Alec Luhn, a 38-year-old journalist from Wisconsin and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has been found alive after he went missing in Norway's Folgefonna National Park. Luhn, an experienced hiker and award-winning climate journalist, disappeared while on a solo hike in the park. According to WISN 12 News, Luhn was found near a glacier in an area known for having no cell service. "Alec is alive! Something is wrong with his leg, but otherwise, he's in good health. Thank God!" his mother, Sarah Marie Luhn, shared with the news outlet.
Following his disappearance, Norwegian Emergency Search and Rescue teams conducted an extensive search in the challenging weather and terrain of the national park, known for glaciers and harsh conditions. Luhn was last in contact with his family on Thursday, when he sent a text and photo from the park to his wife, Veronika Silchenko. The alarm was raised when Luhn failed to catch his flight back to England on Monday, intensifying concerns about his safety. In a statement obtained by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Silchenko said, "I think it's a miracle. I'm so grateful to all the people who were involved in the rescue. It's the best day of my life."
Luhn's parents, who reside in Milwaukee, were in Norway vacationing with him days before he left for the hike. They were not immediately worried when they hadn't heard from him due to his outdoor experience. But as time passed without word, the situation became tense. Silchenko was waiting to "speak to a doctor to learn more," about her husband's condition after he was airlifted to a hospital in Bergen, reports Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Luhn's passion for the Arctic and the effects of climate change on its icy expanses are well-documented. "Alec is basically obsessed with the Arctic," Silchenko told New York Post. "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." The details of how Luhn survived and managed to be located remain unclear at this time.
