A 70-year-old hiker disappeared on Michigan’s remote Isle Royale for a week; Backpackers helped find him injured and hypothermic before a Coast Guard helicopter removed him.

A 70-year-old hiker who disappeared during a solo trip to Michigan’s remote Isle Royale National Park was found alive after more than a week, ending a search that involved police, search dogs, airplanes and other backpackers. According to the US Coast Guard, Craig Berg was located injured and suffering from hypothermia on September 12 before being airlifted from the Lake Superior island for medical treatment. The rescue was also reported by MPR News and CBS Detroit. His safe recovery brought relief after days of uncertainty as crews searched the rugged wilderness island.

The search began after Berg failed to return.

Berg, from Royal Oak, Michigan, had been on a solo hiking trip around Isle Royale. He was expected to return on September 5, but did not take the scheduled ferry, prompting his family to report him missing the next day. Search operations continued for days as authorities tried to locate him in the rugged desert of the national park. Isle Royale is a remote island in Lake Superior, stretching about 45 miles long and nine miles wide. The park has an extensive network of rugged hiking trails, but there are no roads or motorized vehicles on most of the island, making the search particularly challenging.

Backpackers played a crucial role in their search.

The breakthrough came when other backpackers located Berg and alerted authorities. Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 teams participated in the search, working alongside the National Park Service and other agencies. The search effort also involved personnel and resources from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard, authorities in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and No One Left Behind K9 Search & Rescue. Berg was found injured and hypothermic but conscious and alert. The circumstances that led to his being stranded, as well as the precise place where he was found, have not been fully revealed by the authorities.

A Coast Guard helicopter airlifts you from Isle Royale

After locating Berg, a US Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Traverse City Air Station flew to the island. The crew took him aboard and transported him to Marquette Regional Airport in Gwinn, Michigan. Emergency medical personnel were waiting at the airport and took Berg to a local hospital for further treatment. Authorities have not released additional details about the extent of his injuries or his current medical condition. The airlift followed a coordinated response that had been underway for several days.Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 teams were deployed to the island to assist with the search. Coast Guard teams also transported personnel and equipment to Isle Royale as the operation expanded. The island’s remote terrain and wilderness made locating Berg particularly challenging for search teams.The successful rescue ended a complex multi-agency search in one of the most isolated wilderness areas in the Midwest. Officials credited the combined efforts of professional rescuers, law enforcement agencies and the public, particularly backpackers whose assistance helped lead search teams to Berg.