OSO, Wash. - Skagit county authorities say a young hunter mistook a hiker for a bear and shot her.

Video: Hiker fatally shot by bear hunter

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The accident happened Saturday morning along a trail on Sauk Mountain near Rockport.

Fifty-four-year-old Pam Almli was hiking with a friend when she was shot.

Almli's friends and family are devastated.

"She was an unbelievable woman," said neighbor Freda Slack.

She and her husband Pat say Pam Almli personified the Northwest spirit. She loved the outdoors, the mountains, and all that is green.

"I don't think there is hardly any trail she didn't hike," said Pat.

"I mean, she was out in her element. She wasn't contained. She was a free spirit," said Freda.

On Saturday morning, Pam left her home in Oso to go hiking with a friend on Sauk Mountain in Skagit County.

Pam's family says the 54-year-old lived to hike.

"When I looked at her, she was so pretty, she had her sunglasses on," said Freda.

Freda remembered waving to Pam as she drove off, and Pam waved back.

It would be the last goodbye. The Skagit County Sheriff's Office says their preliminary investigation indicated Pam was stopped on the trail, putting something into her backpack when a young hunter mistook her for a bear and fired one fatal shot.

Now, as family and friends grieve, they take comfort in knowing that at least Pam died doing what she loved.

"She knew what she wanted in life and no one was going to stop her," said Freda.

The hunter is said to be under 18, from the Concrete area and was accompanied by an adult.

The Skagit County Sheriff's Office and the Department Of Fish And Wildlife say they are still investigating.