Friends are mourning the death of a CSU student who fell Sunday while hiking with her boyfriend and other friends near their home in Salt Lake City, according to authorities.

Christina Traylor, a sophomore studying microbiology at Colorado State University, lost her footing on a steep, rocky slope and fell about 200 feet, said Sgt. Travis Skinner of the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Traylor fell in the area of Moss Ledge, a popular spot about 5 miles up the Big Cottonwood Canyon that leads to the Brighton and Solitude ski resorts, about 20 miles from Salt Lake City.

"I met her when we were in middle school together, and we just had an instant connection," said Whitney Cook, a friend from Sandy, Utah. "She was a strong, independent woman trying to live life to the fullest. She was always the first person to offer her help and support to whoever needed it."

Cook taught Traylor how to ride a horse. Traylor had hoped to become a veterinarian.

A foster child, Traylor was involved with CSU's Asian/Pacific American Student Services. Workers at A/PASS had not heard of her death until contacted by a Coloradoan reporter, and said they were too upset to immediately comment.

Cook on Tuesday changed her MySpace profile picture to one of her and Traylor taken on the last day of classes their junior year in high school.

Traylor's page on the MySpace social networking site quickly became a memorial to her life, with friends from Utah and Fort Collins posting messages and remembrances.

In a message to the Coloradoan, another friend said Traylor managed to maintain a high GPA in high school despite frequent moves and made room in her life for anyone.

Skinner said that Traylor was living with her boyfriend in the Copperton area of Salt Lake City and that she was originally from the area. The group was celebrating a birthday party in the canyon. Skinner said there was no evidence of drugs or alcohol involved in Traylor's death.

"She was following these guys up, and she didn't have the skill level to do that," Skinner said. "She seemed like a really nice kid who got in way over her head and didn't have anyone watching out for her."

Skinner said Traylor apparently fell after turning around and trying to head back down the scree slope. Her boyfriend and two other friends thought she was off taking pictures, he said, and when she didn't return, they spent two hours searching for her before calling the sheriff's office.

Skinner said deputies searched on the ground and from the air starting about 9:30 p.m., Sunday, but didn't find Traylor until Monday morning.