Boy Scout Falls To Death

On February 16th, two Boy Scouts were hiking with their troop from Modesto, California, on the Yosemite Falls trail, approximately 300 yards above Columbia Point. The two boys left the trail and attempted to take what they believed was a short cut. Both boys fell due to the steep terrain. One of them was able to self-arrest after a drop of approximately 10 feet, but saw that his companion continued over the edge and fell about 300 feet. The victim was located by rangers at the bottom of the cliff in an area just west of the Munginella climbing route.  Advanced life support measures were employed for approximately 15 minutes before the boy was pronounced dead. A preliminary finding of the investigation into the incident by investigators and the medical examiner has ruled the death as accidental.