Who Is Andrea Norton? New Details On The Woman Who Fell To Her Death In Arkansas
One step ended everything.
Facebook It doesn't matter how experienced you are, or how expensive your gear is when you decide to go hiking, you are putting your life in your own hands. That may sound pretty dramatic, but it's also true, and something that not enough people think about when they take to the nearest National Park and push themselves to their limits as they connect with nature. Andrea Norton was an experienced hiker, and what's more, she loved the outdoors and was passionate about saving the planet so that it might be enjoyed by future generations. Sadly, even she wasn't excluded from the dangers that can be found in the great blue yonder. Her story and her legacy are what we're tackling here today. Who is Andrea Norton?
1. How She Died
Andrea Norton was just 20-years-old enjoying a hobby she did more than regularly when her life came to a sudden and awful end. Andrea, who was a student at Briar Cliff University, died in the blink of an eye after she fell more than 100 feet off a cliff. She was on a very popular hiking trail, one that most hikers believed to be safe. So what happened? According to her fellow hikers and the local authorities, Andrea was trying her best to strike a pose on a small rock formation located in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. Tragically, as she adjusted her footing for the photo, she misstepped and went careening off the edge of the rocks, leading to her fatal accident.
RELATED: 5 Ways Losing Someone You Love Can Make You So Much Stronger
2. The Crag
The police in the area are very familiar with the park, the forest, and its paths and say that the cliff where Andrea slipped and fell is called Hawksbill Crag. This spot in particular has long been a popular location for hikers who enjoy stopping by the rock formation to take pictures commemorating their adventures. In fact, if what the experts and local law enforcement are saying is true, this particular rocky cliffside with its stunning formations is one of the most photographed sections of the entire park. That makes what happened to Andrea even more senseless and sad.
3. It Happens
What makes the popularity of the spot even more chilling is the fact that for all of its natural beauty, the cliffs have also been the location of the deaths of several other people in recent years, according to the local sheriff. You'd think such knowledge would keep people away, but no. There might be an explanation for that one too. You see, Hawksbill Crag isn't the only name that the rock formation is known by. The crag is also sometimes called Whitaker Point--it developed its other nickname due to its resemblance to the bill of a hawk. So plain and simple, people just may hear one name regarding the deaths and not connect it to the other.
RELATED: Who Is Max Carbone? New Details On The College Student's Death
4. The School Speaks
Andrea was a force of personality, and she will be sorely missed by her friends and by her family, particularly by her parents Mark and Tamera, and her little brother Matt. Her talents and interests were many and varied. She may have been an environmental science major, but that didn't stop her from also participating in the school's symphony choir too. "Andrea was a passionate environmental science major, an exemplary student and dedicated athlete," said the people are Briar Cliff after her death. "She lived BCU's values in everything she did from the classroom to the court and everywhere she went. Andrea made a tremendous impact on the BCU community and everyone she met and will be greatly missed."
5. The Strange Connection
Perhaps the strangest thing about Andrea's death, and I do mean strange, is that it came at almost the same time as another college student about her age suffered a similar fate. 22-year-old Sydney Monfries, set to graduate from Fordham University in the Bronx in May, recently fell to her death trying to take a picture from the school's clock tower. It is an eerie coincidence and an equally tragic loss of life. In Monfries case, the very last contact she made with the world at large was a SnapChat post of her ascent to the top of the tower. For Norton, all her family has are their memories of their beloved girl to help them through this trying time.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.