Hatchet accident leads to wilderness rescue in middle of the night

[Lee Borgersen]

10/23/2010 4:11:00 PM   
Hatchet accident leads to wilderness rescue in middle of the night

by Nick Wognum

Rescue personnel were called in the middle of the night after a man injured himself with a hatchet on Big Rice Lake.

Daniel Stermac-Stein, 25, of Finland, MN, was injured after he and two friends travelled to Big Rice Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The three men arrived Friday, Oct. 15 by canoe on Big Rice and began setting up camp in the afternoon, according to Derek Gulbro, a friend of the men.

"After setting up camp they went out to get firewood and that's when Daniel put the hatchet in his lower left leg," said Gulbro. "That happened around 6 p.m."

Duct tape was used to bandage the wound and the three men set off across Big Rice for the 520 rod (1.5 mile) portage to Hook Lake, followed by two more portages before reaching Slim Lake and the North Arm Road on the Echo Trail.

According to Morse-Fall Lake fire department member Kurt Erickson, halfway across the first portage Stermac-Stein was unable to continue on his own.

"They tried to fabricate a stretcher but they were unable to carry him," said Erickson.

A decision was made to leave Stermac-Stein on the portage and continue on to get help.

The two men arrived at Camp Widjiwagan around 1:30 a.m. where 911 was paged out.

In addition to Morse-Fall Lake, the St. Louis County Rescue Squad was sent to the Slim Lake parking lot.

A team of seven, including four from Morse-Fall Lake and three friends set off in the dark.

The rescue team would have to paddle north on Slim, portage 75 rods into Rice Lake, paddle to the 120 rod Hook Lake portage and then finally reach the long portage to Big Rice where the victim was waiting.

"He was coherent and able to talk when we got there around 6 a.m.," said Gulbro. "He had lost some blood so the medical guys went to work on him right away and got him on a backboard."

Stermac-Stein was carried back to Big Rice Lake where a U.S. Forest Service floatplane piloted by Pat Loe was waiting with Ely Area Ambulance personnel.

Stermac-Stein was transported to Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, suffering from blood loss and shock.

"The duct tape they used to close the wound was all they had but it saved his leg," said Erickson. "It functioned as a compression bandage. It was a fairly deep stroke, hitting an artery and exposing muscle and bone. He's lucky to be alive."

Stermac-Stein stayed overnight in the hospital before being released.

"I saw him (Thursday) and he's recovering pretty well," said Gulbro.