Gunflint Trail emergency responders and Cook County Ambulance were paged at 5:31 p.m. on Friday, May 22, reporting that a couple of canoeists had just been taken out of the water. They were on the dock at Gunflint Lodge, apparently suffering from hypothermia.
A family of four from Omaha, Nebraska, were practicing canoeing on Gunflint Lake. They paddled directly across Gunflint Lake, with a parent and child in each canoe. About a quarter of the way back, Jeff Peters, 54, and his daughter Bolor-Erdene Davaadorj, 14, capsized.
The mother and other daughter started to paddle to them, but Peters yelled for them to go for help. They paddled to the lodge, calling for help.
A boat was launched to retrieve the man and girl from the water. They were brought ashore, stripped out of wet clothing and bundled up to get warmed. They had been in the water for over 40 minutes.
Peters began to cough up blood and the Gunflint Ambulance was paged at 5:33 p.m.
The ambulance and an EMT were on scene by 6:03 p.m. Both patients were transported to North Shore Hospital. The 14-year-old was treated and released while Peters was transferred to a Duluth hospital for further care.
A Gunflint fishing guide told Cook County law enforcement that the water temperature was 46 degrees F.
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