A 66-year-old man left the village of Selawik for an overnight hunting trip Friday, but ended up stranded near the Arctic Circle until Sunday afternoon, Alaska State Troopers said.
In an online dispatch, troopers wrote that Frank Starbuck left the Northwest Arctic Borough village Friday and headed toward Buckland. He intended to spend the night in a cabin and return the following day, they wrote.
But Friday afternoon, a strong Arctic stormed rolled in. Troopers said the winds were strong, snow was blowing and drifting, and visibility was poor.
"All local air carriers had to cancel their flights due to the storm," troopers spokesperson Megan Peters said.
The storm let up at around noon the next day, according to Peters. But Starbuck wasn't considered "overdue" until that evening; troopers were notified that Starbuck was overdue shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday.
Volunteers from Selawik had begun searching before troopers were notified of Starbuck's disappearance, which Peters said is common.
"If they have the means to search themselves, people usually do," Peters said.
Around noon Sunday, troopers dispatched a Cessna 206 from Kotzebue. At about 1:30 p.m., a spotter noticed the snowmachine covered in drifting snow, and Starbuck, who had appeared out of a snow shelter and was gesturing with his hands.
When the spotter located Starbuck on Kobuk Lake, the pilot of the aircraft then found the rescuers on the ground and dipped the plane's wings as he flew over.
"It is kind of a universal communication sign," Peters said. "They dip their wings in acknowledgment."
Searchers followed the course set by the Cessna and were able to make contact with Starbuck, who was uninjured, though his snowmachine had broken down.