College student Shirley Ladd slips and falls 60 feet to her death on treacherous trail on Maine island

Friends and family of a popular 22-year-old University of Maine student were mouing her death Tuesday after the young woman slipped and fell 60 feet while hiking a popular but treacherous trail on Maine's Mount Desert Island.

It was the first fatal accident on the Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park in 27 years.

Shirley Ladd, a psychology major from Bastead, N.H. was hiking with a friend Saturday moing when the tragic accident occurred. She had just scaled a laddered section and was preparing to climb another set of rungs when she slipped from a rock shelf, falling to the trail below, according to the Moing Sentinel.

Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park has some treacherous inclines and deep vertical drops.

Rescue crews using anchors and pulleys scrambled to extricate Ladd from the steep mountain ridge. It took almost six hours to get her into a med-evac helicopter, park rangers told the Bangor Daily News.

She was flown to a Bangor hospital where she later died from her injuries.

Ladd’s sudden death shocked friends and family. Her devastated boyfriend, Dylan Tibbetts, called her “one of a kind. Words can’t describe how much I and the world miss you.” He made a Facebook memorial page urging her loved ones to post their remembrances.

via Facebook

Shirley Ladd, a University of Maine psychology major from Bastead, N.H. was hiking with a friend Saturday moing when the tragic accident occurred.

The University of Maine said it was planning a memorial service for Ladd once classes begin in the fall.

“As one of our student managers at the fitness center, she was well known for her outgoing personality and customer service. She was always ready with a smile. Shirley was a strong leader among her peers. She will be missed by so many in our community,” said Robert Dana, vice president of student affairs.

The 1 6-mile round-trip Precipice Trail is not considered a highly technical climb, but its vertical drop makes it dangerous. The last death there was in 1985, park officials said.