Hiker identified after death on Barr Trail
The hiker who was found dead on a trail below the summit of Pikes Peak on Sunday was identified Friday.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office says 31-year-old Rebecca Maxfield was found on the side of the mountain near the 16 Golden Stairs.
Maxfield’s cause of death will be determined by the coroner’s office, but authorities haven’t said if foul play is suspected.
We’ll update this story when more information is made available.
Editor’s note: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office first identified the victim’s last name as Maxwell before issuing a correction. This article has been updated to reflect the correction.
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El Paso County Search and Rescue is currently in the process of retrieving a body from the Barr Trail. Not much information has been given at this time, but we do know that the person died early Sunday afternoon.
The Barr Trail is known as being one of the more difficult trails, covering 7,300 feet in 13 miles.
Keeler North, who has hiked it a number of times, said climbing the trail is “a high-risk activity.”
Sunday afternoon, hikers discovered the body of a woman who had fallen close to the summit. Authorities believe that the fall killed her.
Jacqueline Kirby, Media Relations Manager with the Sheriff’s Office said, “It would appear that way, it was quite a distance from what I understand.”
EPCSAR tried to fly in a helicopter Sunday, but due to the rugged terrain, they were unable to fly her out.
“Although search and rescue is a statutory requirement of the sheriff, they do their own [operations] plans based on their expertise,” said Kirby.
We spoke to hikers who have hiked Barr Trail multiple times. They said it’s not easy and it’s extremely important that you get acclimated to the high altitude.
“You don’t even have to hike, just spend time at a higher altitude before you set out,” said Keeler.
While Richard Bull who has hiked to the top of Bar Trail nearly 30 times added, “I’ve seen people with altitude sickness that have fallen. They reach the top and there is some type of trauma. They will be bleeding where they fell, knees, elbows, faces.”
Kirby says this isn’t that common for the Colorado Springs area, saying it only happens a couple times a year, but it is an unfortunate circumstance that search and rescue have to handle.
Search and rescue started the retrieval at first light, they hope to have the body removed before it gets dark.
