Couple Who Died in Yosemite Posed Eerie Question

Travel bloggers acknowledged dangers of 'daredevilry' photoshoots
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 30, 2018 8:26 AM CDT
Couple Who Died in Yosemite Posed Eerie Question
Yosemite's Taft Point is pictured during a wedding ceremony on Sept. 27, 2018.   (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers, File)

"Is our life just worth one photo?" travel blogger Meenakshi "Minaxi" Moorthy mused after a visit to the Grand Canyon in March. One half of the team behind Holidays and Happily Ever Afters, Moorthy described herself as "a fan of daredevilry attempts of standing at the edge of cliffs and skyscrapers" but also noted the dangers: "Did you know that wind gusts can be FATAL???" she wrote, per NPR. It's a discussion getting renewed focus following the deaths of 30-year-old Moorthy and her 29-year-old husband, Vishnu Viswanath, at Yosemite National Park last Wednesday. The Bay Area couple originally from India were at Taft Point, a cliff overlooking Yosemite Valley, when they fell some 800 feet.

"When you come to a place like Yosemite National Park and you go to places with majestic, scenic views, there is an inherent level of personal risk," a park rep tells the San Jose Mercury News. But "we still don't have any clear idea exactly what happened" to the couple; an ongoing investigation is expected to take weeks. Meanwhile, the Indian school where the couple met and studied engineering is paying tribute. "Our hearts go to the friends and family members of this lovely couple. May their souls rest in peace," reads a statement from the College of Engineering, Chengannur. The pair graduated in 2010 before marrying in 2014, per the Mercury News. The avid travelers had recently moved from New York City. (They fell at a spot with no railing.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X