Trans forest ranger Robbi Mecus dies in tragic climbing accident [Video]

Robbi Mecus, a transgender forest ranger and mountain-rescue team member who has been described as a “pillar of strength”, has fallen to her death in Alaska at the age of 52. 

Mecus, who led search-and-rescue missions in New York state, reportedly died after falling 1,000ft in Denali National Park and Preserve on Thursday (25 April). 

According to a statement from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, where Mecus worked for 25 years, she died while climbing 8,400ft Mount Johnson, along a route known as the Escalator, which involves “navigating a mix of steep rock, ice and snow”. 

Another climber who was roped to Mecus reportedly sustained “serious traumatic injuries”. 

According to The New York Times, as well as working to rescue lost and injured climbers in the Adirondack mountains, Mecus also worked for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the climbing community. 

“When I first started climbing, I was not out… I wasn’t aware of anybody who was queer or transwhen I first …