The reason behind the sudden death of a 20-year-old woman hiking with friends at Conundrum Hot Springs in Colorado over the weekend remains unknown.
Susanna DeForest, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, was pronounced dead early Friday after a rescue team discovered her following an alert they received about a ‘grievously ill hiker’ on the Conundrum Creek Trail around 10:45 p.m Thursday.
DeForest was alongside three of her friends at the time she became light-headed and started vomiting, according to Pitkin County Sheriff’s Deputy Anthony Todaro.
Susanna DeForest, 20, was identified as the woman who died over the weekend at Conundrum Hot Springs in Colorado
Friends of DeForest said she was nauseous and began vomiting Thursday while on the hike
Police said the friends left a bit late in the afternoon but had the proper gear, water and food and were prepared to spend the night at the hot springs and hike out the next day
Two of the girls left the scene around 8:30 p.m. to get help and were not able to reach emergency officials until over two hours later
The three friends, also from Pennsylvania, sent up a tent in order to get DeForest out of the heat and into a open space to lie down.
Todaro said two of the girls left the scene around 8:30 p.m. to seek help and were not able to reach emergency officials until over two hours later.
When Mountain Rescue Aspen arrived to the scene, they attempted to revive DeForest while awaiting the helicopter to transport her to the hospital.
The first helicopter reportedly had troubles landing due to poor weather conditions.
Mountain Rescue Aspen was not able to get to the scene until hours later
Further investigation into DeForest’s death is underway
By the time a second helicopter landed around 5 a.m., it was too late for DeForest.
Todaro said the girls seemed to have taken appropriate safety measures while on the hike, and kept hydrated with food while using proper gear.
Alcohol and drugs were not a factor. The student was not said to have suffered a pre-existing medical condition.
DeForest was a graphic design student at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design who was preparing to start her junior year this fall.
Further investigation into her death is currently underway.
DeForest was a graphic design student at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design in Collegeville
She had just completed her sophomore year and was named in the dean’s list during spring 2017 semester
The Conundrum Creek Trail is said to take almost a full day to complete, with ‘5-8 hours to hike in and 3-6 hours to hike out, on average,’ according to alltrails.com.
The outdoor guide describes the pathway as highly elevated, ‘beginning at about 8,000 feet and ending at about 11,200 feet’ and ‘almost entirely uphill’ on the trek in.
On the way out, the hike is ‘almost all downhill,’ according to the website.
‘The trail can be rocky and muddy but it is easy to follow and rated somewhere between moderate and difficult,’ the guide said.