>
A heartbroken wife has relived the horrifying moment she watched her Australian husband plummet from the top of a cliff and cradled him in her lap as he died.
Emma Heritage said she watched helplessly as Daniel Heritage plunged into the rocks below as they climbed Cascade Mountain in the Canadian Rockies.
Her husband, 28, was ahead of her after climbing five sections of the steep Mother’s Day Buttress cliff last October.
Daniel gasped as he reached the plateau and yelled his last words at her, ‘Whew, that was a little harder than I expected.’
Suddenly, a jumble of ropes appeared, falling towards her before he reappeared, falling to his death.
“Without any sound, I saw a large amount of rope fall towards my end of the system,” he revealed. ‘I remember yelling ‘Hey, what’s going on up there?’
“My stomach dropped when I saw Daniel rolling onto his back, speeding towards the edge where I had last seen him.”
Emma Heritage (pictured, left) said her stomach dropped when she saw her husband Daniel Heritage (pictured, right) roll off a cliff before he landed near her as the couple tried to climbing the cliff of Mother’s Day Buttress in the Canadian Rockies. last october
‘Maybe there was a loose stone. Maybe it just slipped,’ she said. climbing.com. She recalled seeing “a large amount of rope” falling towards her.
‘Her body continued to roll and took flight over the edge of the steep corner. She continued to fall, falling down a series of ledges.
“As soon as Daniel landed, I knew there wasn’t much I could do.”
Despite his helmet, he suffered devastating head injuries and she spoke to him tenderly, telling him that God would welcome him with open arms as she cradled him.
She then died in his embrace “glassy-eyed” as she looked around her at the mountains she loved, Emma said.
Rescue teams arrived 90 minutes later and removed her from the rock after assessing her husband.
She said her ‘heart jumped out of my chest’ as crews lifted her into a helicopter away from her fallen partner.
After they were both lifted off the mountain, she had one last chance to hug him again as he lay dead.
Mr. Heritage led the way as she followed him as they climbed five sections or pitches of rock face (the couple in the photo having lunch during a climb)
Mr Heritage told her before beginning the climb on the tragic day that he was hopeful the couple would enjoy more memories of conquering rock faces together (pictured, a cliff in the Mother’s Day Buttress area of the Rocky Mountains canadians)
The couple had ventured into the formidable eight pitch vertical route on Cascade Mountain in Banff National Park on October 5, 2022 on what was a ‘beautiful and sunny’ day.
Mr. Heritage told her before beginning the climb that he was hopeful the pair would enjoy more memories of conquering rock faces together.
‘as we were [preparing], I suddenly realized. “Hun,” I said, “I just realized this might be our last climb for the summer!” he told Climbing.com.
She was worried that her mother would arrive in a few days, which meant that they wouldn’t be able to climb as much, since summer was coming to an end.
But she said he assured her that they would have more opportunities before the season ended.
Mr. Heritage took the lead as she followed him up five sections or slopes of the rock face.
The couple had recently celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary and had been hiking, camping and climbing the Rocky Mountains since March of last year (pictured Mr. Heritage approaching Mother’s Day Buttress)
Despite the ordeal, Ms Heritage said she was forever grateful to have met him (pictured, her husband)
Experienced climbers used bolts and pitons while climbing the large sections of the route, along with ropes to secure themselves to the steep cliff side.
She said that her husband got into trouble after he ascended the fifth section.
Mr. Heritage took a steep corner of the track before disappearing from his partner’s sight as he went up and his wife stayed below.
She waited 10 to 15 minutes for him to tell her it was safe to follow him as she took in the sights around her, but she never imagined what happened next.
The devastated wife said she believed her partner did not secure over the corner she had driven through as it was easier ground.
The devastated wife said she believed her partner did not secure over the corner she had driven over as it was easier ground (pictured is Ms Heritage on her wedding day)
Emma Heritage plans to scatter some of her husband’s ashes (pictured rock climbing in the Canadian Rockies) at Cerro Fitz Roy in Patagonia, which she had dreamed of visiting
Despite the ordeal, Ms Heritage said she was forever grateful to have met him.
The couple had recently celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary and had been hiking, camping and climbing in the Rocky Mountains since March of last year.
Ms. Heritage plans to scatter some of her husband’s ashes on Cerro Fitz Roy in Patagonia, a place she had dreamed of visiting before her 30th birthday.