Family recounts September BWCAW rescue and recognizes first responders’ efforts

A family trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness took a sudden turn in early September when John Mulcahy observed his older brother, 63-year-old Timothy Mulcahy, showing signs of a possible stroke.

The two brothers were paddling a canoe around Long Island on Saganaga Lake, searching for firewood near the shoreline, when Timothy began losing his balance and motor function.

“He just freaking rolled to one side, and at that point the canoe went over,” said John.

The canoe capsized.

The brothers and their gear were then tossed into Saganaga Lake as dusk settled over the BWCAW. When John resurfaced he immediately began calling out for his brother.

“He was unresponsive at that point. Absolutely not talking to me,” John said. “I couldn’t get him to answer me back.”

While the brothers had planned to stay closer to shore, the choppy conditions on Saganaga Lake pushed the brothers farther away from shore. John estimated that they were approximately 200 to 300 feet from shore when the canoe capsized. John and Timothy were wearing life jackets, but Timothy’s life jacket was not fully buckled when they capsized.

With Timothy largely unresponsive, John knew the best option was to hold onto the side of the canoe and slowly make their way to shore. Eventually, they both did.

The remainder of the family members, Mary Mulcahy-Mulloy and her husband, Dan Mulloy, were back at their campsite #395. With dusk setting in and John and Timothy yet to return, the two began to worry.

Eventually, the two parties found each other on the shore of Long Island. 

What then ensued was assessing Timothy’s condition and making the decision to call 911 for help. At approximately 10:48 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 distress text via iPhone from Mary. The Mulcahy family had also used an ACR Emergency Locator Beacon.

The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department swiftly responded to the emergency call and made their way to Long Island by boat. While waiting for first responders, the Mulcahy family tried to keep Timothy warm by wrapping him in blankets, as hypothermia was of high concern. He had been in the water for over an hour, and the evening temperatures had continued to fall. 

“He wasn’t really conscious,” said Mary, who is Timothy’s niece. “His eyes were so catatonic, they were just wide open. No tracking movement.”

Once arriving on the scene, first responders gathered information about Timothy’s condition, put him in the boat, and quickly departed. A helicopter from North Memorial Air Care was en route to transport Timothy to Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth.

Doctors later told the Mulcahy family that Timothy’s body temperature upon arrival in Duluth was 80 degrees. The critical medical emergency level is 82 degrees, which causes unconsciousness, loss of vital signs, and can lead to death.

After first responders left Long Island, John, Mary, and Dan began collecting their belongings, and soon realized that one of Timothy’s dogs, a yellow Labrador named Sunny, was missing.

Amid the emergency and rescue efforts, Sunny wandered from the campsite—either searching for Timothy or startled by the commotion.

It was now after midnight, and the group began searching the island for their missing four-legged family member. The Mulcahy family had previously scheduled an 8 a.m. Sept. 7 tow boat service from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters, and now had less than eight hours to find Sunny.

As 8 a.m. neared, however, Sunny was nowhere to be found.

To the family’s surprise, a familiar face arrived at 8 a.m. to pick them up for their scheduled tow from Long Island to Voyageur Canoe Outfitters.

Mulcahy family at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters during their September trip | Contributed by Mary Mulcahy-Mulloy

The tow boat driver, Carsten Amme, was one of the volunteers from the Gunflint Trail Fire Department who responded to Timothy’s emergency. Amme arrived on Long Island and soon learned that the family was experiencing a second rescue incident. Mary said, without hesitation, Amme offered to help search for Sunny.

“We’re deeply appreciative that he was willing and understanding to help out with that, in addition to the other trauma that he had already had to help out with earlier,” said Mary.

Amme drove the family around the island, as they yelled and searched for Sunny. Unfortunately, Sunny was nowhere to be found. The family returned to Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and had to make the tough call to leave the dog in the Boundary Waters and drive to the hospital in Duluth to check on Timothy.

Mulcahy family and yellow lab Sunny in Boundary Waters | Contributed by Mary Mulcahy

The staff at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters offered to keep looking for Sunny and spread the word to other canoeists. Fortunately, later that day, about 20 minutes from arriving at the hospital, the Mulcahy family received a call.

They had found Sunny.

“They were just going way, way, above and beyond to find this dog,” John said.

Sunny was found sitting on the shore of a different, smaller island about a half a mile away, Mary said. “I guess just waiting or something.”

Voyageur Canoe Outfitters then informed the family that an employee was planning on traveling to Duluth and offered to bring Sunny with her. The Mulcahy’s were later reunited with Sunny.

As for Timothy, he has made a full recovery. However, he has no memory of the events that took place on that Saturday, Sept. 6 evening.

In the weeks since the rescue, the Mulcahy family has taken time to reflect on their experience and the numerous people who came to their aid. From first responders to outfitters and volunteers, support came quickly in a moment of crisis.

“For the community up there and for all the people that go into the Boundary Waters—having that kind of support system is just pretty amazing,” said John.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with John Mulcahy, Mary Mulcahy-Mulloy, and Dan Malloy about the Sept. 6 emergency on Saganaga Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The family shares more information and details about the evening’s events, the rescue efforts of the first responders, how the incident has shaped them as a family, and the desire to return to the Boundary Waters. The audio from that conversation is below.

Kalli Hawkins September 29, 2025