{"id":607,"date":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/06\/08\/park-ranger-falls-into-crevasse-and-dies-while-on-climbing-patrol-on-highest-peak-in-north-america\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:49:55","slug":"park-ranger-falls-into-crevasse-and-dies-while-on-climbing-patrol-on-highest-peak-in-north-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/06\/08\/park-ranger-falls-into-crevasse-and-dies-while-on-climbing-patrol-on-highest-peak-in-north-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Park Ranger Falls into Crevasse and Dies While on Climbing Patrol on Highest Peak in North America"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cShe knew that there were a lot of risks associated with this level of mountaineering in this level of guiding,&#8221; said a friend of Robin Pendery<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/miQt7nZ9qCFZvXyXPPsoj_W9CMw=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/National-Park-ranger-Robin-Pendery-dies-after-falling-into-crevasse-on-North-Americas-highest-peak-060826-d7a12349ade94f92bbfd5eb54f39ee79.jpg\" alt=\"Robin Pendery.Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook\" title=\"National Park ranger Robin Pendery dies after falling into crevasse on North America's highest peak\" \/><figcaption><i>Robin Pendery.<br \/>Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A 33-year-old ranger fell into a crevasse and died on Mount McKinley on Thursday, June 4<\/li>\n<li>Other National Park Service employees immediately responded, but were unable to save her<\/li>\n<li>\u201cWe are heartbroken by the loss of a member of our Denali family,&#8221; said Superintendent Brooke Merrell<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A 33-year-old ranger died after falling into a crevasse on the tallest mountain in North America, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, June 4, around 2 p.m. local time, Robin Pendery was on a climbing patrol on Mount McKinley when she fell into a crevasse near the 14,000-foot camp, the National Park Service said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/dena\/learn\/news\/employee-death-mountaineering-060526.htm\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">statement<\/a>. Other personnel immediately responded to the incident, but the seasonal mountaineering ranger did not survive, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are heartbroken by the loss of a member of our Denali family,&#8221; said Superintendent Brooke Merrell in a statement. \u201cOur mountaineering rangers dedicate themselves to serving visitors and helping others in one of the most challenging environments in the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday, we mourn the loss of a valued colleague, friend and teammate,\u201d she continued. \u201cOur thoughts are with Robin\u2019s family and loved ones.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>An investigation is ongoing, and the National Park Service did not immediately respond to PEOPLE\u2019s request for additional comment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pendery hailed from Enumclaw, Wash., and first joined the Mount McKinley mountaineering staff in 2024. As a ranger, she helped keep climbers safe, assisted with emergency response and participated in mountaineering operations, the National Park Service said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/v1QOQYt-FilZtA6K0OJJWVbQKl4=\/fit-in\/640x480\/National-Park-ranger-Robin-Pendery-dies-after-falling-into-crevasse-on-North-Americas-highest-peak-060826-2-d237aaf8028e4ede9f7f48ddb884642c.jpg\" alt=\"Robin Pendery.Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook\" title=\"National Park ranger Robin Pendery dies after falling into crevasse on North America's highest peak\" \/><figcaption><i>Robin Pendery.<br \/>Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Located in the center of the Alaska Range, the 20,310-foot peak was renamed Denali by President Barack Obama in 2015, after the name had long been used by Alaska Native tribes, before the name was reverted to Mount McKinley by President Donald Trump in 2025, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/place\/Denali\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Britannica<\/a>. The presence of crevasses is one of the many challenges that come with scaling the tall peak. The massive cracks \u201cform in glacier ice when the glacier is put under too much stress for it to deform by flowing,\u201d according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/articles\/crevasses.htm\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\">National Park Service<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Pendery was a guide with more than a decade of experience, according to her profile on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alpineascents.com\/guides\/robin-pendery\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Alpine Ascents International<\/a>. She had worked as a mountain guide, avalanche forecaster and on ski patrol in the Pacific Northwest since 2015. While Pendery was a full-time ER nurse, she loved guiding and teaching in the mountains, according to the website. Pendery had summited Mount Rainier, Mount Hood and Mount Baker, among other peaks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Following her death, her colleagues were heartbroken.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/5-xbAoX-YCGedEz3SYm-nhFPIxI=\/fit-in\/640x480\/National-Park-ranger-Robin-Pendery-dies-after-falling-into-crevasse-on-North-Americas-highest-peak-060826-1-6209c4c0a3c24fc891c190ac5f96d642.jpg\" alt=\"Robin Pendery.Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook\" title=\"National Park ranger Robin Pendery dies after falling into crevasse on North America's highest peak\" \/><figcaption><i>Robin Pendery.<br \/>Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are devastated to report the loss of one of our climbing rangers, Robin Pendery,\u201d said ranger Chrissie Oken, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1JnBPvGs81\/\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">post<\/a> by the Denali Rescue Volunteers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe DRV board and community sends so much love to Robin\u2019s family, friends, and fellow Rangers,\u201d the organization said.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/kec_vrsgWRZfJ2SF8M99whoEM2w=\/fit-in\/640x480\/National-Park-ranger-Robin-Pendery-dies-after-falling-into-crevasse-on-North-Americas-highest-peak-060826-3-01f5b3605b5c464595608e08bfa27a5a.jpg\" alt=\"Robin Pendery.Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook\" title=\"National Park ranger Robin Pendery dies after falling into crevasse on North America's highest peak\" \/><figcaption><i>Robin Pendery.<br \/>Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong><a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-news-inline\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><strong>PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bailey Disher, a close friend of Pendery\u2019s, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/05\/us\/national-park-service-ranger-dead-mount-mckinley.html\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"externalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\"><em>The New York Times<\/em><\/a> that she last heard from her in April. Pendery had called to wish her a happy birthday, and they discussed the risks of her job as a guide.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think one of the things that makes this a little bit easier for me is that it was really clear that she was very aware,\u201d Disher told the paper, adding, \u201cShe knew that there were a lot of risks associated with this level of mountaineering in this level of guiding.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cShe knew that there were a lot of risks associated with this level of mountaineering in this level of guiding,&#8221; said a friend of Robin Pendery Robin Pendery.Credit: Denali Rescue Volunteers\/Facebook NEED TO KNOW A 33-year-old ranger fell into a crevasse and died on Mount McKinley on Thursday, June 4 Other National Park Service employees [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}