Published: Sunday, March 22, 2015, 9:45 PM  Updated: Monday, March 23, 2015, 1:31 PM  A San Francisco hiker died and her partner was seriously injured when a 70-foot Northern California cliff collapsed as they scaled it, authorities said.  Nancy Blum, 58, was pronounced dead at Arch Rock at Point Reyes National Seashore after her body was discovered in the seaside bluff rubble, NBC Bay Area reported.  Her hiking buddy was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with critical injuries, authorities said. Officials have not released his name.  The two hikers were crossing the Bear Valley Trail on Saturday when they walked out on to Arch Rock, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.  Cracks in the cliff showed just days before the tragic collapse, NPS officials said.  They walked past National Park Service warning signs that urged hikers to stay off the bluff, which developed a fissure last week. The fissure — which cropped up on Wednesday — made the cliff especially prone to crumbling, NPS explained.  Park officials placed larger restrictions on movement after the two hikers plunged about 70 feet down the side of the cliff on Saturday. The trail is closed indefinitely.  “The area leading up to Arch Rock is closed for your safety,” an alert on the park’s website read. “The land may still be unstable and further collapse or erosion could occur.”  One area resident told the Chronicle that she saw dozens of people on the section of the bluff that fell into the bay just hours before it crumbled into the bay.  “It was clear no one should be on that rock with the huge fissure,” said Karen Blasing. “We stayed back, but many others were unconcerned and dangerously taking chances.”  ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.
A pair of hikers tumbled into a pile of rubble on Saturday evening when a 70-foot cliff collapsed in Northern California.