FORT ROSS – Park rangers are searching for a 42-year-old woman who went missing along the Sonoma County coast while attending a retreat at a state park.

Authorities say the woman, who is not being named pending the notification of her family, was likely washed off a rocky outcropping at Salt Point State Park on Saturday afternoon by waves up to 15 feet high.

Supervising ranger Tim Murphy said companions who went looking for her after she did not appear at a scheduled meeting place arrived at the outcropping to see her pants wash out to sea.

The group also found her backpack, other clothing and shoes at the site.

Authorities searched the area with helicopters and a Coast Guard vessel until after midnight. Murphy described the search Sunday as a recovery effort rather than a rescue operation.

Information from: The Press Democrat, www.pressdemo.com