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Colorado Man Drowns After Canoe Capsizes In BWCA

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 73-year-old Colorado man drowned Monday after the canoe he was in capsized as a storm swept through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says Wayne Morrow, of Fort Lupton, Colorado, and 65-year-old Denis Guenther, of Grand Junction, Colorado, were canoeing around noontime in Loon Lake, just south of the Canadian border.

A passing thunderstorm, with heavy rain and strong winds, whipped up the lake waters, and a wave capsized their canoe. Guenther was able to grab their gear and get to shore. Morrow remained with the canoe.

However, when Guenther returned to the canoe, he couldn't find Morrow, whom he presumed had drowned. A responding rescue crew found Morrow's body submerged in more than 60 feet of water.

The sheriff's office says the men had life jackets in their equipment but were not wearing them.

The incident remains under investigation by the sheriff's office and the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office.

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