I never know what to say about death, much less what to write about it. I can't leave it out, though, and I'd rather not wait, so:
My friend Michaela Farnum died Friday when we were hiking in La Campana National Park.
We had been climbing this mountain about an hour away for about 5 hours when Michaela was separated from the group. Another girl, SR, was already at the summit, but AF, IM and I were afraid and feeling dizzy/sick from the altitude so we decided to head back. Michaela was adament about reaching the top, so she decided to continue.
About a half an hour into our subsequent descent, we heard a woman's voice followed by the rumble of rocks sliding above. One rock rolled off the cliff above us and nearly hit AF. Of course, we were scared. We shouted for Michaela and SR, with no answer. IM took off to catch up with a group of French boy scouts who had passed us a minute ago to ask if they had seen the girls, etc. AF and I continued yelling, and began calling for the telephone number of the park guards. A bit later, SR came down. She hadn't seen Michaela, and hadn't even heard the rocks, except that she had caused similar sounds during her own climb. Because she knew where she was going, she went back up the mountain to look and yell for Michaela. About an hour later, she returned to AF and me. By then we had spoken with the park guards and the ISA office. The guard instructed us to go down the mountain, as it was getting dark and the terrain is dangerous at night, and he sent a crew of guards to go look for Michaela.
We spent the night at the guard station. The next day, around noon, her body was found by a heliocopter. She had taken the wrong path, one intended for rock climbers, and had fallen about 15 meters. She died instantly.
Rest in peace, Michaela. You were a beautiful person and I'm glad that you touched my life.
24 comments:
You are a brave young woman, MaryAnn. I admire your strength.
Hi..!
I'm really sorry about your friend... i was sad when i saw the news and i saw her... a beautiful young woman with all a future... I know this is very very hard for you, you have to be strong.
But she's ok right now, and she will see you every day =)
kisses for you
(i'm sorry if i wrote this wrong, i'm from chile... i know a little of english)
MaryAnn, I'm so sorry you had to experience this. stay strong and take care of yourself.muchos besos y abrazos.
Wow, I can't believe it. That's awful. I hope you are able to take it in stride and continue to have a good experience while you're there. You and your fellow travelers are in my thoughts.
You are truly missed by all SU students. You were a blessing to every person that you met. Your strength, dedication, and smiles in every activity that you did just increased the joy that you brought everybody. 2009 Graduation will have a void because you will not be there. I will be thinking of you as I graduate. Miss you already.
Michaela was one of my best friends. I'm glad that you were able to know her because she was one of the most amazing people I have ever known.
I am so, so sorry Maryann. Life is so terrible and random at times. I admire your strength. My thoughts are with you.
i'm glad you wrote this. many of us at home are wondering in detail what happened.
this absolutley breaks my heart. michaela was an amazing person with a lot to give people.
i hope that you enjoy the rest of your time in chile, michaela would have wanted you to.
Thank you for posting this.
Thank you so much for your blog. I'm one of Michaela's friend from SU and it gives me closure finding out what happened to her and how she died. Thank you for looking out for her as well. She will surely be missed, and will always be loved.
I'm at a complete loss for words. This kind of tragedy makes me angry at the world and our own helplessness. Your mom is right, MaryAnn. You are incredibly brave and strong. Know that all your family and friends back home are there for you.
I don't even know where to begin. Michaela was such a compassionate, friendly, and driven individual. She is going to be missed greatly. Michaela along with her family and friends are in my prayers.
I don't know what to say. My condolences. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, even though I didn't know her.
Nick and mom are right. You are strong; I certainly don't know how I would deal with something like this.
Thank you so much for posting this. It's very consoling for all of us to know what happened to her. I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of this horror. I hope that you're alright, and our prayers are with all of you.
Thank you for posting what happened, it has helped me in this time of pain and sadness. Michaela was a beautiful person who I'll never forget and will always love.
-Bussy
thank you for having the courage to post this.
I want to say that I thank you for posting this. Alot of us up here in Seattle were wondering how this could happen, and at least gave me a little closure. I can't imagine what this must be like for you and all of you who were hiking are in my prayers. You were with Michaela, and be default that makes you cool. Thanks for being there with her during her last days, I am happy you were able to meet her.
Like many people who have already commented, I considered Michaela a close friend. She was an amazing person in so many ways- if I tried to list them all, I would run out of time and space. Thank you for having the courage and taking the time to post this. Many of us had so many questions regarding what happened, and hearing this from you helps put some of them to rest. MaryAnn, know that you are also in the thoughts and prayers of Michaela's friends and family.
Michaela, you are so dearly loved, and so painfully missed. Thank you, my love, for being who you were.
It's terrible what you experienced Mary Ann, only God knows when our time will come... with time you will learn to heal the wounds caused by Michaela's loss.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Michaela. I just heard today, and my heart is broken. I worked a couple of summers with Michaela at CYO camp. She was such a light to all those who met her. I loved her genuine hugs and kind words. See you in heaven Michaela...
MaryAnn,
Thank you for the post about dear Michela. I have a beautiful photo of a young Michela playing with my daughter that I will treasure. You see, we were blessed with the Farnum's presence in Rhode Island. They were our neighbors. Her mother is an amazing person, her father and brothers also loved her very much. My prayers and thoughts are with them. This is a great loss. A part of Michela will live in each of her friends. May all that you describe her as live through you as you carry on each day. God Bless.
I only knew Michaela breifly through a mutual friend, but it's amazing to see the shockwave it sent to everyone around her. Thank you for your story. Michaela would be humble to know of all the people who loved her.
Thanks again for your words
Nick
I walk across the SU Campus nearly everyday. Recently there appeared a bench made from a log on the spot where an ancient fir tree blew down 2 Decembers ago. Now I know who inspired this memorial. Thank you and gentle thoughts for those affected by this tragedy.
D.E.P :(
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