DENALI PARK, Alaska — A Grandville woman is in a hospital in Alaska after falling 1,000 feet while ice climbing at Denali National Park.
Melissa Orzechowski, 30, is a graduate of Grandville High School and Northern Michigan University, where she was named the 2016 Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees’ Outstanding Student.
During the night of Thursday, April 25, Orzechowski and her climbing partner Robbi Mecus, 52, fell while climbing Mt. Johnson, an 8,400-foot peak, according to a release from the National Park Service.
Orzechowski and Mecus were ascending a route known as "the Escalator," which is known as a steep technical climb of about 5,000 feet involving a mix of rock, ice and snow, the park service said.
A different climbing party witnessed the fall and reported the incident to the Alaska Regional Communication Center at approximately 10:45 pm, authorities said.
The climbing party descended to the victims and found Mecus dead and Orzechowski critically injured. The climbing party dug a snow cave and tended to Orzechowski's injuries throughout the night.
The following morning at about 7 a.m., the Denali National Park's high-altitude rescue helicopter launched to rescue Orzechowski and recover Mecus. The park said that they conducted a reconnaissance flight before rescuing Orzechowski and transporting her to a glacier staging area.
Orzechowski was taken to Talkeetna before being transported to a hospital in Anchorage, North Country Public Radio reported.
Due to deteriorating weather conditions, park rangers were unable to recover Mecus until Saturday morning.
Alaska Public Media reports that Mecus was an Adirondack forest ranger who Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said was known for "advancing diversity, inclusion and LGBTQ belonging throughout the agency."
A friend of Orzechowski set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help with her medical bills and travel expenses. The fundraiser says that "there may be up to $200,000 in flight/transport fees alone."
As of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, over $54,000 has been raised.
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