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.

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Originally Published: August 18, 2024 at 3:15 p.m.