Last week, a tragic incident occurred in Washington state’s Olympic National Forest, resulting in the deaths of two hikers when a tree fell on a well-traveled trail, as reported by local sources.

Christine Mutchler, 70, Kathy Pickard, 76, and Kathy Todd, 74, were making their way to Lena Lake on Thursday when a portion of a dead fir tree unexpectedly snapped, crashing down onto the path. Kathy Todd recounted these harrowing events to the Kitsap Sun.

“The sound of that crack is something I’ll never forget,” Todd shared with the newspaper on Monday. “I ran as fast as I could, and I’m certain they did the same.”

Turning back, Todd found both Mutchler and Pickard unconscious on the ground, surrounded by fragments of the tree, which had broken approximately ten feet above the trail.

This incident highlights the unpredictable dangers present in nature, even in the popular and scenic areas like the Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rain Forest, captured here on Thursday, June 23, 2022. (Photo by Thomas O’Neill/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Two emergency room doctors happened to come up the trail behind the women and attended to Mutchler, who was still breathing, according to Todd. Pickard had been killed instantly.

Todd, who was not injured, said she hiked to a nearby clearing and called 911 for help.

An aerial view of Lake Crescent and surrounding pine trees in Olympic National Park. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

A rescue helicopter from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island arrived just over an hour later and hoisted Mutchler up in a basket. She was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, but died minutes before arriving, her sister, Paula Smith, told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the ER doctors walked Todd to the parking lot and drove her back to Kitsap County. Other hikers on the trail waited with Pickard’s body until a rescue crew could hike up the trail, the paper reported.

An aerial view of snow-capped mountains and river leading to Olympic National Park in Washington State. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)

Friends of the women told the paper that they were part of a group of friends who enjoyed the outdoors together, including hiking and taking trips on a bus to go skiing.

“They were the back-of-the-bus crowd,” Sarah Rogers told the paper. “Absolutely a light. Happy, active, energetic and fun. Always out for a good time, in the best way.”