A 53-year-old woman was found safe and uninjured on Sunday after spending four days missing in the backcountry near Norwood. Gina Chase was on a 12-day “quest” in the Uncompahgre National Forest with the Durango-based Animas Valley Institute when she went missing.
Chase, of Victoria, Canada, was in a program that “catalyzes the encounter with soul,” and included a three- or four-day solitary fast in the woods near Lone Cone Peak, according to a description of the program on the Institute’s website. The organization is “dedicated to human development.”
Participants were discouraged from bringing cellphones or other electronic devices, according to statements posted on social media by the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Bill Masters criticized the Animas Valley Institute’s program in an acerbic statement posted to Facebook.
“You should not starve yourself even if a ’guide’ service suggests the opposite of these basic safety rules,” he wrote. “Nature does not care about your safety and will kill you especially if are not properly prepared.”
In an interview with The Durango Herald, Masters said, “the whole thing seemed a little cavalier to me, quite frankly.”
In response to a request for comment, the Institute directed the Herald to a statement posted on Facebook. The organization did not respond to further requests.
Chase had “emergency rations” with her when she failed to return to her solo camp the night of Aug. 14. The program uses a buddy system to ensure that all participants are accounted for. Chase’s buddy returned to the main camp midday on Aug. 15 to find that she had not checked in.
Masters said that in the version of events he had heard, Chase was supposed to move a rock to signal that she was OK. She took a circuitous route to that rock as to avoid another camper and got disoriented.
Guides searched Chase’s solo camp and found evidence that she had not slept there. After conducting a search themselves, guides called sheriff’s dispatch at 2 p.m.
About 60 deputies, officials and volunteers with search and rescue organizations participated in the four-day search, which also received support from search and rescue teams from Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and Ouray counties; Ridgway Fire Department’s drone team; and the U.S. Forest Service. Searches also used air resources through Highland Helicopters, in Durango; a private individual from Norwood; and the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control’s multi-mission aircraft.
Searches like this cost thousands of dollars. The Sheriff’s Office may be eligible for reimbursement through the state, but it may be left on the hook for the bill, which included the use of a private helicopter. Highland Helicopters tried to locate Chase with the Lifeseeker, which acts like a miniature cell tower, however she mostly kept her phone off.
“Go someplace where there is cell service and just tell people ‘don’t use the phone,’ – I mean, come on,” Masters said. “You don’t have to deliberately go someplace where there’s no cell service, where you’re going to leave people out by themselves for 24 hours at a time.”
The Animas Valley Institute defended its practices in a social media post, writing, “The solo element of our programming offers the opportunity for deep reflection free from the distractions of everyday life.”
Founded in 1980 by psychologist Bill Plotkin, the Animas Valley Institute said this is the first time a serious incident has occurred on a trip and committed to “thoroughly review our approach.”
The nonprofit has “clear emergency protocols,” according to the post, although it is unknown whether those protocols were followed.
Trips such as the one Chase was on operate under a special-use permit on federal land. A spokeswoman for the Uncompahgre National Forest confirmed that the Institute has a permit for group events in the Norwood Ranger District. Clients can pay on a sliding scale of about $1,900 to $2,400.
“In the coming weeks, the Animas Valley Institute will be initiating a thorough review of this incident that will include independent expertise,” the organization said. “We will examine all aspects of our risk management protocols. The safety and well-being of our participants remains our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to fulfill that responsibility.”
rschafir@durangoherald.com
