Thursday at 3 p.m., park rangers were notified of a serious fall in the the Subway. The park’s search-and-rescue crew located Haas slightly off route.
She was was completing the approach hike (approximately 2.5 miles) to the Subway with friends and was leading the group. It appears she missed a hard right turn down a steep 4th-class scramble and instead went toward a cliff edge, when she slipped and fell from view.
Her boyfriend, whose name was not released, rappelled down to her while the other two members of the group hiked out and phoned for help.
The Left Fork of North Creek is a popular canyoneering route, accessible only with a wilderness permit. The seven- to nine-hour route requires navigating past numerous boulders, ledges, and waterfalls, as well as wading and swimming through several miles of the creek’s cold water, according to the park service.
“The park staff extends their condolences to Ms. Hass’ family and friends,” said Superintendent Jock Whitworth, “It is truly a tragedy.”
Hass, part of the law firm of Fishel Hass Kim Albrecht, LLP, was a litigator who practiced regularly in federal and state trial courts in Ohio, according to the firm’s web page. She joined the firm in 1995 and was a member of the Ohio Association of Trial Attorneys and the Public Risk Management Association.
As a part of the online profile of Hass, there is the following quote: “Having hiked the Grand Canyon north to south rim four times, Cheri understands drive and devotion.”
According to the park service, this is the second incident in a week of a visitor getting too close to a cliff edge, slipping and falling. On Sept. 2, a 33-year-old man fell in Behunin Canyon. He was wearing a helmet, which likely saved his life. He is in the ICU at the University Medical Trauma Center in Las Vegas.
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