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Woman Intending To 'Wander Into The Desert And Not Return' Rescued At Death Valley National Park

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Published Date

May 23, 2024
A NPS park ranger watches as CHP’s helicopter extracts the woman with a hoist/NPS

An NPS park ranger watches as a California Highway Patrol helicopter extracts the woman with a hoist/NPS

A Canadian woman who intended to "wander into the desert and not return" was rescued from a steep, unstable ridge near Artists Palette in Death Valley National Park.

The unidentified 31-year-old arrived in the park on May 10 with a tour group from Las Vegas. The tour stopped at Artists Palette and the group was given 20 minutes to return to the van. When the woman did not return to the van, the tour guide searched for her, then drove to Furnace Creek to report her missing.

The woman had tipped her tour guide at the start of the tour, which led rangers to believe she had planned to leave the tour before its conclusion, a park release issued Thursday said. "She had told other people on the tour group that she was coming to Death Valley for 'spiritual reasons.'”

California Highway Patrol’s H-82 helicopter landing at Artists Palette/NPS

Park rangers conducted a quick, unsuccessful search of the Artists Palette area on the afternoon of May 9. On the following morning a ranger spotted the woman on a steep, unstable ridge north of Artists Palette. Park rangers were able to communicate with her but could not find a safe route to reach her. A California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter hoisted the woman from the ridge. 

"The woman later told park rangers she had intended to climb up the slope, wander into the desert and not return," the park release said. "She appeared to experiencing an emotional crisis."

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