Search for Kugluktuk man ends sadly

The search for Charlie Hokanak of Kugluktuk ended on Dec. 5 when the 58-year-old hunter was found dead about 118 kilometres from Kugluktuk.

The apparent cause of death was exposure.

Hokanak, a Canadian Ranger and a hamlet employee, was last seen on Nov. 23 when he separated from a group of hunters near Kugluktuk.

The Canadian Forces, RCMP and Kugluktuk Search and Rescue scoured the ground and air for 13 days before they found Hokanak a short distance from his snowmobile.

Donations of money, fuel, food and oil poured in from as far away a Cambridge Bay.

Search officials say bad weather and white-out conditions hampered the search.

Hokanak was a decorated Arctic Ranger with 17 years of service. He was the recipient of the Special Service medal and the Canadian Forces Decoration.