ISLE ROYALE, MI — A 70-year-old man who disappeared during a solo hike in Isle Royale National Park was found alive and alert Saturday, ending a weeklong search in one of the country’s most isolated parks. Craig Berg was suffering from hypothermia when Coast Guard and Michigan State Police crews reached him.
Officials said Berg was rescued after fellow backpackers spotted him in the park and alerted authorities. He was then hoisted by a helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City and taken to a regional airport in Gwinn for emergency medical evaluation.
Coast Guard helicopter and state police teams pull Berg to safety
The U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes said the rescue came after Berg went missing in Isle Royale National Park on Sept. 5. Video released by authorities shows the helicopter crew lifting him from the ground before transporting him for medical care.
Michigan State Police said foot patrols and K-9 units moved in after Berg was spotted by the backpackers. Officials described him as injured and ailing, but they did not release more details about what happened during the days he was missing or specify the full extent of his injuries.
Search stretched across boats, drones, seaplanes and multiple agencies
The search effort brought together a wide mix of public safety resources. Lt. Ben Eckola, a Michigan State Police public information officer, said the operation included the National Park Service, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol and Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Crews also used a 45-foot Coast Guard boat, drones and seaplanes to cover ground and water around the park. Eckola said the help from fellow hikers, Isle Royale Seaplanes and No One Left Behind K9 Search and Rescue played an important role in finding Berg.
Berg had set out for an extended solo trip on Aug. 27
The Detroit Free Press reported that Berg, of Royal Oak, Michigan, arrived at the park on Aug. 27 for an extended solo hike. He did not return home on Sept. 5, prompting concern and then a full search response.
His wife, Debbie Berg, told the Detroit Free Press that only two rangers are stationed on the island and that the park has limited lodging and services. She said there are two camp stores and a lodge, underscoring how small and spread out the park’s support network can be.
Isle Royale’s remoteness makes every rescue more difficult
Isle Royale National Park sits on a remote island in Lake Superior near the Canadian border and is among the least visited national parks in the system. Its location makes emergency response slower and more complicated than in parks with roads, nearby towns or dense infrastructure.
The park website says cell service is often unreliable, and many types of equipment are not generally allowed on the island, including bicycles, motorized vehicles and drones. That limited infrastructure can make it harder for visitors to navigate problems quickly and for rescuers to reach people in trouble.
Officials say the rescue ended with relief, but many questions remain
Authorities confirmed Berg’s condition at the time of the rescue but did not say what caused him to become lost or injured. They also did not give a timeline for his recovery after the emergency medical evaluation in Gwinn.
For now, officials say the focus is on the people and agencies that helped bring him out alive after a week in the wilderness. The case also serves as a reminder of how quickly a solo hike in remote country can turn into a large-scale search when weather, distance and limited communications come into play.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
