A 64-year-old woman died on Sept. 5 after falling several hundred feet while hiking the Kendall Katwalk Trail in North Bend.

The woman and her friend were hiking south on the Pacific Crest Trail, south of the Kendall Katwalk at about 11:30 a.m. Along the way, the hiker fell off the trail and tumbled downhill for about 300 feet, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

According to KCSO, the hikers were about six miles from the trail head when she fell.

“The trail traverses a very steep slope,” said Sgt. Ryan Abbott, KCSO public information officer.

The hiker’s friend was able to call 911 and request help. Eastside Fire and King County Search and Rescue responded to the call, putting together a crew and launching a search with the Guardian 2 helicopter within an hour of the call.

Upon arrival, the helicopter found the victim, who appeared to be deceased, but could not maintain a hover due to high winds. A county paramedic was able to reach the hiker and confirmed that she had died from the fall, according to KCSO.

Subsequently, about 40 volunteers from King County Search and Rescue and King County Mountain Rescue launched a recovery mission that took more than six hours.

“It was a very technical recovery mission,” Abbott said.