Dramatic video from the Minnesota Air Rescue Team shows a nighttime helicopter mission that extracted a pair of paddlers from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). Rescuers navigated darkness, rain and dense tree cover to reach the pair, who had lost their boat and lacked the gear needed to make it through the night.
First of-its-kind rescue in BWCA
The canoeists had been paddling near Morris Falls on the eastern side of the BWCA when their boat capsized in a rapid on May 14. While they were able to swim to land, they became separated from their canoe, leaving them soaked and stranded. As sunset approached, the paddlers were able to get enough cell service to contact 911.
High water levels and strong currents complicated a ground rescue, and the air rescue team was called in from St. Paul, Minnesota. Using night vision to navigate the wilderness in the dark, the team was able to fly directly to the pair of paddlers…