By Kyeland Jackson
Star Tribune
LAKE COUNTY, Minn. — Two Minnesotans trapped in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness were hoisted into a helicopter in a bold nighttime maneuver last week by a team that has become increasingly vital to rescue efforts across the state.
The Minnesota Air Rescue Team (MART) found the canoers — stranded and soaked after their canoe capsized in frigid waters — and slung rope from hundreds of feet above to reach the pair and bring them to an airport dozens of miles away.
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Both canoers were uninjured and are expected to be OK.
The operation marks the second nighttime rescue this year and the first time MART hoisted people into a helicopter in order to save them.
“For us in a rural county with a lot of wilderness area, the Minnesota Air Rescue Team is a huge asset,” said Tim Luoma, chief deputy with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. “We can get somebody in and out within a matter of hours that may take eight or nine hours [otherwise].”
A county fire chief told dispatchers that a canoe had capsized in the BWCA about 7 p.m. on May 14. The two canoers spilled most of their gear and remained stranded with a cellphone and no warm clothes to last the night.
Strong currents and rising water levels prevented ground crews from reaching them, so MART rode a helicopter an hour and a half north to attempt a rescue.
Riley Onofrio , a captain for the St. Paul Fire Department and a systems operator for MART, operates the hoist that lifts people into the aircraft. With night-vision goggles on and helicopter blades whirring overhead, Onofrio and the crew spotted the campers and lowered rope from 260 feet above the ground.
“They were able to make a small signal fire, but they had none of the rest of their gear,” Onofrio said. “And given the temperature was going to be around 32 degrees and they were wet, it was decided that this was an emergent rescue situation.”
Onofrio said the rescue marked a big moment for MART. The crew received state funding this fall to train and expand its capabilities, which helped MART’s helicopter crew save a hunter trapped in waist-deep snow in January. Such help is vital for rural counties where there’s plenty of land but few resources.
MART does not charge residents for rescue, but Onofrio expects the volume of rescue calls to increase as people visit the Boundary Waters this summer.
Onofrio suggests campers pack multiple sources of light, extra batteries and a GPS locator. He said their infrared goggles can see flashlights from a half-mile away in the BWCA, and GPS coordinates ensure that crews can find people quickly.
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