Mecus has demonstrated an unparalleled passion for protecting the environment and New Yorkers,” Maher added.
According to NCPR, Mecus has participated in “hundreds of search and rescue missions throughout her career” and recently helped find a frozen and hypothermic hiker in High Peaks in March.
Mecus was featured in a March 2023 video explaining another rescue she assisted in after helping a 60-year-old woman with a leg injury on Wright Peak in New York.
“Part of our job is to remember that when this happens to a member of the public, it is one of their worst days,” Mecus said in the video.
Mecus was seen in a photo climbing an icy mountain in December 2021. “Let your freak flag fly,” she said in the caption while wearing a pride flag on her back
It wasn’t until she was 44 that Mecus came out as a transgender woman, saying she waited for “many reasons.” She later became a role model for the climbing community
“So it’s important that you have the skills to talk to them very calmly and rationally and let them know they are in good hands,” she added.
Mecus, who called herself a “rescue junkie,” said that while she never “wishes harm to anyone,” she had “a certain pride” in each rescue.
In 2021, Mecus, who was born in Brooklyn in the early 1970s, said NCPR that she struggled to come out as a trans woman. Mecus told the outlet that she came from a conservative Catholic family and would “insist on wearing girls’ clothes to school.”
“From the moment I had an idea of what gender was, I knew I was a girl,” she said.
“I remember arguing with my mother, and she put me in a button-up shirt and tattered brown shoes, cut my hair, and screamed at the top of my lungs until I lost my voice.”
It wasn’t until she was 44 that Mecus came out as transgender, saying she waited for “many reasons.”
“I didn’t see anyone else doing the things I still wanted to do and I didn’t think I could do them,” she says. ‘I didn’t see any weird rangers. I didn’t see any trans climbers.’
After coming out, Mecus became a role model in the Adirondacks community.
Mecus, who called herself a “rescue junkie,” said that while she never “wished anyone harm,” she took “a certain pride” in every rescue.
It is unclear what went wrong during the climb, as she successfully climbed the big mountain last year
Mecus is survived by her ex-wife (left) Sam and their daughter Hazel (center). A GoFundMe page has been created by the Adirondack community to support them
She helped organize the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest with Orzechowski and participated in public events.
Mecus was seen in a photo climbing an icy mountain in December 2021.
“Let your freak flag fly,” she said in the caption while wearing a pride flag on her back.
It’s unclear what went wrong during Thursday’s climb when she successfully climbed the big mountain last year. The peak is known as one of the most dangerous.
Former DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos spoke to X and said he was “devastated” when he heard of Mecus’ death.
“Robbi was such an incredible person. A pillar of strength. Always up for the toughest @NYSDEC rescues and crises, and a great leader for LGBTQIA+ rights,” Seggos said.
‘I feel lucky to have known her. Rest in peace, Ranger,” he added.
a GoFundMe page was founded by the Adirondack community to support the mother and daughter. More than $3,000 was raised Monday morning.