A woman who went missing while competing in a YouTube survival challenge in Michigan was rescued after 18 hours in the wilderness alone, authorities said.

The 36-year-old from California was a contestant in a "YouTube outdoor survival contest" in the Pigeon River Forest in Charlton Township in northern Michigan when she went missing.

According to authorities the woman had left a designated base camp in search of water around 5 p.m. Friday.

"When she did not return, the contest hosts initiated their own search efforts," a press release from the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office stated.

After contestants could not find the woman, 911 was called around 5 a.m. Saturday.

Police found the woman around 10:40 a.m. using a Michigan State Police helicopter, which saw her "deep within a swampy ar

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