Isaac Trapper and Abel Mark, a Mistissini elder, went up Mistissini Lake and a search was started after their wives reported to the police they were overdue.
They had left Mistissini on November 2. The search for the two men started on Monday, November 8. Initial aerial searches turned up no sign of the boat or the men.
The search started with one helicopter. The next day, freezing rain forced the search off.
Trapper and Mark were located at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 10, in the Louis Jolliett area. They had gone up the lake to pick up snowmobiles and wanted to do a little hunting and fishing. According to reports, their outboard motor broke down on Friday.
To assist rescue workers, the two men walked to the other side of the Rupert River where they made a marker and addressed a letter to Matthew Shecapio who lives in that area. Trapper and Mark spent the night there without shelter. To keep warm they left a fire burning all night. The next day they went back to the boat and waited for rescue.
“They knew people would get worried and look for them,” said Johnny Shecapio, of the Mistissini police. Both men are reported to be in good health.
“No one was really worried,” said one resident.
“If anyone knew what to do in the bush it was those two guys.”
