Matthes Crest Climber dies

[balzaccom]

(Reuters) - A veteran outdoorsman fell to his death on a solo climb at Yosemite National Park in California the same day he proposed to his girlfriend, a newspaper reported.

Brad Parker, 36, of Sebastopol, California, and his girlfriend, Jainee Dial, climbed to the top of Cathedral Peak on Saturday and it was on that trip that she accepted his marriage proposal, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

Later, Parker set out alone to scale Matthes Crest a few miles away, where other climbers saw him fall from a granite crest on Saturday evening, the newspaper said. Park rangers found his body and removed it by helicopter on Sunday, it said.

A spokeswoman for Yosemite National Park did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Parker's father, Bill Parker, told the Press Democrat his son called him after his girlfriend accepted his proposal and told him it was the "happiest day of his life."

Bill Parker said he believes fatigue may have played a role in the death of his son, an experienced climber, after he climbed to Cathedral Peak and went on a run to Matthes Crest.