Packer dies in 'Bob' trail accident

A crew member of a Choteau-area guest ranch was thrown from a horse and killed Tuesday during a pack trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Kevin Curtis Von Lossberg, 30, was leading a string of mules Tuesday when a tree fell on his lead mule, spooking his saddle horse, which toppled on top of him.

Sharon Blixrud of the Seven Lazy P-Deep Creek guest ranch related details of the accident to the Great Falls Tribune.

The accident was reported at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Von Lossberg died about 30 minutes later of internal injuries. It occurred near the junction of Forest Service Trail 109 and Spruce Creek crossing on the North Fork of the Sun River about 25 miles west of Choteau.

Ranch guests were being taken on a wilderness trip at the time of the accident.

Blixrud says Von Lossberg listed Missoula as his address but is originally from Washington state.

She says he had been with the Lazy P crew since June and did packing work in Argentina last winter.

Von Lossberg also worked for three years on a trail crew on the Flathead National Forest, where he was well-known and liked, according to Spotted Bear District Ranger Deb Mucklow.

“He was a very talented, passionate young man, a very good artist. He loved working on trails and in the forest and he was living his dream,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of employees who cared about him, and our prayers go out to him and his family ... A lot of folks are going to miss this individual.”