I live in Charlottesville, about an hour south of where Nicole's car was found. I wanted to address a few common themes here...
The fire: Forest fires in the park or around this area aren't uncommon. I feel like I hear about one every few weeks in the warmer months. It has been pretty warm and dry the past few days and got to 90 here in Cville today. Given that this fire is in the western part of the park and nowhere near where her vehicle was found, I really think it's just a coincidence. But maybe I'm wrong.
Accidents/animals: I haven't hiked White Oak Canyon, but Crabtree Falls, another popular waterfall hike in VA, is notorious for hikers going off trail, slipping on the rocks and falling to their deaths. 29 deaths total, per Wikipedia (
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crabtree_Falls). I don't know exactly where she'd end up if this happened at the falls near where her car was found, if her body would be easily visible to others or not.
It's also possible she encountered a venomous copperhead or rattlesnake and was unable to get a signal to call for help, but probably someone would have found her. It also seems likely that a bear attack would leave behind evidence.
Suicide: You never know what's going on in someone's head. Even if her friends and family thought she seemed happy and her usual self, I will not rule out suicide until LE proves something else.