66-Year-Old Traveling Nurse Still Missing Days After Hiking on California Trail

Ann Herford told a friend on Nov. 11 that she wanted to hike the rugged terrain of Calaveras County

Missing Hiker in CA, Ann Herford. PHOTO: CALAVERAS COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Search and rescue teams are combing rugged terrain near Sacramento, California, for a missing 66-year-old traveling nurse from Michigan who disappeared over a week ago while on a hike, authorities said.

Ann Herford was last seen on the Arnold Rim Trail, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Herford’s colleagues reported her missing on Nov. 14 after she failed to show up for work at Adventist Health in nearby Sonora, CBS affiliate KOVR-TV reported.

Over breakfast with a friend on Nov. 11, Herford expressed interest in hiking the area, per the sheriff’s office. The Michigan woman was last seen the following day, according to NBC affiliate KCRA-TV.

Three days later, a California Highway Patrol trooper found her car parked at the trailhead, the station reported.

“It’s not typical that someone will be staying the night out here,” Sgt. Chad Poortingha told KCRA. “Come nightfall and if there are still cars out here and if they are not staying the night, that’s a cause for concern.”

Over the last week, the search for Herford has intensified.

On Tuesday, the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team deployed 38 people to look for the woman, who family members say “lacked wilderness survival skills,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Searchers on the ground are using canines while unmanned aerial systems have also been utilized in the effort to find the missing nurse.

“Our hearts went into our gut and we were starting to get really scared,” colleague Anna Wettengel told KOVR about first learning of Herford’s disappearance. “I mean, knowing that she’s not from here, she’s visiting, we didn’t know that she didn’t know the area.”

She added, “We’re trying to still remain positive and we’re just praying and hoping that she is okay and safe, and then she’ll be able to come home.”