Friends, family attend sunrise hike to honor Hannah Moody

Community members gathered to mourn the loss of Hannah Moody, who was found dead near Gateway Trailhead over a week ago.

At the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, people started gathering as early as 5:00 a.m. You can see it was a beautiful morning out here, but definitely a very sad one on what would have been her 32nd birthday. 

Now, Scottsdale police say the local woman set out on a hike, and she never made it back to her car on May 22.

Family, friends and loved ones honored her life in what they call a sunrise celebration meet-up.

Dozens of people attended the event on May 31, and we talked to them about what it means to memorialize their friend, what it was like spending that much time missing her, and how they're remembering her now on what would have been her 32nd birthday.

What they're saying:

"I think it's kind of surreal. I don't think it's like hit me until those moments of, like, hey, we're going out doing our Thursday brunch, or like, it really hit me on this hike, because this was something we did together," said Jessica Giannina, Hannah's roommate. "So it's like moments like that is when the, you know, waves of emotion come about. But, you know, I know that she's in a better place now, and that she's at peace. And she was doing literally what she absolutely loved to do. And yeah, I would kind of almost not rather her go out another way than hiking, so yeah."

Hannah's friends say she was an experienced hiker. The last video of her includes a caption saying that she had five gallons of water with her. Search crews found her body 600 yards off trail from the parking lot. 

"Definitely very heavy.. emotional.. breaks my heart," said Megan Pasquel. "I remember hiking trails with her many times, but I also have to be grateful. Cherish all the moments and the legacy she leaves behind."

She added, "I knew there was no better way than to celebrate her in the way she would have wanted. This was one of her favorite things.. being outside in nature, she was so good about being present in the moment, soaking up this time with the Lord, and she loved sunrises."

"It's very powerful to be in this group and to see how many people she really truly loved," said Felicia Turner.

And they'll always remember Hannah for the light and love she brought to all of their lives.

"Hannah was amazing.. and it was a great reminder that every person you meet, whether it's a stranger or someone you have known for a while, everyone's life matters, and it's important how precious life is," said Vivian Ngo.

"Hannah just represented light, and she wasn't perfect, but light came out of that and that's the biggest thing. I think she wanted everyone to see you don't have to be perfect at anything that you do, but you can still make an impact.. she did make an impact on anyone that she touched," said Giannina.

What's next:

Scottsdale police say there were no signs of foul play or trauma, and Hannah Moody's death. We are still waiting for the medical examiner to release more information about a cause of death.

Related

Missing hiker, Hannah Moody, found dead; no signs of foul play

Scottsdale Police say missing hiker, Hannah Moody, 31, was found dead on the afternoon of Thursday, May 22.

Dig deeper:

Hannah is the second hiker in Arizona who died in May. The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said no foul play is suspected in 33-year-old Noah Farabaugh's death. 

On May 11, Farabaugh was with a group, who reported him having a medical episode on the Wave Cave Trail.

"SFMD, along with assistance from Mesa FD responded to a 1st alarm Mountain rescue with reports of five patients needing rescue, due to heat issues," SFMD said. "One patient became unresponsive and CPR was initiated by civilians before SFMD arrived on scene. Multiple rounds of CPR were initiated, and unfortunately the patient did not survive."

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