Five girls were found safe in Red Lodge Provincial Park near Bowden on July 31 after what was supposed to be a one-hour tube and raft ride down the Little Red Deer River turned into a six-hour ordeal.
The girls, aged 12 to 14, had set out on the river just before noon and were supposed to return to their departure area within 60 minutes.
When they didn't, family members began to search for them and then notified a conservation officer.
Police were notified at roughly 5:30 p.m., nearly five hours after the girls' expected return time.
Innisfail RCMP, a park ranger and the Red Deer County Technical Rescue team were all involved in the search. Members of the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association were in the process of dispatching a plane to assist with the search when the girls were located.
The girls, who had lost their way while on the river, were cold and had sore feet since they had departed without shoes, but police said they were in good spirits when they were found just after 6 p.m. as they were walking back to their campsite.
