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…