Missing canoeist’s body found

The man embarked on a canoe trip at about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday.

A Seward man was found dead Monday morning after he was reported overdue from a canoe trip on the Resurrection River, according to a Monday dispatch from the Alaska State Troopers.

Richard Hoverstein, 52, of Seward, embarked on a canoe trip at about 4:45 p.m. on Sunday and planned to travel from the intersection of Herman Leirer Road and Old Exit Glacier Road to the Seward Airport, according to the dispatch.

Hoverstein failed to arrive at the airport, so a friend flew over that stretch of the river in an airplane to search for Hoverstein but was unable to locate him.

Seward-based Alaska State Troopers and members of the Bear Creek Fire Department searched the river and riverbank until about midnight on Sunday, when the darkness and difficult terrain made it impossible to continue. The search resumed at about 8 a.m. on Monday. At about 10:30 a.m. Hoverstein’s body was found in a log jam with his canoe.

Bear Creek Fire Department assisted with the recovery of Hoverstein’s body. He was taken to the State Medical Examiner’s office in Anchorage for autopsy. Next of kin have been notified.

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