By Dora Scheidell
DRAPER, Utah -- The family of Kerry Crowley called 911 Tuesday evening when she didn’t return from a hike in Draper, and, after searching tirelessly overnight, crews discovered her body at the bottom of a cliff Wednesday morning.
After sending her youngest off to college, Crowley’s brother Jeff Allgood says the mother of three would fill her empty nest with various hikes around the Wasatch Front.
“She always had an adventure planned: Life was never dull with Kerry,” Allgood said.
Crowley, 43, recently read a book called “60 Hikes within 60 Miles in Salt Lake City”. On the last pinnacle of her 60th hike, she lost her life.
“She wanted to achieve that goal, and in some way she did,” Allgood said.
Search and rescue crews believe she was climbing the last peak of her hike when she lost her balance and fell backward more than 200 feet. Detectives told her brother-in-law, Matt Crowley, that she hit her head and probably died instantly.
“They say when she died she had a peaceful look on her face,” Crowley said.
As they look back and remember her generous, selfless spirit, Crowley’s family takes solace knowing she died doing what she loved.
“I know leading in the weeks up, having been on so many hikes, she was really happy," Crowley said. "She was just ecstatic with life."
The family is also relying on their faith to comfort them during the heartbreaking days that lie ahead.
“We're a religious family, and I know this is not the end: I know I will see my sister again,” Allgood said.
To donate money to the family, you can click on this link, which will direct you to a GoFundMe page in Crowley’s honor.
Search and rescue crews narrowly avoided another tragedy while trying to recover her body Wednesday morning. A helicopter trying to remove Crowley’s body from the site got a piece of rope caught in the main rotor. The helicopter shook violently and even slammed into the side of the cliff. Luckily, nobody was hurt and the helicopter made an emergency landing a few miles away.
