MINNESOTA, USA — Minnesota's north woods and boundary waters are breathtaking, serene, and remote - a rare place where you can get back to nature.
But that isolation can be detrimental if something goes wrong, which is where Department of Natural Resources helicopter pilot Grace Zeller comes in.
Her skills were put to the test back in May when Zeller was tasked with saving two canoeists who were badly hurt after their canoe went over a waterfall.
"My job was to fly the aircraft," said Zeller. "Everything that happens as a result of that is a benefit."
She was responding to a call about four people who had gone over Curtain Falls near the Canadian border, including Reis Grams and his friend who, at the time, were still missing. The other two, one of whom was Grams' brother, were badly hurt.
"I'd say landing remotely in the dark was definitely the most challenging," said Zeller about the rescue.
She had to fly from her office in Brainard to the airport in Ely and then another 15 minutes to the scene. The area is surrounded by trees that the helicopter's rotors had to clear. And if the water level was low enough, landing on rocks was her only option.
The helicopter weighs about 2,000 pounds.
"You don't necessarily need to bring the helicopter all the way out of flight mode, so you're still hovering, but you're balanced on something," said Zeller. "That was a moment I had to take real slow, real careful."
Zeller made the trip twice to rescue two men, without knowing where the others were.
"I can't imagine leaving people still missing," said Zeller. "I knew that was going to be really hard for the guys."
She has been flying helicopters for a decade and says she has to stay focused on her job during emotional missions.
"They’re already better off with the helicopter there, so you can’t try to make anything go faster, you can’t try to do anything more than just fly the aircraft," said Zeller, who was recently recognized for her efforts that day with a lifesaving award from the DNR.
Grams' brother has since been recovered and was at the event, along with Reis' wife. According to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, Reis' body was found on June 3 - several weeks after the tragedy.
"It could have been a lot worse situation and it was already bad enough, but things could have spiraled from there, so we’re very fortunate for the rescue effort, from everyone involved, especially Grace," said Erik Grams.
Zeller will also be a guest at an event on September 21st called Girls in Aviation which is designed to introduce young women to aviation. It's at Flying Cloud Airport and will run from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Jet Lynx private hangar and will offer speakers, exhibitors, educational activities, demonstrations and static displays.
Admission to the event is free, but registration is required.