A 61-year-old hiker plunged 150 feet to her death Saturday after losing her footing while trying to see the view over a steep cliff at a North Carolina national park.
Nancy Sampson of South Carolina was taking in the sights of Glassmine Falls Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway with her husband around 12:15 p.m. when the tragedy occurred, the National Parks Service said.
Rescuers rappeled down the side of the cliff — roughly half the height of the Statue of Liberty — only to find that Sampson had succumbed to her injuries.
Sampson’s husband remained on the scene and was “distraught” after witnessing his wife’s violent end, according to the Trauma Intervention Program of Western North Carolina.
“The TIP volunteer went above and beyond in supporting him at the scene and helping him get back down the mountain and connect with friends who could support him after this tragic loss,” the group said in a statement.
It is not clear whether investigators suspect any criminality in Sampson’s death.
The couple was visiting the park, located roughly 85 miles north of their South Carolina hometown.
Glassmine Falls Overlook is a popular vista for viewing a skinny waterfall “in the distance across the valley,” according to the NPS.
“Seeing the waterfall requires a bit of luck, however, as this ephemeral falls only flows after periods of rain. During drier weather it will slow to a trickle or even dry up completely,” the website states.
A sign at the vista claims the “steep cliff” is over 800 feet high, but is closer to 200 feet, officials said.
Sampson is the latest in a string of hikers who plunged to their deaths at National Parks this year.
Seven visitors across six parks suffered fatal falls between January and July, according to NPS data obtained by the Washington Post.
A woman in California fell to her death last month at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.