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 hoisted him out

A 70-year-old hiker who disappeared during a solo trip to Michigan’s remote Isle Royale National Park has been found alive after more than a week, ending a search that involved police, search dogs, aircraft and fellow backpackers. According to the U.S. 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 island wilderness.

Search began after Berg failed to return

Berg, from Royal Oak, Michigan, had been on a solo hiking trip through Isle Royale. He was expected to return on September 5 but did not make his scheduled ferry, prompting his family to report him missing the following day. Search operations continued for days as authorities tried to locate him across the rugged wilderness 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 no roads or motor vehicles across most of the island, making a search particularly challenging.

Backpackers played a crucial role in finding him

The breakthrough came when fellow backpackers located Berg and alerted authorities. Michigan State Police troopers and K-9 teams were involved 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, Wisconsin and Minnesota authorities, and No One Left Behind K9 Search & Rescue. Berg was found injured and hypothermic but conscious and alert. The circumstances that led to him becoming stranded, as well as the precise location where he was found, have not been fully disclosed by authorities.

Coast Guard helicopter airlifts him from Isle Royale

After Berg was located, a U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Traverse City flew to the island. The crew hoisted 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 had been deployed to the island to assist with the search. Coast Guard crews also transported personnel and equipment to Isle Royale as the operation expanded. The remote terrain and island’s wilderness setting made locating Berg particularly challenging for search teams.The successful rescue brought an end to a complex, multi-agency search in one of the Midwest’s most isolated wilderness areas. Officials credited the combined efforts of professional rescuers, law enforcement agencies and members of the public, particularly the backpackers whose assistance helped lead search teams to Berg.