Posted on 06/20/2016 8:11:27 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
The man killed in the northern Minnesota storms on Sunday night has been identified as the brother of Congressman Tim Walz.
Forty-three-year-old Craig Walz was killed while camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The Cook County Sheriff's Office says Craig Walz and his teenage son were camping at Duncan Lake for Father's Day when the storm began. Powerful winds knocked a tree onto their tent.
Craig Walz's son was also severely injured in the incident, taken to a hospital and later airlifted to Duluth. As of 3 p.m. Monday, he is in critical condition.
The pair was also camping with another man and his son.
"The Boundary Waters, while it's a beautiful place that can bring a lot of joy, its also a place that demands a lot of respect," Camp Menogyn Director Fred Sproat said.
He and fellow staff members were wrapping up a weekend of training on nearby Bearskin Lake when they got word that someone needed help. Staff members deployed boats and hiked with canoes on their backs to help first responders in the rescue mission.
"There was a break in the storm, there was a break in the weather that allowed us to feel safe heading up there," Sproat said. "Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with the whole Walz family."
"They're almost like their own little community up there," Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said of the YMCA staff members at the camp. "When something happens, they all band together up there. They rush right out and help whoever they can."
"Last night, Congressman Walz's brother, Craig Walz, was killed while up camping in our beloved Boundary Waters," Sara Severs, spokeswoman for Rep. Tim Walz, said in a statement. "The family wants to express their profound gratitude to law enforcement, first responders and fellow campers who responded immediately to help. The family is also grateful for the messages of support and prayers they have received. They are devastated by the loss and ask for privacy at this time."
Craig Walz was a high school chemistry, calculus and geometry teacher at St. Charles High School. He was also the high school’s Math League adviser.
He was described by Rochester Swim Club officials as a “great father, teacher and Orca parent for a number of years.”
A second person was injured in the same storm when a tree fell on him on Clove Lake. He suffered upper body injuries and was taken to Cook County Northshore Hospital.
DFL Chairman Ken Martin expressed his condolences in a statement:
“The DFL was saddened to learn that Rep. Tim Walz's brother, Craig Walz, was killed during the storms this weekend in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) while on a trip with his son. Craig, a beloved math and science teacher at St. Charles High School in Southern Minnesota, is remembered by his family, students, and community as an amazing husband and father, and outstanding teacher, a passionate mentor and loving friend. Craig’s son Jacob was injured in the same incident. We join with his family and friends and hope for a quick recovery. The thoughts and prayers of all of us at the Minnesota DFL are with Craig’s wife Julie, his daughter Avery, and all of Rep. Walz’s family as they go through this unthinkable tragedy.”
Let us all do the right thing, as FReepers, and raise the Walz family up in prayer, as Craig Walz's son fights for his life.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayers.
Amen.
OK, prayers *up*. From a fellow Minnesotan.
Tough stuff. I hope his son pulls through OK. I can’t imagine going camping and having you dad die on the trip.
When setting up camp, after you find a flat spot for your tent, look up to check what the trees look like. If there’s a dead branch or it looks unstable, move your tent.
I’ve had a perfectly healthy looking tree fall on my camp chair a few seconds after I got up.
I’ve also seen a huge tree in the middle of a state campground cracked in half and still standing. We caution taped around the drop zone and notified camp staff. We were camping during a blizzard and they were too busy moving snow to come drop the tree.
As a 10 year old, my family went on a cross country trip with a pop up camper. It was a great time.
One morning, before we set out for the next state and campsite, I went into the modern restroom to take one last pee before we hit the road.
A huge tree branch came crashing down in front of the restroom, for no reason. Two seconds earlier and I wouldn’t be relating this tale.
Enjoy every sandwich.
Sad.
Was he an RNC convention delegate?
No. It’s a DFL family,
But, that’s not what it is all about , tonight.
Weird things happen in the forest. I was backpacking in high school with some friends, and one night we heard a tremendous explosion, scared the living hell out of all of us. Then - silence. I swear it was like X-files. Next day, about a half mile down the trail a fresh redwood tree last across the trail, broken clean in half about twenty feet up. The tree must have originally been a hundred feet tall, it was huge and we couldn't climb over it, we had to walk around the stub of the trunk. I was told later that water balance is critical and a big tree is so many tons that they can explode at a weak spot. There was no wind day or night, it was summer heat. And it was very creepy. Literally no visible cause.
>>Enjoy Every Sandwich
Thank you for the Warren Zevon mention.
RIP.
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