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A Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue Op
for
Joseph Robert Clewley
Missing since July 13, 2008

by
Michael A. Neiger (a.k.a. LandNavMan)
Senior SAR Team Leader
Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue
Marquette :: Michigan

Introduction:
Joe's dog Chip and his trailhead vehicle

Page contents
     • Chip, Joe's trusty dog (Chip has been located!)
     • Joe's trailhead vehicle

The trail has taught me much.
I know now the varied voices of the coyote—the wizard of the mesa.
I know the solemn call of herons and the mocking cry of the loon.
I remember a hundred lovely lakes,
and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees.
The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.
It has given me blessed release from care and worry
and the troubled thinking of our modern day.
It has been a return to the primitive and the peaceful.
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and benumbs my brain,
I seek relief in the trail;
and when I hear a coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me—I am happy.
—Hamlin Garland, "Hitting the Trail," McClure's, February 1899

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Joe’s 9-year-old dog Chip is a black-and-white chow-springer mix with a black tongue and curly tail. He weighs 45 pounds, stands 21 inches tall, and is 38 inches long. A male, his fur is 1.5 to 2 inches in length.

Chip would have been wearing a silver choker-chain collar without a license. Joe reportedly did not use a leash in the bush with Chip. Chip's bark is shrill and piercing, and he answers to the name name Chip.

According to Joe's family, Chip is so loyal that he will not leave Joe's side.

Like Joe, Chip has not been seen since July 13, 2008.

Chip, Joe Clewley's dog, is a black-and-white chow-springer mix. (Photo courtesy of the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office.)

Joe's dog Chip has been located

Joe's dog Chip was found outside the Clewley cabin about 2:00 a.m. on August 1, 2008. He appeared to be in good condition—healthy and clean—despite his 20-day ordeal. He was a little thin though, having lost perhaps 20 percent of his body weight.

Chip, Joe's faithful dog, two days after his return to the Clewley Cabin. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

Russell Clewley (Joe Clewley's son), Chip, and Lorraine Clewley (Joe's wife), with Chip after his return to the Clewley Cabin. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

Joe Clewley's vehicle—a 1992, Oldsmobile, Silhouette, silver, 5-door, van with Michigan license plates—was found parked at the North Country Trail trailhead along the north side of Tahqua Trail, about 5.1 miles west of M-123.

Joe Clewley's 1992, Oldsmobile, Silhouette van, after having been removed from the North Country Trail trailhead along the Tahqua Trail. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

Joe Clewley's 1992, Oldsmobile, Silhouette van, after having been removed from the North Country Trail trailhead along the Tahqua Trail. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

The North Country Trail Trailhead along the Tahqua Trail where Joe Clewley's 1992 Oldsmobile was found. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

The North Country Trail Trailhead along the Tahqua Trail where Joe Clewley's 1992 Oldsmobile was found. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

 

In God's wilderness lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.
 —John Muir (1838-1914), Alaska Wilderness, 1890

If you've been able to read this Web page...
thank a Teacher;
If you've been able to read this Web page in English...
thank a Veteran.
—Author unknown

Learn about upcoming trips and expeditions of the Michigan Bush Rats

Joe Clewley, Joe R. Clewley, Joe Robert Clewley, Joseph Clewley, Joseph R. Clewley, Joseph Robert Clewley

You're here: MiBSAR :: SAR Ops :: Joe Clewley SAR Ops Page :: Joe's dog and vehicle
You're here: Backpacker Magazine's Midwest Forum :: Joe Clewley Discussion Thread :: Joe Clewley SAR Ops Page :: Joe's dog and vehicle