‘NOT A NORMAL THING’

Missing Hiker Holly Courtier Fasted for Two Days Before Leaving for Zion National Park, Sister Says

Holly Courtier’s sister told CBS the hiker had “wanted to be off the grid.”

The sister of hiker Holly Courtier has shed new light on Courtier’s story after a local sheriff raised questions about certain details in her version of events that he said didn’t add up. Jaime Strong of Simi Valley told CBS News that Courtier had fasted for two days prior to her trip to Utah’s Zion National Park, which left her prone to becoming severely malnourished when she got lost in the park. Courtier had apparently intended to take a solo trip and left for Zion without telling anyone, Strong said. “Initially, she wanted to be off the grid. She did not want to be off the grid for 12 days,” Courtier’s sister added. Weak from lack of food and water, she said, Courtier became disoriented and hit her head on a tree branch, causing a concussion. Of the overall circumstances of the trip, Strong said Courtier now understands where she went wrong. “We explained to her that this is not a normal thing to do,” Strong said. “You can go off the grid properly and not have people be concerned.”