Couple Injured after Rockfall in Yosemite

by Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle - July 17, 2003

A 33-year-old man hiking with his wife and baby suffered head injuries after a rockslide here on Thursday.

Park Spokeswoman Deb Schweizer said the couple was hiking on the popular John Muir Trail around noon when the rockfall occurred.

The man was airlifted to a Modesto hospital. The woman broke her leg and the baby suffered scratches, Schweizer said.

The couple's names were not being released, pending family notification.

The rockfall from the Panorama Cliff area threw baseball-sized rocks and pebbles, creating a dust cloud on the popular foot path that begins in Yosemite Valley and runs more than 200 miles into the mountains. One boulder about the size of a mini-van fell just above the trail, but did not hit the couple, Schweizer said.

Park officials have closed the trail until Monday to clear debris.

The John Muir Trail leads up to Half Dome and climbs steeply out of the valley and passes by Nevada Falls.