2 plunge to their deaths in Grand Teton National Park

MOOSE, Wyo. -- Two women died when they fell about 200 feet while trying to climb a mountain in Grand Teton National Park.

The National Park Service says the accident occurred around 11 a.m. Saturday on the 12,300-foot Teewinot Mountain, the sixth-tallest peak in the Teton Range.

The agency identified the victims as 27-year-old Tyler Strandberg and 28-year-old Catherine Nix, both of Jackson, Wyoming. Their bodies were recovered from a rocky ledge at an elevation of about 11,500 feet.

A third member of the climbing party, 26-year-old Rebecca Anderson, of Jackson, was rescued unhurt from a small ledge.

Anderson made several attempts to call down to the others but got no reply, reports CBS Idaho Falls affiliate KIDK-TV. She was stuck on the ledge and couldn't see or help her companions.

The three women were attempting to ascend the East Face of the mountain and were well off the preferred route when the two fell.

The Park Service says they weren't using ropes at the time.

CBS Raleigh, North Carolina WRAL-TV reports Strandberg was originally from Rocky Mount, North Carolina and moved to Raleigh as an adult. Her grandfather is former North Carolina Lt. Governor Jim Gardner and her uncle is former state House Speaker Joe Hackney. Her mother currently works for North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's office.