Chino Woman, a Volunteer Guide, is Fatally Injured in Fall at Suicide Rock

A Chino woman was fatally injured Tuesday when she fell during a climbing and rappelling demonstration at Suicide Rock outside Idyllwild, Riverside County sheriff's and coroner's officials reported.

Karen Gose, 27, of Chino, identified as a "volunteer hiking guide," fell an estimated 30 to 40 feet from the distinctive rock dome, according to a statement written by Sgt. John Morin of the Riverside County sheriff's Hemet Station.

Deputies and members of the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit were called out about 12:45 p.m. Tuesday July 24 to the Suicide Rock climber's trail near Humber Park, according Morin and a rescue supervisor.

The victim was still alive at that point, according to Morin. A Cal Fire helicopter crew helped locate and transport her to the Keenwild Helitack landing zone, where she was transferred to a waiting Mercy Air helicopter, Morin said.

En route to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, the victim succumbed to her injuries, Morin said. She was pronounced deceased at 3:21 p.m. at Desert Regional, the coroner reported.

Suicide Rock and its larger neighbor, Tahquitz Rock, loom above Idyllwild on the edges of San Jacinto state and federal wilderness areas. The top of Suicide Rock is just over 7,500 feet elevation, according to the USGS.

Both Suicide and Tahquitz have been popular rock climbing destinations for decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, Suicide Rock was considered home to some of the hardest climbs in the U.S.

Idyllwild is on Highway 243 in the San Jacinto Mountains, one hour to 90 minutes drive-time from Redlands.

Anyone with more information about the circumstances of Gose's fatal fall was urged to call the Hemet Station at (951) 791-3400.