Photo: Courtesy Flickr User Wanderstruck/Creative Commons)

Susanna Deforest, 20, was hiking the popular Conundrum Trail outside of Aspen when she became grievously ill.

Susanna was on vacation visiting three friends who had moved to Colorado. The group had decided to hike up to the Conundrum Hot Springs, a 16.9-mile hike that takes about 5-8 hours to hike in and 3-6 hours to hike out, according to alltrails.com.

Somewhere along the way Susanna fell ill, and began to vomit. The group decided to set up a tent and put her inside.  Two of the friends headed back down the trail for help, while the third friend stayed with Susana.

At 10:45 PM the duo reached the bottom and notified authorities. Rescuers were sent out on foot and by helicopter, but strong winds prevented the helicopter from landing. A second helicopter was dispatched and finally reached Susanna and her friend at 3:30 AM but Susanna had already passed.

The official cause of death has not yet been released, but Susanna’s mother wrote in a public Facebook post that her daughter succumbed to acute altitude sickness.

*Our deepest condolences to Susanna Deforest family and friends during this difficult time.

 

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