Alaska State Troopers rescued a snowmachiner Monday who was lost for three nights on the tundra northeast of Bethel.
Goosma Pitka left Akiachak about 8:30 p.m. Friday headed for Russian Mission on his Polaris 340, a trip that should have taken three or four hours, troopers said.
Searchers began looking for Pitka on Saturday when he failed to show up. The search party included 22 snowmachines and four aircraft. The aerial search was at first hampered by fog, troopers said.
Trooper pilot Earl Samuelson saw Pitka's abandoned snowmachine along Pikmiktalik River as he flew over and followed Pitka's footprints for 6 miles until he found Pitka.
Wildlife trooper Sgt. Paul Randall landed and picked up Pitka, who was hungry and thirsty but otherwise OK.
Randall flew Pitka to Bethel, troopers said.
Anchorage Daily News