Wildlife trooper rescues two Petersburg boaters stranded overnight on the Stikine River

A wildlife trooper from Wrangell reached two stranded Petersburg boaters on the Stikine River on Friday morning and brought them back to Petersburg, Alaska State Troopers said. One of the men had mild hypothermia after a night in the rain.

The two men called troopers at midnight. They had driven their jet boat ashore about 1.5 miles up the river and could not get it back into the water, troopers said.

Overnight temperatures fell to about 45 degrees in steady rain. One man began showing signs of mild hypothermia, but the pair built a fire and made it through the night.

The trooper arrived at 8:40 am Friday, found both men and took them to Petersburg. Troopers did not release their names.