Out in the cold

BUTTE — A Wasilla family’s bear hunting trip turned into a night of survival after mechanical trouble stranded them in the Knik River Valley Sunday night.

The Lofgreen family hitched a ride on an Alaska State Trooper helicopter Monday morning after rescuers received a 911 call from the family’s father.

Zander Lofgreen, 15, said an all-terrain vehicle the family of five was using had mechanical difficulty. They had traveled almost to the glacier when a problem with their vehicle stopped them in their tracks.

Zander and brother 17-year-old Carrington Ewers started out on a seven-mile walk back to their base camp for parts, while their parents, Sterling and Carrie Lofgreen, and a younger brother, whose name was not released, stayed with the broken-down vehicle.

Zander and Carrington ran into trouble as night closed in around them, forcing an overnight bivouac under a tree above the creek. Zander said he and Carrington yelled out for their parents, to no avail. Armed with a rifle, they stayed put for the night and tried to stay as warm as possible. Their parents and brother were also forced to spend the night in the elements.

“Instinct just kicked in,” Zander said, adding that his father always gives tips on how to stay alive in dire situations.

By Monday morning, Sterling Lofgreen managed to make a 911 call telling troopers their location between Friday Creek and Metal Creek in the Knik River Valley just before his cell phone battery died. That call scrambled responders from the Butte Fire Department, Alaska State Troopers and the Mat-Su Borough water rescue team.

At the rescue staging area near the Old Glenn Highway’s Knik River Bridge, Butte Fire Capt. John Akers said a trooper search and rescue helicopter had spotted Zander and Carrington just above tree line. The boys then told pilots where their parents and younger brother were located.

Trooper search and rescue pilot Mel Nading said both parents were very emotional when the chopper arrived to get them.

“They spent a long night wondering about their kids,” Nading said.

Aside from an aggravated back injury for Sterling, Akers said everyone seemed to be in good health. Sterling, Carrie and the youngest child were take to Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for evaluation.

After the Lofgreen parents and their youngest boarded an ambulance, rescuers lifted off again to pick up Zander and Carrington. Arriving back at the Old Glenn overpass, the boys walked from the helicopter under their own power. Except for some dirty faces, both young men said they felt good and were looking forward to being reunited with their family.

They said their biggest worry during the night was about their father because he has diabetes.

“We were worried about his sugar levels dropping,” Ewers said.

Although temperatures dropped below freezing Sunday evening, the Lofgreen family was prepared to handle a night in the wild. Rescue workers said they were impressed with the family’s survival skills.

“Both boys were very prepared,” Nading said.

Contact Michael Rovito at 352-2252 or michael.rovito@-frontiersman.com.