Body of Minnesota man recovered from Brule Lake in the BWCA

The body of a Minnesota man who had been traveling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was recovered Monday afternoon.

The body of 32-year-old Justin Sperl, of Marshall, Minnesota, was recovered August 14 from Brule Lake in the BWCA, according to Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen.

Sperl had been the subject of a missing person report filed Thursday, August 10. His vehicle was located at the Brule Lake landing the following day. Law enforcement personnel made contact with Sperl Friday, August 11. In conversation, Sperl stated that he was fine and was only out canoeing, according to Eliasen.

There was no immediate cause of death following the recovery of Sperl’s body from the Brule Lake area Monday afternoon. It is not known if Sperl’s body was recovered from the lake, or at a campsite or portage on or near Brule.

Brule Lake is a massive body of water located inland from Lutsen and Tofte. It is five miles from a gravel road known as ‘The Grade.’ At more than 4,200 acres, it is the second largest lake located entirely within the BWCA.

This is the third death in the BWCA this summer. In May, a man from Texas died on Seagull Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail. In June, a young man from Wisconsin drowned on Gillis Lake, south of Tuscarora Lake in the BWCA.

Joe Friedrichs August 14, 2023