By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Thursday, April 25, 2019 - 06:23 pm:
We’ve watched a group of snowshoers on a number of adventures this past winter. They went out for their last snowshoe of the season, in the Cedar Bay area on Saturday, where they found the beach all exposed, but still a number of icebergs out there floating in Lake Superior, including the one that Stacey Flood snapped in the second photo and dubbed “Elephants”.
It’s a good thing there were some large ice floes out there, because while the girls were talking on the shoreline, they heard someone calling for help and promptly dialed 911 to report someone in the water about 6 football field lengths out in Lake Superior. Someone from a neighboring camp hopped in their kayak and went out to help the person get up on an iceberg as the Ahmeek Offshore Rescue, Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Bootjack Fire and Rescue assisted in getting the man to shore in a canoe. He had been out kayaking and somehow rolled out of his kayak. They figure he was in the frigid Superior waters for over 30 minutes and up on the iceberg for maybe another 10 minutes or so. Talk about those ladies being in the right place at the right time and to think Stacey said they had discussed going to a different spot to showshoe. Thank goodness they chose Cedar Bay that day. They ended their snowshoe season saving someone’s life!
Here’s a link to the TV6 report about the incident: TV6-FoxUP-Stranded Kayaker.
The DNR trains their recruits for rescues such as this, as you’ll see in today’s video. They take an ice bath to know how their body will react in icy waters and how to stay calm themselves, so they’ll be able to help someone in that predicament.
By john mich (Johnofmi) on Friday, April 26, 2019 - 01:14 am:
Lucky kayaker! and good video
By jbuck (Jbuck) on Friday, April 26, 2019 - 06:40 am:
Yes, i think they were meant to be there at that time. Smart ladies who did exactly the right thing and probably saved the kayker's life. Cell phones are a blessing in these situations as are the crews from Ahmeek Offshore Rescue, Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Bootjack Fire and Rescue. All helped to make it a happy ending.
By George L. (Yooperinct) on Friday, April 26, 2019 - 10:07 am:
Glad that story had a happy ending. Probably another 30 minutes in the water would have been the end for him. Good job, ladies and the rescue crew!
By Alex "UP-Goldwinger" (Alex) on Friday, April 26, 2019 - 10:18 am:
Nice pix and nnn-ice video!
