Backpacker dies when tree falls on tent

A female backpacker died when a tree fell on the tent she and two others were in late Monday evening on the Colorado Trail just under Grizzly Peak in Colorado.

The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office reported on Facebook that the victim was 56-year-old Beth Skelley of Lafayette, Colo. The two others in the tent were unharmed.

San Juan County and La Plata County Search and Rescue teams used Flight for Life air support out of Mercy Medical Center but attempts to revive Skelley failed, the sheriff’s office reported.

“This a shockingly stark reminder that no matter how safe your actions, the mountains are inherently dangerous,” the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “Please be safe out there.”

Photo of the Colorado Trail courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.