facebook-pixel

SLC canyoneering guide dies in climbing accident at Morning Glory Arch, authorities say

The circumstances surrounding Emmalynn Thair Herbstritt’s death are unknown.

(Brian Maffly | The Salt Lake Tribune) Hikers visit Morning Glory Arch in southern Utah's Grandstaff Canyon in this 2017 photo. On Saturday, a 21-year-old woman died in a climbing accident at the arch, authorities say.

A 21-year-old woman died Saturday in a climbing accident at Morning Glory Arch near Moab, according to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

Emmalynn Thair Herbstritt, a canyoneering guide from Salt Lake City, was found unresponsive Saturday afternoon and later pronounced dead at the scene by multiple agencies.

The circumstances that led to Herbstritt’s death were unclear Sunday. An attempt to reach the Grand County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday morning was unsuccessful.

According to Herbstritt’s private Instagram account, she called herself a “nature geek” and was also a river guide. According to her Facebook profile, she was a former missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 2012, a Boy Scout was injured when he fell about 40 feet while attempting to rappel on Morning Glory Arch in what was then known as Negro Bill Canyon. The name of the canyon was later changed to Grandstaff Canyon in 2017.