Mary Sorenson, 60 years old, from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, was undertaking a spiritual pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, known as the "Forbidden Mountain." The site is considered one of the most sacred for Hindus and Buddhists. The trip represented Mary's dream of a lifetime, as the pilgrimage was on her bucket list.
Mary practiced yoga, prayed, and meditated with a group of Americans on the mountain. She had already completed the pilgrimage, which was a long-held desire, and was about to return to the United States when she was caught off guard by a mudslide that swept through an extensive area on the border between Tibet and Nepal on Wednesday, August 26.
Mary's last communication with her family occurred on Tuesday morning, when she said she was coming down the mountain. In her last message, Mary said she was looking forward to the long journey back to the US to reflect on the pilgrimage experience, according to her son Riley Wildeman's account to ABC News.
Riley Wildeman spoke about his mother's disappearance to ABC News, seeking information about her whereabouts after the tragedy caused by the mudslide in the region.
