A well-known and beloved Adirondack forest ranger died while ice climbing in Alaska on Thursday.
Robbi Mecus, who was 52 years old, died while climbing with a partner in Denali National Park.
Mecus and her climbing partner were ascending a route on Mt.
The climbers reached Mecus and her partner and confirmed that Mecus had died in the fall.
“I join the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) family in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of Forest Ranger Robbi Mecus,” DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar wrote in a statement.
“Over her 25-year career with DEC, Ranger Mecus demonstrated an unparalleled passion for protecting the environment and New Yorkers.”
Mecus was also a leader among the queer community in the Adirondacks.
She took part in public events as a forest ranger and as a climber, helping host the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest in recent years.
On Thursday, a well-known and cherished Adirondack forest ranger in Alaska passed away while ice climbing. 52-year-old Robbi Mecus passed away in Denali National Park while climbing with a companion.
On Mount, there was an accident. Johnson is an 8,400-foot summit in Ruth Gorge, Denali National Park.
Mecus was climbing a route up Mount with her climbing companion. Johnson, sometimes referred to as “the Escalator,” is a challenging 5,000-foot climb.
The two were seen by another climbing party on the route to have fallen some 1,000 feet, according to the National Park Service. Mecus and her partner were reached by the climbers, who verified that Mecus had passed away in the fall.
On Friday morning, her injured partner was airlifted out.
Having been a forest ranger in the Adirondacks since 1999, Mecus was a leader in the field.
Throughout her career, she has participated in hundreds of searches and rescues; most recently, last month, during a snowstorm in the High Peaks, she was instrumental in locating a hiker who was hypothermic and had frostbite.
DEC Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar released a statement in which he said, “I join the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) family in mourning the sudden and tragic passing of Forest Ranger Robbi Mecus.”. “Throughout her 25-year tenure with the DEC, Ranger Mecus showed an unmatched dedication to safeguarding both the environment and the people of New York.”. ****.
Mecus has been “advancing diversity, inclusion, and LGBTQ belonging throughout the agency,” according to Mahar, who praised her work for it. My condolences go out to Ranger Mecus’s family, friends, fellow Forest Rangers, and the DEC employees who were fortunate enough to have known and worked with her. She will be greatly missed. “.
Mecus was overseen by former DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos for more than ten years. On social media, Seggos expressed his shock at the news. “.
“Robbi was a truly amazing person. A rock of power,” wrote Seggos. “A fantastic leader for LGBTQIA+ rights, and always there for the most challenging NYSDEC rescues and crises.”. It is a blessing that I was acquainted with her. “.
Mecus was also a prominent member of the Adirondack LGBT community. She told NCPR in 2021 that “from the moment I had an idea of what gender was, I knew that I was a girl.” She was born in Brooklyn in the early 1970s in a boy’s body. “.
Unsure of how coming out as a trans woman would affect her life, she struggled as a teenager and a young adult. Mecus remarked, “I was terrified and scared and I didn’t know how I was going to live my life.”.
She fell in love with ice and rock climbing during those years. Mecus felt at home in that community, but she claimed not to have seen any representation of LGBT people in the outdoors.
“I didn’t see anybody else doing the things that I still wanted to do and I didn’t think I could do them,” Mecus stated in 2021. “There are many reasons I didn’t come out until I was 44,” he added. There were no queer rangers that I saw. I saw no transgender climbers. “.
Mecus gained prominence in the Adirondack outdoor community as a role model after she underwent a transition. As a forest ranger and climber, she participated in public events and in recent years has assisted in hosting the Adirondack Queer Ice Fest.
Mecus leaves behind a daughter and her ex-wife, who both reside in Keene Valley.
