A 70-year-old hiker who had been missing for a week in Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park was found alive Saturday and airlifted from the remote Lake Superior island.
Craig Berg had been missing since Sept. 5 before Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 units located him with help from backpackers in the area, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Authorities said Berg was injured and suffering from hypothermia when he was found, but he was alive and alert.
An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City hoisted Berg from Isle Royale and flew him to Marquette Regional Airport in Gwinn, Michigan. Emergency medical personnel were waiting at the airport and transported him to a local hospital for further treatment.
The rescue came after an extensive search involving multiple agencies and volunteers.
On Friday, a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Portage and a helicopter crew from Air Station Traverse City transported Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 units to Isle Royale to assist with the search.
The effort also included the National Park Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol and Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Isle Royale Seaplanes and No One Left Behind K9 Search and Rescue also assisted, along with hikers on the island.
“We’re thankful that missing hiker, Craig Berg, was found alive and alert on Isle Royale,” Michigan State Police Lt. Ben Eckola said. “The collaboration and hard work of everyone involved in the search helped locate Craig safely.”
Eckola thanked the law enforcement agencies, first responders, search organizations and fellow hikers who took part in the effort.
“This rescue is a testament to teamwork and what can be accomplished when first responders and members of the community come together,” Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Wendy Janson said. “We are extremely grateful we were able to get Mr. Berg safely off the island and deliver him to the medical care he needed.”
Isle Royale’s remote location in Lake Superior meant getting Berg off the island required an aerial rescue once search teams located him.
