Nathaniel Masahi Takatsuno: Climber dies while free soloing as he fell 200 feet from San Diego's El Cajon
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: A group of mountaineers recalled their trauma after witnessing a 22-year-old rock climber fall 200 feet to his death at San Diego's El Cajon mountain on Sunday, December 4. The witnesses said the climber, who hasn't been named, had been free soloing just before noon when the tragedy befell.
Free soloing is basically rock climbing without the assistance of a rope, harness, or other protective equipment. Some climbers had tried to help the young man but it was too late. Responding search and rescue teams pronounced him dead at the scene. Recently, the San Diego County medical Examiner's office identified the victim as Nathaniel Masahi Takatsuno.
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Speaking to the San Diego-Tribune, mountaineer James Faerber said he was "traumatized" after witnessing the man fall to certain death from the popular mountain, known as El Capitan or El Cap, which reportedly has a summit of 3,677 feet. "I've been through a huge range of emotions for sure," Faerber told the outlet. Owing to the difficult terrain, responding search and rescue teams had a tough time retrieving the victim's body.
Lt Ruben Medina with San Diego County Sheriff's Department said, "By the time we were able to get to where the climber was, it's about 2,500 feet in elevation, and it's about a two-hour hike to get to the climber. So it made yesterday's recovery impossible." Another added obstacle was nightfall, the sheriff said, as the darkness complicated the descent from the mountain. Rescue crews hiked the treacherous terrain on Monday, December 5, to recover the victim's remains as a helicopter assisted the mission from air. The remains were recovered near the Lakeside area of the mountain, more than 12 hours after the climber fell from the mountainside.
The exact cause and manner of the young man's fatal fall are yet to be established and are being investigated at the time of publication. Speaking to CBS 8, Billy Ortiz, who has lived near El Cajon for 63 years, explained that the area where the hiker was found is very "treacherous" and known as "the Wedge." He said rock climbers love to scale that area. "It goes up to the left and then the right, and then there's an overhang," Ortiz said. The local resident recorded the recovery mission on his camera as the climber's body was recovered from the south side of the mountain.
Speaking to Fox 5 San Diego, Dachel Fohne, a friend of the deceased, said she heard about the fatality on the mountain, only to later realize it was her climbing partner. "I just didn't want to believe it, and I still don't want to believe it," she told the outlet. Before learning the tragic news, Fohne had left a note on the windshield of her friend's car that had been sitting in the parking lot at the base of the mountain. "I waited until 5 pm for you," she wrote in the note. "Hit me up when you are safe. Text me anytime." The avid climber, who goes by 'adventure_tick' on Instagram, bemoaned the tragic loss in a recent post.
"My heart hurts so much," she wrote. "If you were one of those climbers who tried to help, thank you for your kindness. Calling the ranger station this morning to hear that a climber has fallen, come to find, a close friend… It's an empty, helpless feeling," she added. Whilst, Fohnene said both herself and her climbing partner were "loners" who had bonded over their love of the mountains. "Being alone on the mountain is pure freedom," she added.