Hiker Killed By Falling Tree

Two 68-year-old men hiking on the Sandbeach Lake trail in Wild Basin on Tuesday afternoon were hit by a falling tree during a period of high winds. One was stunned by the hit, the other was killed. Winds that afternoon were in the 20 to 30 mph range, with gusts as high as 50 mph. A dead Douglas fir tree about 30 feet off the trail broke off 15 feet above the ground and fell on the two men. The hiker who was stunned found that his companion was unresponsive, so hiked two miles to the trailhead and reported the accident with assistance from the staff at Wild Basin Lodge. Park dispatch was notified around 3:30 p.m. and rangers hiked from Estes Park to the location of the accident. Upon arrival, the rangers, who were joined by a nurse/paramedic who is a member of the Allenspark Fire Department, determined that the second hiker had suffered fatal injuries. Eleven rangers and members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group hiked in to recover the body and carry it to a waiting coroner’s vehicle. The first hiker was taken by ambulance to Estes Park Hospital for observation. Jim Sanborn was incident commander; Patty Shafer is the investigating ranger.