Wisconsin journalist Alec Luhn found after going missing on Norwegian solo hike
'I think it's a miracle. I'm so grateful to all the people who were involved in the rescue,' said Silchenko, who told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang she is traveling to Norway on Aug. 7 to see him. 'It's the best day of my life.'
Luhn, who hails from Stoughton, was found by a rescue helicopter just north of a glacier called Nedre Buarbreen at about 11:30 a.m. Norwegian time (4:30 a.m. central time in the United States) on rocky terrain, wearing a red jacket and waving for help.
A rescuer and a doctor were sent down to retrieve him.
'He has been found, conscious, and taken by helicopter to the Haukeland hospital. We are very happy,' Hardanger police chief Øystein Torsnes said after the rescue.
Response leader Svein Buer said Luhn was found with some injuries to his legs and feet, and police described him as seriously, but not critically injured. He was transported to Haukeland Hospital.
Luhn's brother, Brian, posted on Facebook that Luhn had a broken femur.
The rescue was the first sign of life for Luhn since July 31, when he left for the solo hike in southwestern Norway. Silchenko said she wasn't worried about not having contact with Luhn, but when he missed his return flight to the U.K., she alerted authorities.
Since then, over 50 people across various organizations — including the Red Cross, local police and an alpine rescue group — began the extensive search efforts.
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New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
US journalist who went missing for six days on Norwegian glacier hike rescued
The American journalist who vanished after venturing out for a solo hike along a glacier in Norway was found alive by a search and rescue crew six days after he went missing. Alec Luhn, a 38-year-old Wisconsin native, was found Wednesday and airlifted to a hospital after disappearing inside Norway's Folgefonna National Park on July 31, the local Red Cross branch said. 3 Alec Luhn, 38, was rescued on Wednesday after disappearing in Norway's Folgefonna National Park. Veronika Silchenko / Facebook The award-winning reporter was on vacation with his family when he set out on a multi-day trip to backpack across the national park. But he failed to meet back up with his relatives on Monday. Luhn's wife, Veronika Silchenko, said her husband was an experienced outdoorsman, so she wasn't initially worried when he failed to check in with them over the weekend. 3 Search and rescue efforts were called off two nights in a row this week due to dangerous weather. Norwegian Red Cross 'Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic,' Silchenko, an Emmy-winning TV journalist, told CBS News. 'He loves glaciers and snow, and he loves explorers, and he's a climate journalist, so for him it is always that story that now because of the climate change they're all shrinking, and he's trying his best to go to the coldest countries,' she said. But when she still hadn't heard from him, she reported her husband missing, and local officials launched a search and rescue mission surrounding the Folgefonna glacier. 3 The weather let up on Wednesday and the search team was able to locate Luhn in the area and order an airlift. Norwegian Red Cross The search, however, ran into trouble when bad weather forced the team and their helicopter to suspend the operation Monday night. A volunteer search and rescue team, police, K-9 units and drones renewed the search on Tuesday before it was again suspended due to the weather. 'Difficult terrain, poor visibility, rain and high water levels have complicated access to key areas,' the Norwegian Red Cross said in a statement just a few hours before the crew found Luhn. 'He was located by helicopter crew and has now been transported for medical treatment,' the organization posted on X. Officials did not comment on what condition Luhn was in. Luhn, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has reported for various outlets, including The Guardian, The New York Times, The Atlantic, National Geographic, Scientific American, TIME, CBS News Radio, and VICE News TV.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Missing American journalist found alive in Norwegian park
Aug. 6 (UPI) -- An American climate journalist has been found alive and in good health after going missing in a Norwegian park last week. Alec Luhn, a reporter who has worked for the New York Times and the Atlantic and was a Russia correspondent for the Guardian from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after he failed to catch a flight from Bergen to the U.K. Luhn was found near Folgefonna National Park by a helicopter and has been taken for medical treatment, the Norwegian Red Cross wrote on X Wednesday. "We are very, very happy! Many thanks to everyone in Norway who has helped to find him," Luhn's wife Veronika Silchenko told local news outlet VG by phone after he was found. The search operation for Luhn began on Monday and was expanded by Tuesday. Ingeborg Thorsland, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Red Cross, earlier told CNN that the operation spanned a large area and that heavy rainfall had made navigation difficult. Luhn had been on vacation with his sister in Norway, then began a four-day hike alone from the outdoor center of Ullensvang, on the northern edge of the park, a 212-square-mile wilderness in western Norway that's home to one of the country's biggest glaciers. Drew Gaddis, Luhn's sister, confirmed in a social media post that he had been found "in overall good health" and was being taken to Bergen by helicopter. Norwegian media reported that he had injured his leg. She thanked the Norwegian police, the staff and volunteers and the thousands of people who had helped share news of the search. "We can breathe again!" she said. Luhn is fit and equipped for the treacherous hike. Folgefonna, the third largest icecap in Norway, is on a peninsula famed for its fjords, mountains, rivers, lakes and icefalls. Parts are desolate and can be dangerous in bad weather. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Wisconsin journalist Alec Luhn found after going missing on Norwegian solo hike
University of Wisconsin-Madison alum and journalist Alec Luhn, who went missing while hiking in a Norwegian national park, has been found alive, Luhn's wife, Veronika Silchenko, told CBS News. 'I think it's a miracle. I'm so grateful to all the people who were involved in the rescue,' said Silchenko, who told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang she is traveling to Norway on Aug. 7 to see him. 'It's the best day of my life.' Luhn, who hails from Stoughton, was found by a rescue helicopter just north of a glacier called Nedre Buarbreen at about 11:30 a.m. Norwegian time (4:30 a.m. central time in the United States) on rocky terrain, wearing a red jacket and waving for help. A rescuer and a doctor were sent down to retrieve him. 'He has been found, conscious, and taken by helicopter to the Haukeland hospital. We are very happy,' Hardanger police chief Øystein Torsnes said after the rescue. Response leader Svein Buer said Luhn was found with some injuries to his legs and feet, and police described him as seriously, but not critically injured. He was transported to Haukeland Hospital. Luhn's brother, Brian, posted on Facebook that Luhn had a broken femur. The rescue was the first sign of life for Luhn since July 31, when he left for the solo hike in southwestern Norway. Silchenko said she wasn't worried about not having contact with Luhn, but when he missed his return flight to the U.K., she alerted authorities. Since then, over 50 people across various organizations — including the Red Cross, local police and an alpine rescue group — began the extensive search efforts.
