We’ve gone halfway through the summer season with no fatal falls off Half Dome. Knock on granite. I’m sorry to report the death of 57-year old Russell Wright of San Mateo. He drowned Wednesday in a swimming hole called Cosmic Gulch, located near the Arch Rock entrance off of Highway 140.
He was swimming with his daughter when he got his leg stuck between submerged rocks near where the hole merged into the lower Merced River. Although river flow is low this time of year, Wright apparently got stuck and unable to free himself in the current and drowned. Cosmic Gulch is not known to most visitors and requires a hike to get down the water.
Unrelated thought worth quoting: “Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean”. - John Muir
MrHalfDome™ – Rick Deutsch – www.HikeHalfDome.com
One Best Hike: Yosemite’s Half Dome
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