How two paddlers helped bring a missing Michigan hiker home
By Brad De Young | The Kayaker’s Journal
West Michigan Kayaking Club
There are days when you launch a kayak expecting nothing more than miles of paddling, quiet water and an adventure in the wilderness.
And then there are days when the wilderness gives you something you never expected.
For two kayakers exploring Isle Royale National Park, that moment came when they encountered a man who had been missing for 11 days.
His name was Craig Berg, a 70-year-old Royal Oak, Michigan, resident who had traveled to Isle Royale for a solo hiking trip. He was supposed to return on September 5, but when he failed to arrive home, his family reported him missing the following day. (MPR News)
What followed was an extensive search across one of the most remote wilderness landscapes in the Great Lakes.
Then, on September 12, two paddlers found him.
Lost in the Isle Royale Wilderness
Isle Royale is not the kind of place where getting lost is a minor inconvenience.
The remote Lake Superior island is approximately 45 miles long and nine miles wide, with rugged hiking trails, dense forests, wetlands, rocky shorelines and numerous inland lakes. There are no roads crossing the island, and cellular coverage can be unreliable. (MPR News)
Berg had been hiking alone when he became lost. According to his family, he fell into a marsh and lost both his cellphone and wallet.
Without his phone, he had no easy way to communicate his location.
He was on his own.
For days, he tried to make his way toward help.
Eleven Days of Searching
Back home, Berg’s disappearance triggered a major search effort.
National Park Service personnel and partner agencies searched the island using ground teams, search dogs, boats, aircraft and drones. The search covered difficult terrain where finding one person could be extraordinarily challenging. (MPR News)
Meanwhile, Berg continued trying to find help.
According to his family, he had been lost for approximately 11 days.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
Two Kayaks Appeared
The breakthrough didn’t come from a helicopter.
It didn’t come from a search aircraft.
It came from the water.
Two paddlers encountered Berg near Intermediate Lake, more than a mile from established hiking trails. They located him and relayed his position to park officials. (MPR News)
After 11 days lost in the wilderness, someone had finally found him.
The chance encounter demonstrates something every paddler understands: water connects places that can be difficult to reach from land.
Those two kayakers were simply traveling through the wilderness.
They had no idea that their paddle would become part of a search-and-rescue operation.
From Kayak to Coast Guard Helicopter
Once Berg’s location was known, the rescue operation moved quickly.
Park officials coordinated with the U.S. Coast Guard, and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City responded.
Berg was hoisted aboard the helicopter and transported to the Marquette area for medical treatment. The Michigan DNR reported that he was found in good condition and was able to walk in the hospital. (MPR News)
After 11 days missing in the wilderness, he was finally on his way home.
The Importance of Being Observant
For paddlers, this story carries a powerful lesson.
When we’re kayaking, it’s easy to become focused on the next bend in the river, the miles we’ve covered or the destination ahead.
But wilderness travel rewards people who pay attention.
Listen.
Look around.
Watch the shoreline.
Notice unusual sounds.
The two paddlers who encountered Berg weren’t conducting the search. They were simply out on the water.
But because they were there—and because they recognized that something wasn’t right—they became an important link in getting a missing person to safety.
A Reminder About Wilderness Preparation
The rescue is also a reminder of how unforgiving remote wilderness can be.
Isle Royale National Park warns visitors that emergency response can take considerable time and that cell service is unreliable. The National Park Service recommends that paddlers prepare for changing Lake Superior conditions, carry appropriate safety equipment and have reliable emergency communication options. (National Park Service)
For kayakers and hikers alike, preparation isn’t about expecting something to go wrong.
It’s about being ready when it does.
A navigation failure, unexpected weather, injury or simple disorientation can turn an ordinary adventure into a serious emergency.
Sometimes Adventure Finds You
Most of us head into the wilderness looking for adventure.
We want the miles.
We want the scenery.
We want the challenge.
We want the stories that come from exploring places most people never see.
But occasionally, adventure finds us in a completely different way.
For two kayakers on Isle Royale, a day on the water became part of an extraordinary rescue story.
For Craig Berg, seeing those kayaks may have been the moment he realized he wasn’t alone anymore.
After 11 days in the wilderness, help had finally arrived.
Two kayaks.
One missing hiker.
Eleven days in the wilderness.
One remarkable rescue.
And a powerful reminder that sometimes, simply being out there—and paying attention—can make all the difference.
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.
The Kayaker’s Journal is published by West Michigan Kayaking Club.