Pair of rescues end OK

TALKEETNA — Several people are OK and relatively unharmed Thursday following a pair of Alaska State Troopers search and rescue efforts.

The first rescue began at about 9:15 a.m., when a family member reported John Robertson, 45, Sutton, and Jared Schumacher, 41, Wasilla, were overdue by two days from a hiking and rafting trip from Granite Creek in Sutton to the Parks Highway in Willow, according to an AST report.

Troopers report both men are experienced in the outdoors and were supplied well for a multiple day hike and float down the Kashwitna River or Sheep Creek. Family had an itinerary and map highlighting their intended route, along with alternative routes the men may have taken.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers flew over the area in an airplane and helicopter on Thursday, but were hampered by weather conditions in some sections of the search pattern, the report says. They took to the air again Friday morning, and at about 9:30 a.m. found the men near the headwaters of the Kashwitna River, who flagged down the helicopter.

Troopers report says Robertson and Schumacher apparently were delayed by weather and were running behind schedule. They also reported losing one of their rafts and Schumacher suffered minor injuries trying to retrieve the runaway raft. They finally decided to abandon their trip because of worsening water conditions and the loss of supplies that were on the raft.

Troopers’ Helo-1 flew the men out and dropped them off in Sutton with family. Schumacher declined medical attention.

The second search and rescue effort was called in at about 11:57 p.m., July 5 when troopers received notification that a personal locating beacon had been manually activated in the Watana Lake area.

Helo-1 responded with an Alaska Mountain rescue Group observer and found that Kevin Easley, 40, Anchorage, and his father, Michael Easley, 65, Wasilla, had flown into the area on a Cessna 170 from Wolfe Lake on Thursday.

Several hours later prior to leaving, they noticed a hole in one of the plane’s floats, preventing the plane from taking off. The beacon was activated, and when the men saw Helo-1, they shot off a flare.

They were taken from the lake unharmed.