OTSEGO COUNTY, Mich. — A YouTube survival challenge turned into a rescue mission when a 36-year-old California woman got lost in northern Michigan's Pigeon River State Forest.
Michigan State Police 7th District shared video of the rescue operation on X.
The department says the woman went missing Friday evening, but it wasn't reported until Saturday morning.
On September 6, troopers from the Michigan State Police (MSP) Gaylord Post responded to the Pigeon River State Forest to assist the Otsego County Sheriff's Office in locating a 36-year-old woman missing from California. The woman was a contestant in a YouTube survival challenge… pic.twitter.com/9eEdIteS5f
— MSP Seventh District (@mspnorthernmi) September 6, 2025
Teams started searching the dense forest early Saturday, which remains damaged from last winter's ice storm.
A Michigan State Police helicopter spotted her around 10:40 a.m. and was able to direct ground crews to her location.
The woman walked out of the forest safely with officers and firefighters.
State police have not released details about the nature of the YouTube survival challenge or the woman's identity.
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