Cheshire Cat Photo Blog(...said the Cat: 'we're all mad here....')

On Monday August 22, Ryan Leeder, 23, fell 2,500 feet from the summit of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, startling a group of rock climbers who were ascending the sheer granite face of the rock formation that rises 4,500 feet from the valley floor. Monday was a dry and sunny day. Leeder, who grew up in Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz and had been most recently living in downtown San Jose, had taken a bus to Yosemite last weekend to meet a girl, according to his step brother, Zack Belanger. Leeder was hiking alone on Monday evening when he reached the summit and then fell to his death at around 6:30 PM. It was dark by the time rescue crews and helicopters had gathered, so recovery of Leeder’s body was postponed until Tuesday morning.

Belanger said that Leeder had been battling mental illness since he was a teenager.

“Time and time again, that was his Achilles’ heel. That was something he really struggled with,” Belanger, 28, of San Jose, said. “I think, just like a lot of times he had gotten himself into trouble, it usually had something to do with that.”

Leeder’s backpack was found a mile down the trail, on the back side of Half Dome. Leeder’s father, who is a retired piano tuner who lives with his wife in Los Gatos, speculated to Belanger that his son might have been exhausted after spending most of the previous night awake texting someone. The coroner of Mariposa County is conducting an autopsy, which includes toxicology tests.

Leeder was featured, at the age of 9, in the Mercury News in 1997 when he was an amateur fossil hunter who dreamed of becoming a paleontologist. Leeder had spent hours in Scotts Valley sandstone cliffs in an area known as Old Graham Pit, looking for shark teeth and whale bones. He was described as a good student with a lot of friends in his elementary school days.

Leeder was recently released from the Santa Cruz County Jail, according to his step brother. He had been arrested in May and accused of brandishing a knife at a man playing basketball at ta local middle school. Leeder was acting strangely as he approached the group, accusing them of stealing his wallet, according to Sheriff deputies.

While incarcerated, Belanger said, “I think he had gotten a higher power, he had gotten Jesus. It was cool; at the end of his life, he found that.”

In a “normal” year, Yosemite may see 12 to 15 deaths. This year’s numbers are high and include five deaths from natural causes, including heart attacks. Yosemite spokesperson, Kari Cobb, said that deaths this year resulted from a variety of causes.

“We’ve seen falls, drownings and car accidents,” Cobb said. “There’s no way to speculate or come up with a reason for it.”

“We are surrounded by rushing water and 3,000-foot cliffs, and the power of nature is very intense,” Cobb said. “Yosemite is one of the most beautiful parks. It isn’t something to be afraid of. But it is something to be respected.”

Besides, she said, “there’s no way we can put a sign or a railing or a ranger at every dangerous location.”

-Bill at

Cheshire Cat Photo™ – “Your Guide to California’s Wonderland™”

You can view higher-resolution photos at the Cheshire Cat Photo™ Pro Gallery on Shutterfly™, where you can also order prints and gifts decorated with the photos of your choice from the gallery. The Cheshire Cat Photo Store on Zazzle® contains a wide variety of apparel and gifts decorated with our images of California. All locations are accessible from here. Be a “Facebook Fan” of Cheshire Cat Photo here! If you don’t see what you want or would be on our email list for updates, send us an email at info@cheshirecatphoto.com.