Michigan couple on vacation in the U.P. rescued after being stranded for 15 hours
Joanne and Karl Metcalf were stranded in the Upper Peninsula wilderness for 15 hours before they were rescued by border patrol agents on June 30.
The married couple from Davidson, Michigan was vacationing in the U.P. to celebrate their sixth anniversary when things took a dangerous turn. The retired couple try to vacation in the U.P. every year because of their love of nature and the outdoors.
This year, the couple wanted to spend some time on Lake Superior, but more than that the couple was dedicated to finding yooperlite, a florescent stone that glows under UV light. Yooperlite was only officially discovered in 2017 and quickly became well known for its unique properties, and the fact that it is predominantly found only on the shores of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula, which is how it gets its name.
More: Glowing, fluorescent 'Yooperlites' found in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
In the last weekend in June, the couple packed up their 2017 Buick Envision and crossed the Mackinac Bridge to begin their search for yooperlite.
The couple decided to stop at the Winter Haven motel where they met manager Eric Baybeck. After settling into their motel room, the Metcalfs had dinner in Pine Stump, which is located near the motel they were staying at.
"While in the restaurant, the couple next to us with their kids they were talking about how they were also going to hunt for yooperlite," Joanne said. "So we're thinking we'll need to find somewhere that is not crowded."
On the morning of June 29, Joanne and Karl set off north from the motel to the Lake Superior shoreline. With them they brought a few snacks and bottles of water, as well as kitty litter scoops they bought to help them search for yooperlite.
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The couple never did end up finding any yooperlite of their own because the old road they turned down, which they thought would help them avoid crowds, was covered in sand.
The first time they got stuck in the sand it only took them about an hour to dig themselves out using the kitty litter scoops.
By the time the couple decided to turn around and return to the motel, they had already passed too much of the sand and they ended up stuck again.
With no cell phone signal and no other way to call for help, the couple began to try and dig themselves free.
For over 15 hours the couple dug with kitty litter scoops, stuck sticks under their tires to help gain traction and tried anything else they could think of to free their car from the sand, but nothing worked.
"We were pretty calm actually, we knew that eventually we would make it out. We both have families that would miss us and we had checked into the hotel," Joanne said.
After some time, the sun began to set, and the couple grew tired. Using a paper map to cover herself like a blanket, Joanne slept for only a few hours before returning to work on freeing the car.
"We woke up every two hours and started the car and got ourselves warmed up and then turned it back off," said Joanne. "I still wasn't able to stay warm, so I took the map of Michigan and opened it up and put it over myself and put the housecoat on top of that and then I was able to sleep."
Meanwhile at the Winter Haven motel, manager Eric Baybeck was growing concerned. He met the couple the night before and knew they were planning on searching near the shore for yooperlite, but the sun was setting and their car had not returned.
When the couple still hadn't returned by midnight, Baybeck called 911.
When the county sheriff arrived at the motel and searched the couple's room, he saw that all of their bags were still there. At this point, the search began.
Law enforcement officers from all around the area joined in the search for the missing couple. Some time around 6 a.m. on June 30, three border patrol officers stationed in Sault Ste. Marie joined the search as well.
More than 15 hours after they became stranded, border patrol agents found the couple and towed them to safety.
"To see those border patrol agents," said Joanne. "We knew our prayers were answered."
After stopping at a diner to get some food after a long day stuck in the car and getting some rest, the couple still managed to get their yooperlite. They stopped at a local gift shop and bought as much of the rock as they wanted, without having to go back and dig for it.
After the ordeal was finished, Joanne and Karl Metcalf were able to return home safe and sound.
"I was thinking of the poem by Robert Frost, 'The Road Not Taken.' There's one phrase that says there are two roads and I took the one less traveled by and that made all the difference in the world," Joanne said. "And I kept thinking 'Yeah, it sure made a difference in our life.'"
Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Couple saved by border patrol agents after 15 hours in wilderness
