Mount Desert - The University of Maine is mourning the loss of a popular student.

22-year-old Shirley Ladd of New Hampshire was killed Saturday, after falling about 60 feet from Precipice Trail in Acadia National Park.

Ladd was hiking Champlain Mountain with a friend.

She fell around 11 a.m. Saturday morning.

Park Rangers along with Mount Desert Island Search and Rescue, the Bar Harbor Fire Department, and Acadia Mountain Guides participated in bringing Ladd off the mountain.

The rescue took five-and-a-half hours with teams using anchors and hauling systems to bring Ladd to the top of the mountain.

She was flown to Eastern Maine Medical Center around 5 p.m. Saturday night where she was pronounced dead.

Ladd would have been a Senior at UMaine this year.

She was majoring in psychology with a minor in business administration.

Ladd worked as a building manager for the New Balance Student Recreation center on campus.

"It was a big shock to our community, to our staff that works in the building both professional and the student staff," says Jeff Hunt, director of campus recreation. He adds that Ladd was known for her smile and vibrant personality, calling her "bigger than life."

A memorial for Ladd is being planned at UMaine once classes are back in session this fall.

The Precipice Trail is described as a non-technical cliimbing route. The trail, according to Acadia National Park, follows rock ledges up the steep east face of Champlain Mountain and features iron-rung ladders and handrails.

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