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Tara Breed, a 44-year-old Denver resident, died doing what she loved — challenging herself against the natural beauty of Colorado.
The Boulder coroner’s office has identified Breed as the woman who died in a fall from Paiute Peak late last month.
But even as this news was being made public, her family was saying their goodbyes. According to her online obituary, Breed’s funeral took place yesterday in her hometown of Concord, Massachusetts.
Breed hadn’t updated her Facebook page in quite a while, but the vast majority of the photos in its gallery feature shots of Colorado at its most majestic.
Included is this image….
…and a second….
…from Rocky Mountain National Park, plus a pic of Little Bear/Blanca Traverse:
Her final climb took place on July 25.
At around 8:20 p.m. the following day, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were contacted about a fallen climber.
The location: 13,000-feet-plus Paiute Peak.
The woman had lost her grip around 2 p.m. on the 25th, the BCSO notes, as she and a companion were attempting to descend from the summit.
She fell at least 100 feet down a snow bank into a crevasse.
That snow remained in the area is far from uncommon, as the following video illustrates. It was shot in July a few years back.
The man with Breed was able to make his way down to where she came to rest and spent the next several hours administering CPR and otherwise trying to render aid.
When it became clear his efforts would not be successful, he hiked back to the Mitchell Lake Trailhead — an aerial distance of about eight miles — in search of an area with cellphone service and finally was able to summon help.
Deputies and members of the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group were unable to reach Breed that day and camped in the area overnight.
Then, on the morning of July 27, they made their way to the spot where Breed landed and confirmed that she was deceased. At that point, their mission officially became a recovery effort.
In lieu of flowers for Breed, her obituary suggests donations to one of two organizations: Camp Nellie Huckins or the Colorado Mountain Club.
Our sincere condolences to the friends, family and loved ones of Tara Breed.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.
