A Shakopee, MN man on a solitary inner tube trip down the Temperance River got more adventure than he hoped for when he ended up spending the night in the woods on Thursday, July 19. Gregory Allen Elsner, 50, of Shakopee set off from a campground on Temperance River on a small raft at about 2 p.m., thinking he would float a few miles and be picked up by his friends at about 3 p.m. at the 600 Road bridge. His friends were at the appointed spot at 3 p.m. and waited there until midnight but there was no sign of Elsner.
Matthew Oppegard of Savage, MN contacted Cook County Law Enforcement at approximately 5:30 a.m. on July 20, asking for help. Oppegard told Law Enforcement that Elsner was not prepared to be out overnight. He had no food or water and was wearing shorts, flip-flops and no shirt. Elsner had no known medical issues, but rescue personnel were concerned that if and when he was found—if he had not drowned— he might be suffering from hypothermia. Cook County Ambulance was paged to stand by if that was the case.
Emergency Management Director Jim Wiinanen and other members of the Cook County Sheriff Response Unit (SRU), the Tofte Fire Department and Tofte Rescue Squad responded. Dave Williams of Bear Track Outfitters in Grand Marais, a search and rescue member, provided kayaks for SRU responders Kyle Oberg and Scott Benolken to search the river. Oberg said the trek from the campground was tough going, even for the appropriate watercraft. He said the distance by river was more than “a few miles.” He estimated it is about 10 miles from the campground to the 600 Road Bridge.
With the low water level, rocks and deadfall, rescuers did not make it that far. “We got about two miles in two hours,” said Oberg, adding that they were also taking time to whistle and call out to the missing man and to search areas where a body of a drowning victim could have become trapped.
“That was our fear,” Oberg said. “Even though the water level was low, there have been incidents of people tripping and getting injured and drowning in just inches of water.”
The U.S. Forest Service was contacted and assisted in the search with a Beaver aircraft that flew along the river corridor. The aircraft spotted the missing man at 9:05 a.m. and provided coordinates for emergency responders and helped direct them to his location. He was in the river hoping for rescue when he was found.
Once they knew where Elsner was, it still took some time to get to him. Cook County Search & Rescue, Tofte and Forest Service responders had to bushwhack through the dense forest about six miles, reaching him at 10:54 a.m.. Responders found the man and gave him his clothes, food and water. He was able to walk out, said Oberg, but it was slow going—hot, muggy, and buggy. “We took our time and cleared the way and rested often,” he said.
The raft that Elsner set out on was not found. He told rescuers that when he realized he wasn’t going to reach his friends, he walked for a while, but stopped when it got dark so he didn’t fall and get hurt in the dark.
Rescuers made it out to the Sawbill Trail with Elsner at about 1:52 p.m. He was checked out by ambulance personnel but not transported for medical treatment.
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