A 70-year-old hiker missing in Isle Royale National Park was found alive Saturday, Sept. 12, after backpackers helped rescuers locate him on the remote Lake Superior island. Craig Berg was injured and suffering from hypothermia, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 units reached Berg with the backpackers’ assistance. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City hoisted him off the island and flew him to Marquette Regional Airport in Gwinn, Michigan. Emergency medical personnel waiting at the airport then transported him to a hospital.
Berg had been scheduled to leave Isle Royale aboard the Ranger III ferry Sept. 5 after a solo hiking trip. His family reported him missing the following day when he did not return home as expected. At the time local authorities sought public information from anyone who might have encountered him.
His son, Evan Berg, later told WDIV Detroit that his father had become lost and lost his cellphone and wallet in a marsh. He said his father spent days trying to find other people.
The search required moving personnel across Lake Superior. On Sept. 11, a Coast Guard boat crew and helicopter crew transported state police troopers and K-9 units to Isle Royale to assist. The Coast Guard has also released video of the following day’s helicopter hoist.
The park’s isolation presents significant challenges in an emergency. In its visitor safety guidance, the National Park Service warns that cellphone service is unreliable and that help can be hours or days away, even when visitors successfully contact rangers.
By Sunday Berg was brought home following hospital treatment where he reunited with his family.
