‘HE’S ALIVE!’

Hiker, 70, Found Alive After 11 Days Lost in Wilderness

The septuagenarian was found injured and hypothermic.

A 70-year-old father was found after being lost for over a week on a remote island. Craig Berg was injured and hypothermic when Michigan State Police troopers and backpackers caught sight of him on September 12 on Isle Royale in Lake Superior. A helicopter hoisted him up, took him to an airport about 140 miles away, and then to a local hospital. Desperate to see his father after a distressing week, Evan Berg spoke to him over the phone while driving 455 miles to the hospital. “I yelled at the top of my lungs, ‘He’s alive!’ People looked at me, and oh, man, it was a wonderful feeling,” Evan said about hearing the good news via text from his stepmother. “We’re just so grateful, and we couldn’t be more happy and relieved.” Berg’s family said he embarked on a solo hiking trip on Aug. 27 and was expected to begin his return Sept. 5, but he didn’t check into his hotel or board the ferry home. Evan said his dad was found in “rough shape” when he was saved, but well enough to ask for food and water and to joke about writing a book about the experience.