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Snake Lake homesteader triggers PLB after becoming ill, says AST

Mike Branson, 68, needed assistance after becoming ill working on his property, according to AST, which responded Thursday. He declined medical attention and was taken back to his cabin.

KDLG: State troopers in Dillingham responded to a Personal Locator Beacon signaling distress near Snake Lake Thursday.

The PLB was triggered around 10 a.m., and relayed to Dillingham AST from the Rescue Coordination Center in Anchorage. It was registered to Mike Branson, a 68-year-old building a cabin near the south end of the lake.

Troopers responded within two hours and found Branson had triggered the PLB after becoming ill from working outside. He declined medical attention and was transported to his cabin, according to AST.

Branson triggered the PLB in December after he abandoned his homestead cabin one night and hiked out to the lodge at the boat launch, several miles away. Responders found him there the next day, suffering from cold exposure.

dave@kdlg.org