(WWJ) Michigan conservation officers say they found the body of a hiker from Oakland County who went missing in the Upper Peninsula over the weekend.
Family of the 29-year-old Clarkston resident called for help Sunday night after the man didn't return home as scheduled.
A rescue effort was launched and the missing hiker's vehicle was located at Big Island Lake trailhead, in the eastern U.P., according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
A further search of the area led to the discovery of his body at a campsite on McInnes Lake.
The hiker apparently died from an accidental injury, the DNR said. Officials said the man tried to stop the bleeding from a bad cut on his leg using a tourniquet made from his own belt, but he did not survive.
Shifting to a recovery operation, officers had to contend with challenging conditions, including the heavy rains that made it impossible for Michigan State Police to provide air assistance. A canoe was used to transport the body by water to a road where it could be picked up by an ambulance.
"Temperatures were in the mid-50s overnight, but torrential downpours made it a miserable night to be out," said Chief Gary Hagler, DNR Law Enforcement Division. "Everyone involved went above and beyond in dealing with a terrible situation. We wish this search effort had resulted in a different outcome."
The DNR said the hiker's name is not being released pending the medical examiner's report.
Big Island Wilderness Area, a wilderness complex encompassing nearly 6,000 acres and containing almost two dozen lakes. It's ocated in Schoolcraft County, south of Wetmore in Hiawatha National Forest.
Hagler said that Michigan conservation officers have an intimate knowledge of their work areas and special training, equipment and skills that equip them to handle situations in the state's wooded and rural areas.
