A note from Emily's father. I am not a climber but came to this site doing a search, trying to understand the horror that comes with the loss of a child. Thank you for the condolences. I hope that your suggestions may keep someone else from falling. Emily certainly was not foolhardy. She was accomplished in backpacking and worked for Outward Bound in Montana.
Here is her obituary:
Emily Sandall, 25, a 1999 graduate of Eldorado High School and University of Montana graduate, died in a hiking accident in Yosemite National Park, on November 8, 2006. She leaves behind loving and grieving communities in Albuquerque, Missoula, Montana, Red Lodge and Dixon, Montana, Minnesota, and Oaxaca, Mexico.
Emily lived a life full of adventure and service. In high school she won numerous athletic awards and SAGE magazine’s “Making a Difference” award. She worked with street children in Mexico and Nepal, led teens on backpacking trips for Voyager Outward Bound in Montana and on wilderness canoe trips in Minnesota and Canada for the Y Camp Menogyn. Emily loved to dance, play the guitar, sing, write, camp, and run. She was known for her laughter, her pranks, her sparkling smile, her friendship, her love of life. A minimalist in her life style, she was generous with her concern, her attention, and her bright and shining personality.
Emily’s family, parents Rebecca and Paul, brother Barry, and sister Laura invite you to celebrate her short but exceptional life at a memorial service on Saturday, November 25, at 10 a.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 3701 Carlisle NE (at Comanche). To honor Emily’s work with disadvantaged youth and her hopes and plans for the future, a foundation to fund projects and scholarships is being organized. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to the Emily Sandall Foundation, 13000 Rover Ave., NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87112 or to your favorite charity. In grief and joyful sharing we honor Emily’s life, her dreams and aspirations, and hope that in some small way we can fill in the blanks that remain with her passing.
