A trans woman from New York died after falling 300 meters while ice climbing on an Alaskan mountain.
Robbi Mecus, 52, of Keene Valley, died after she and her climbing partner fell while ascending Mount Johnson, an 8,400-foot peak, in Denali National Park on Thursday night.
The other climber, Melissa Orzechowski, 30, of California, survived the fall but suffered “severe traumatic injuries,” according to the National Park Service.
At around 10:45 p.m., other climbers who witnessed the tragic incident called for help, but a rescue helicopter pilot and rangers were unable to save the surviving climber until 7 a.m. on Friday.
Later that morning, a park helicopter and two rangers returned to the scene to recover Mecus’ body, but had to turn back due to “deteriorating weather.”
Robbi Mecus, 52, of Keene Valley, died after she and her climbing partner fell while climbing Mount Johnson, an 8,400-foot peak, in Denali National Park on Thursday night.
Mecus, a New York park ranger, was recovered Saturday morning from the foot of the mountain known as ‘the escalator’ after the pair fell 300 meters.
Mecus, a New York ranger, was recovered Saturday morning from the base of the mountain known as ‘the Escalator’ after the pair fell about 300 meters.
Mecus is survived by his ex-wife Sam and daughter Hazel.
“I join the Department of Environmental Conservation family in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of Ranger Robbi Mecus,” Acting DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement.
The other climber, Melissa Orzechowski (left), survived the dangerous fall and suffered “severe traumatic injuries.”
According to the agency, Mecus was a Department of Environmental Conservation Adirondack Region Forest Ranger for 25 years after joining in 1999 at the age of 27.
Maher said Mecus not only “exemplified the Rangers’ high level of professional excellence” but praised his work to “promote diversity, inclusion and LGBTQ belonging across the agency.”
“During her 25-year career at DEC, Ranger Mecus demonstrated an unparalleled passion for protecting the environment and New Yorkers,” Maher added.
According NCPR, Mecus has participated in “hundreds of search and rescues over the course of his career” and recently helped find a frozen and hypothermic hiker in the High Peaks in March.
Mecus was seen in a video from March 2023, explaining another rescue she participated in after helping a 60-year-old woman with a leg injury on Wright Peak in New York.
“Part of our job is to remember that when this happens to a member of the public, this is one of their worst days,” Mecus said in the video.
Mecus was seen in an image climbing an icy mountain in December 2021. “Let your weird flag fly,” she said in the caption while wearing a pride flag on her back.
It wasn’t until she was 44 that Mecus came out as a transgender woman, saying she waited for “many reasons.” She later became a role model for the climbing community.
“Therefore, it is important to have the necessary skills to speak to them very calmly and rationally, and let them know that they are in good hands,” he added.
Mecus, who called herself a “rescue addict,” said that while she never “wishes harm” on anyone, she was “kind of proud” of each rescue.
In 2021, Mecus, who was born in Brooklyn in the early 1970s, said NCPR who had problems declaring herself a trans woman. Mecus told the outlet that she came from a conservative Catholic family and that she would “insist on wearing girl’s clothes to school.”
“From the moment I had an idea of what gender was, I knew I was a girl,” she said.
“I remember having fights with my mother, she put me in button-down shirts and brown shoes, cut my hair and screamed at the top of my lungs until I lost my voice.”
It wasn’t until she was 44 that Mecus came out as transgender, saying she waited for “many reasons.”
“I didn’t see anyone else doing the things I still wanted to do and I didn’t think I could do them,” he said. —I didn’t see any strange rangers. I didn’t see any trans climbers.
After she came out, Mecus became a role model in the Adirondacks community.
Mecus, who called herself a “rescue addict,” said that although she never “wished harm” on anyone, she felt “a certain pride” in each rescue.
It is unclear what went wrong during the climb, as he managed to successfully scale the big mountain last year.
Mecus is survived by his ex-wife (left) Sam and daughter Hazel (center). The Adirondack community created a GoFundMe page to support them.
He helped organize the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest with Orzechowski and participated in public events.
Mecus was seen in an image climbing an icy mountain in December 2021.
“Let your strange flag fly,” he said in the caption while wearing a pride flag on his back.
It’s unclear what went wrong during Thursday’s climb, as he successfully scaled the big mountain last year. The peak is known as one of the most dangerous.
Former DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos addressed X and said he was “devastated” to hear of Mecus’ passing.
‘Robbi was an amazing person. A pillar of strength. Always for @NYSDEC’s toughest rescues and crises, and a tremendous leader for LGBTQIA+ rights,” Seggos said.
‘I feel lucky to have met her. Rest in peace, Ranger,’ she added.
TO GoFundMe page was created by the Adirondack community to support mother and daughter. As of Monday morning, more than $3,000 had been raised.