Maya lived her life with a fiery enthusiasm and determination, climbing, studying, reading, loving, and cooking. She’d found her people and her passion in the mountains and in the climbing community in Boulder, CO.

On September 13th, 2022, the unimaginable happened. She fell off of a ledge and died while getting ready to climb Carey Granite, near Mt Evans in Colorado. Maya was a senior at University of Colorado in Boulder, majoring in biology. Her favorite classes were soil science and mycology. She was working on her honors thesis counting invasive species of grasses near Lyons, CO. She was particularly excited (and opinionated) about regenerative agriculture and a more holistic approach to food production. She even cooked beef tongue!

Maya meant so much to so many people. Her big smile. Her oneness with the mountains. Her athleticism. Her boundless energy. Her trash talk. Her fantastical cooking. Nature filled her with a wonder and joy. She saw and felt the natural world around her: the softness of the dirt while walking barefoot, the ice-cold water of mountain lakes at 12,000 feet, the caterpillar cocoon sac hidden under the branches, the delicate columbine tucked in next to a rivulet.

We are hoping this space will help Maya’s friends and family grieve and remember her, and support the causes she held dear.