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Missing woman found alive after 4 days in Colorado wilderness on spiritual “quest”

RIO GRANDE NATIONAL FOREST, COLORADO – SEPTEMBER 25: FLowing in front of Canby Mountain of the San Juan Mountains, the Rio Grande River is seen flowing on September 25, 2023 in Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado. The headwaters of the Rio Grande River form on the eastern side of the mountain’s base. The 1,885 mile-long river, which supplies water for over 12 million people, begins as a small stream from precipitation and gains momentum as it is joined by the Pecos, Devils, Chama, and Puerco rivers in the United States. As the Rio Grande makes its way Southeast down through New Mexico and Texas, it eventually settles in the Gulf of Mexico below Brownsville, Texas. An increasingly arid climate and growing population throughout New Mexico and Texas, has raised concerns about the severity, regularity and duration of naturally occurring droughts in the Southwest region of the United States. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) (Brandon Bell)
By Katie Langford Denver Post

A 53-year-old Canadian woman was found alive and uninjured after she went missing on a backcountry spiritual “quest” in the San Juan Mountains where participants were told to fast and not bring phones or other electronics.

Search and rescue crews began looking for the woman Thursday afternoon after the group she was with reported she had not returned from a “solo journey,” according to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman was one of 11 campers with the Durango-based Animas Valley Institute who were in the backcountry area of Lone Cone Peak near Norwood on a spiritual “quest.”

The group was told not to bring phones or electronic devices and to fast to “maximize a spiritual experience with nature,” according to the sheriff’s office.

The organization offers “guided immersions into the mysteries of nature and psyche, including Soulcraft intensives, contemporary vision fasts, and training programs for nature-based soul guides,” according to its website.

Campers were sent off on “solo journeys” into the woods Wednesday and the woman had not returned by Thursday afternoon. Search and rescue crews used ground teams, K9 search teams and aircraft to look for the woman, and she was found safe Saturday.

In a statement, San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters said people visiting the backcountry should always bring technology for communication and adequate supplies.

“… You should not starve yourself even if a ‘guide’ service suggests the opposite of these basic safety rules. Nature does not care about your safety and will kill you especially if (you) are not properly prepared,” Masters said.