Heartbroken friends of a young Australian adventurer have paid tribute to him after he died in a freak accident in Yosemite National Park.
Harry Partington, 22, was crushed by a falling tree while hiking the popular Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point on Oct. 8.
A German woman walking nearby was also injured before being taken to hospital from the steep valley path.
“Your love of travel may have taken you further than anyone else can,” wrote his friend Victor Markey in the Australian’s hometown of Perth.
“But your memories will live on forever in the minds and hearts of the people you interacted with. RIP Harry, the boys will miss you very much.’
Harry Partington, 22, documented his love of the outdoors on his Facebook page
The young adventurer was killed by a falling tree on October 8 while climbing the spectacular Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park.
Weather conditions were reported to be ‘stormy’ as Partington set off on the switchback trail that climbs more than 3,000 feet from the valley floor to Glacier Point at the summit.
The steep climb offers spectacular views of landmarks including El Capitan, Sentinel Rock, Yosemite Falls and Half Dome.
Partington had arrived from Perth, Australia
It was at Half Dome that University of Arizona student Grace Rohloff, 20, fell 200 feet in July while trying to descend the bluff with her father.
She and father Jonathan Rohloff were both experienced hikers, but had slowed their descent to accommodate less experienced climbers and ended up getting stuck in a rain storm.
He immediately scrambled after her, but could not reach the spot where the student had come to rest.
It was an agonizing three-hour wait before rescue teams could reach Grace, who suffered a catastrophic head injury.
“It was one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen,” said hiker Erin McGlynn.
Partington had climbed to about 2,000 meters near Union Point at around 2.30pm when park authorities were alerted to the tree’s fall.
Hiker Kelly Kennedy Bentley was at the trailhead waiting for her husband to return from Glacier Point when she saw emergency vehicles arriving at the Southside Drive meeting point.
She feared they had been called for her husband before he texted her to let her know he was safe.
“My children remember about 30 first responders who were on the road, paramedics, firefighters and rescue personnel,” she told police. Union Democrat.
‘The path was closed. I saw the helicopter there at least twice.
‘Never take life for granted. It can be ripped away in a split second.”
“Your memories will live on forever in the minds and hearts of the people you interacted with,” his friend Victor Markey wrote on Facebook.” RIP Harry, the boys will miss you very much’
University of Arizona student Grace Rohloff slipped and fell to her death in front of her shocked father while hiking in Yosemite in July
Grace plunged 200 feet into the treacherous Half Dome after losing her balance while descending cliffside cables
Kirk Thomas Olsen, 61, pictured with niece Holly Leeson was found dead in Yosemite on Saturday, nearly three weeks after he left the Ostrander Lake trailhead
The trail has been walked by millions of hikers since it opened in 1872, but is closed for at least six months a year due to “treacherous” conditions.
“It was mid-afternoon and there were gusty winds that day,” said Yosemite National Park spokesman Scott Gediman. ‘A few raindrops fell in the Valley.
“We always ask that people have situational awareness and be aware of your surroundings. This is certainly an unfortunate event.”
The young walker was a keen sportsman with many relatives in Britain.
He had received awards for his work as an amateur Australian football referee for the Demons District Umpires in his native Western Australia.
Since 2007, more than 160 people have died in the park’s 1,187 square kilometers, many of whom were traveling alone.
Former park ranger Kirk Thomas Olsen, 61, was missing for three weeks before his body was found Sept. 14 near the Ostrander Lake trailhead.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature in all her glory does not take past experiences into account and solo hiking is never an endeavor without risk,” said his niece Holly Leeson.
“Where possible, please travel with a companion and be safe.
“The Earth is beautiful and I myself will always be a supporter of our National Parks System and the opportunities they provide to see nature at its best, but please take the necessary precautions and be safe in all your endeavors.”