2 Hikers Dead After Freak Accident Strikes Busy Trail

Two hikers have died following a freak accident on a popular hiking trail which they were known to frequent, reported The Seattle Times.

Christine Mutchler, 70, and Kathy Pickard, 76, were hiking near Lake Lena, in Washington’s Olympic National Forest, around noon local time on Jan. 15 when a large tree suddenly uprooted and fell on them. Pickard died at the scene. Mutchler was transported via search-and-rescue helicopter to Harborview Medical Center, where she died soon after her arrival. A third member of the hiking party, 74-year-old Kathy Todd, was uninjured and alerted authorities.

The group had embarked upon the three-mile hike shortly after 10 a.m. that morning. Although the day had started out foggy with a chill, Todd reported that the weather had significantly improved by the time they reached the lake, with the sun warming the woods. The trio took note of a towering fir tree which had recently died and was shedding large branches and bark onto the trail.

Suddenly, the tree uprooted and fell towards the group. "We heard a big crack that I'll never forget," Todd told The Kitsap Sun earlier this week. "I ran as fast as I could, and I'm sure they did too." When the chaos settled, Todd turned around to see both Pickard and Mutchler laying unconscious about 10 feet away from where she stopped.

E.R. Doctors Happened Upon the Scene

Miraculously, two emergency room doctors happened to be hiking the same trail and were in the vicinity when the accident occurred. Pickard died upon impact, but Mutchler was still breathing and the doctors worked tirelessly to stabilize her. Meanwhile, an uninjured Todd was able to make her way down the trail and call for help. A rescue helicopter dispatched from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island arrived shortly thereafter. Sadly, Mutchler died only moments after landing at Harborview Medical Center. A search-and-rescue team later retrieved Pickard’s body from the trail.

Sarah Rogers, a friend of the three women, remembered Pickard and Mutchler as "absolutely a light. Happy, active, energetic and fun. Always out for a good time, in the best way."

Both Victims Were Experienced Athletes

Pickard previously worked as a fitness director for a local YMCA, while Mutchler was an active member of the Kitsap Tri Babes, a group which organizes weekly bike rides and hiking trips in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. "She was just one of those people who was always willing to do whatever somebody wanted to do," said Mutchler’s former high school classmate and longtime friend, Cheryl Griffin. "She never turned down an opportunity to go do stuff…We've hiked hundreds of the trails in those mountains," Griffin said. "Always cautious, looking out for danger. But you just don't know."