Robbi Mecus, a 52-year-old trans woman from New York, has died after falling 1,000 feet while ice climbing on an Alaskan mountain.
The forest ranger died after she and her climbing partner fell while they ascended Mount Johnson, an 8,400ft peak.
The other climber, Melissa Orzechowski, 30, from California, survived the fall but suffered “serious traumatic injuries,” according to the National Park Service.
“I join the Department of Environmental Conservation family in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of Forest Ranger Robbi Mecus,’ interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement.
Maher said Mecus not only “exemplified the Forest Rangers’ high standard of professional excellence,” but praised her work in “advancing diversity, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ belonging throughout the agency.”
Robbi, who is survived by former wife Sam and their daughter Hazel, was seen in a picture climbing an icy mountain in December 2021. “Let your freak flag fly,” she said in the caption as she wore a Pride flag on her back.
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