But in a freak accident July 19 walking just a few steps ahead of the others on a mostly paved old stagecoach road, Angela was struck and killed by a falling tree limb. Her family believes the heavy branch — the width of a tire rim — likely killed her instantly.

The trails of Tuolumne Grove, a popular site in Yosemite National Park, wind through forests of pine and giant sequoias, the largest trees on earth. On July 19, after hiking about a mile into the grove, Angela Lin, 29, and her friends heard a snapping sound above them.