70-year-old hiker lost for nearly a week on remote Lake Superior island is rescued

The Coast Guard and Michigan police rescued a hiker who got lost and then had to survive for nearly a week in the woods of a remote Lake Superior island, authorities said Sunday.

Craig Berg, 70, was found Saturday “injured and hypothermic” on Isle Royale National Park after he went missing on Sept. 5, according to a U.S. Coast Guard statement.

A team effort that included good Samaritan backpackers, Michigan State police and K-9 units was instrumental in finding and rescuing the hiker, the Coast Guard said.

“We’re thankful that missing hiker, Craig Berg, was found alive and alert on Isle Royale,” state police Lt. Ben Eckola said in a statement. “The collaboration and hard work of everyone involved in the search helped locate Craig safely.”

A Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter based in Traverse City hoisted the man up and brought him to Marquette Regional Airport, where EMS then took him to a local hospital.

“This rescue is a testament to teamwork and what can be accomplished when first responders and members of the community come together,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Wendy Janson, command duty officer for the Coast Guard’s Sector Northern Great Lakes command center.

“We are extremely grateful we were able to get Mr. Berg safely off the island and deliver him to the medical care he needed,” Janson said.