On Saturday, August 12, a 21-year-old woman lost her life in Rocky Mountain National Park after falling from a steep mountain gully known as the Flying Dutchman couloir.
The woman, from Severance, Colorado, has not been publicly identified, as officials are in the process of notifying her family.
First responders were unable to recover the woman’s body quickly because of bad weather. They were successfully able to transport her body on Monday.
A 25-year-old man from San Angelo, Texas, who was with her, also fell 300 feet and sustained critical injuries.
Swift action was taken by bystanders and park rangers who rushed to assist the injured man. A comprehensive rescue effort involving 31 people, including a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter, successfully evacuated the man to UC Health Medical Center of the Rockies.
The National Park Service (NPS) has initiated an investigation into the incident to understand the circumstances of the fall.
This sequence of events follows other fatalities in the park this year. Last month, three people lost their lives: a 24-year-old man from Las Vegas fell into a waterfall, a 26-year-old Boulder woman fell while climbing Ypsilon Mountain’s Four Aces of Blitzen Ridge, and a 51-year-old man from Louisiana died due to an acute coronary event and high-altitude pulmonary edema near the Mount Ida Trailhead.
Adding to these incidents, a 64-year-old man from Texas fell 60 feet above the Ledges on the Keyhole Route of Longs Peak a day earlier. Prompt assistance from a bystander and park rangers led to the man’s airlift to the Medical Center of the Rockies.
As the park addresses these incidents, questions about visitor safety and the unique challenges posed by mountainous terrain are emerging, prompting authorities to review safety protocols and visitor education.