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IQALUIT - A man was rescued last Tuesday after nearly two days on the land, having abandoning his broken snowmobile and attempting to walk back to Iqaluit.

Unaware that anyone was looking for him, Mark McCormack walked 30 kilometres over more than a day while volunteers searched and attempted to track him.

RCMP Sgt. Jimmy Akavak, who co-ordinates police with search and rescue operations, said rescuers were amazed how much ground McCormack managed to cover on foot, tracking him by snow machine for 10 hours.

"'This guy can walk!' they told me," Akavak said.

McCormark set out to explore Ward Inlet south of Iqaluit Sunday afternoon when his snowmobile broke down. He had not planned to spend the night on the land and was not carrying adequate supplies or shelter.

The alarm was raised when he did not show up for work Monday morning. Searchers grew more concerned when some hunters returned to Iqaluit with McCormack's snowmobile. They had been able to dislodge it from being stuck using their own snow machines and drove it back to town.

Akavak said people lost or stranded on the land should not abandon their snowmachines unless there is imminent danger such as unstable ice as a bulky snow machine is easier to spot than someone on foot.

"If he had been there he would have been helped much sooner," Akavak said.

Another reason to avoid walking is because sweating can make clothes damp and lead to hypothermia.

McCormack trekked to a cabin marked on his hand-held global positioning system but found it incomplete - just a floor platform, insulation, some old food, stove and lumber.

Akavak said there were closer cabins McCormack could have accessed, but they might not have shown up on his GPS.

Searchers tracked McCormack as he made a bee-line across sea ice for the next cabin on his GPS. He didn't stay there long, apparently intent on making it back to Iqaluit, still more than 40 km away.

The searchers were encouraged by the fresh tracks, but deep snow made it difficult to pursue McCormack by snow machine.

They finally caught up with the lost man on Tuesday morning, March 24, near open salt water, and returned him to Iqaluit.

Akavak said McCormack was dehydrated but unharmed, if understandably emotional over his rescue.

"He was very happy to see human beings," Akavak said.

Open water is dangerous because it suggests thin ice, and can soak into boots and contribute to hypothermia, Akavak said.

Akavak was grateful to the 50-odd volunteers who helped in the search and rescue operations.

"It simply wouldn't be possible without them," he said.

McCormack was still recovering from his journey and declined to comment.