Two hikers from Los Angeles are dead after being swept into the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, where one of the hikers had originally proposed to his wife.
Dr. Gregory Meyer, an ER physician, and Richard Fox, a physician’s assistant, were returning from a days-long hiking trip with three other friends at about 8 a.m. Wednesday when they fell into the reservoir, according to the Fresno Bee.
Meyer’s wife Paula said that her husband originally proposed to her at the very reservoir years ago over a shared bottle of wine. She told NBC Los Angeles that her late husband, 54, was a man who loved the outdoors, having been raised on a cattle ranch in Merced.
“He was a man of the earth, completely without pretense,” Paula said. “His greatest love, excepting his family, was reviving his Grandfather's ranch in Merced.” The couple have twin girls together.
“He was an exceptional husband and father,” Paula told NBC Los Angeles. “I will always cherish him.”
The trip started at the O’Shaughnessy Dam, and the hikers were returning to the spot to work their way home, according to the Bee. Officials said that though the bridge was open to the public, water levels were extremely high at the bridge because of melting snow and recent rainfall.
The three other backpackers are uninjured.
