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“I put together a four-person search team,” said Sergeant Matthew Gull, the Peawanuck Ranger patrol commander, “and we left Peawanuck shortly after 4 p.m. We knew Sam needed help.”

The team snowmobiled through frequent periods of near white-out conditions caused by severe snow squalls. “It took us four hours to find his camp,” Sergeant Gull said. “We often couldn’t see 20 feet in front of us. Sam’s a diabetic and I saw right away he didn’t have his medication with him, he’d left it in his camp. We knew he was somewhere near his camp but we didn’t know where, so we had to look for him in very difficult visibility. We got turned around ourselves several times. I said we had to find him.”

The searchers were driving along a frozen river when they saw a flicker of white light. ‘It was from his flashlight,” Sergeant Gull said. “He didn’t say anything as we drove up. I just approached him and gave him a big bear hug and I told him: ‘Man, I’m glad you’re alive.’ And he said: ‘I’m glad you got here.’”

They gave him hot tea and food, recovered his snowmobile, and got it restarted. They managed to find their way back to his camp, collect his belongings, and after a quick meal, they set out for the return trip to Peawanuck, with Hunter driving his own snowmobile.

They got back to Peawanuck shortly after 4.30 a.m. on Saturday. Hunter was released after a medical check-up at the nursing station.

“I’m so proud of my Rangers,” Sergeant Gull said. “Sam was in trouble and without his medication he might not have made it. The Rangers missed out on some community New Year celebrations and I missed my daughter Emelia’s seventh birthday party. But it was worth it. We got him”