Yosemite plunge kills Sebastopol climber

An avid climber from Sebastopol was killed in a fall in Yosemite National Park on Saturday evening, a park ranger said.

Brad Parker, 36, was climbing Yosemite’s Matthes Crest when he fell approximately 300 feet at about 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Yosemite Park Ranger Ashley Mayer said.

Parker was climbing alone with no ropes at the time. About six people witnessed the fall, Mayer said.

Parker was dead by the time park rangers were able to hike to the base of the cliff. It was too late by then to remove his body, so it was taken out by helicopter Sunday morning.

Parker was an experienced climber and had visited Yosemite before. The cliff he was climbing was “not an extremely hard climb,” Mayer said.

According to his Facebook profile, Parker was originally from Santa Rosa and worked as a private contractor doing yoga, bodywork, adventure and retreats. He studied at the Pacific Center of Awareness and Bodywork in Hawaii.