Man Reported Missing In Boundary Waters Found Safe

According to Ely.org the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) has more than one million acres of wilderness and waterways in the Superior National Forest, and is the largest wilderness preserve east of the Rocky Mountains. With a place this size any call regarding someone being lost has to put rescuers on edge.

A 64 year old man was reported missing last night by his hunting partner at a remote campsite on Clark Lake in Ely. He told searchers that the missing man said his knee was sore as they were walking on a trail, and said he needed to sit and rest for a few minutes. The other man continued down the trail with out him, and when he returned to the spot where he sat down the 64 year old man was gone.

A massive search effort was underway which included, boats, helicopters and members of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad on foot hiking through rough terrain. The search ended just after 1 am this morning when a helicopter spotted a fire by the shore near Battle Lake. Due to the terrain the team waited until daybreak this morning and they were flown out by the U.S. Forest Service.

The missing man was returned to his original campsite to continue bear hunting with his partner. Thankfully he was able to make a fire so that he could be seen from the air. I am not sure how many people are camping this time of year, but with the cooler temperatures at night the fire was essential for him to stay warm and alert his rescuers as well. For more on this story click here.