Hopefully I am posting this in the proper spot.

Jeremy Fry, olyhiker, from Backpacker.com is missing. If any of you are in the PNW and see him please contact the authorities. He hasn't been seen since the end of January and he left his dog unattended at home. Here is the poster and further information. There is also information posted at the Backpacker.com forums.

Jeremy was found and it was a very sad outcome.

http://www.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=852107219;t=9991132874;st=0;&#entry9991802988

Laurie - this just sucks. I enjoyed his posts. May he rest in peace.

Absolutely terrible news.

May he rest in peace

From the lack of explanation here and on backpacker.com, I gather his death is no accident (self inflicted). That is sad indeed.

RIP Jeremy.

Blue sky, clear water, and the wind at your back.

Any word on what happened? If it was an accident, perhaps we can all learn something from this terrible incident. Knowledge leads to future prevention. Sad.

1/24
He posts, "My tears are dry and I feel numb. I experienced a beautiful shaker service, felt the pain that only family feels. I hung my head as he was put in the ground and could barely stand seeing my friends hurting so bad. I cannot speak his name for a year because it would disturb his journey to the other side, but I can say RIP my brother. I will see you someday and we will walk together in the woods, mountains and shores of the Olympics.
I'm tired and need to go for a walk in the mountains. Jer"

1/24-1/30
Posts a few more times with last login on 1/30.

1/31
Debit card used for gas.

2/5
Post for him missing. States he left home with no gear and left his dog.

2/6
Post that he is found dead. It seems people knew where to look for him since he was found so quickly. No mention of chronic illness or accident, only this, "He died in his own peaceful way and in an area he loved."

Edited by jshann on 02/07/2010 11:14:11 MST.

Body found in remote area
of Jefferson may be Harborite

Sunday, February 7, 2010 1:12 AM PST

The Daily World

A body believed to be that of an Aberdeen man was found near Yahoo Lake in Jefferson County on Saturday, about 25 miles northeast of Queets, near the Olympic Corrections Center.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Andy Pernsteiner said the office received a call just after 1 p.m. of a possible body in a truck on a forest road near the lake.

Pernsteiner said deputies arrived to find the deceased man in the vehicle, and turned the body over to the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office. Though no positive identification has yet been made, Pernsteiner said the man is believed to be an Aberdeen resident.

Grays Harbor Deputy Coroner George Patrick confirmed Saturday that the man’s body was in the coroner’s care. Patrick said a positive identification and decisions on a possible autopsy would come early next week.

Pernsteiner added that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will handle the investigation, and that more will be know after the Grays Harbor Coroner’s Office can give them a positive ID and cause of death.

“That’s all we know right now,” Pernsteiner said.


BODY IDENTIFIED AS MISSING MOCLIPS MAN

Undersheriff Rick Scott says the body found in the Lake Yahoo area of Jefferson County has been identified as a missing Moclips man. Undersheriff Rick Scott says authorities identified the body of Jeremy Fry today. The 33 year old disappeared on January 30th. While the Jefferson County authorities will investigate the scene where Fry's body was found on Saturday, Scott says it appears the death was a suicide.

Edited by jshann on 02/08/2010 18:46:51 MST.

Jeremy was a long time friend of mine, Dicentra and Hoosierdaddy and one of our best hiking partners.

Many of us spent our weekend in the Olympics for our brother in heart.

Please don't press on the why and how. Just remember him for who he was - a good man.

nm

Edited by jshann on 02/07/2010 22:03:17 MST.

Sarah, I am sorry for the loss of your friend.

Because I believe that suicide can be partly a failure of society to help a person maintain hope through some very difficult times in life, I think suicide prevention is a topic that should be mentioned when appropriate.

The latest stats from 2005 show that 25,000+ persons took their lives that year. Suicide was a top five killer in the 10-44 age group.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_08.pdf

For more information to better understand, detect warning signs of, and help prevent suicide, see the information below.
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/index.html
http://www.suicidology.org/web/guest/stats-and-tools/warning-signs
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/suicide/prevention.html

Edited by jshann on 02/08/2010 07:57:46 MST.

http://www.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=852107219;t=9991132874;st=0

If anyone would like to share, that is where many of us have posted memories, stories and photos.

Sarah,

I too am sorry for the loss of your friend. I wish I could have known him outside of our private conversations on the forums.

I know the circumstances of his death are a very sensitive subject but John provides some good information and if that can help this from happening to anyone else then that is a good thing.

I keep going over in my mind about anything I could have done during our conversations to have prevented this. It's just heart-wrenching that there are people who feel so lost.

Jeremy and I had discussed my arranging a Native friend of ours, who is an elder, to take me to a place in Temagami called Spirit Rock next year. The purpose was to say a prayer and leave an offering for his friend, Howie, who had taken his own life in January. I will be doing that for Jeremy as well, now. I had intended not to say anything publicly about this trip that was planned. Doing this is part of keeping my promise to Jeremy but also it gives me a chance to honor his memory in my own way. I won't be talking about him any further although I will be thinking of him... I'm not being cold but in some Native cultures, there is a belief that one must be silent about the person for a year or it may delay the journey of his soul.

Edited by Laurie_Ann on 02/08/2010 09:54:58 MST.

This is not the time or place to discuss it, having have gone through this before in my life if someone has that much pain there is little any of us can do. Second guessing doesn't heal anything. What is, is. I do not judge a person's decisions. We cannot change what people need to do nor think we can be heroes. There is no blame on anyone.

Jeremy had his own belief system and followed his own path in life.

If Jer had a motto in life it was come as you are. I'd rather remember that than anything else.

Or has he and I would joke...living in a van down by the river - just make it the Wishka River and a depleted bridge by the lumbermills. Maybe go wander Humptulips or the Queets. Those who grew up in rural Washington in the dying timber towns understand that one.

Sarah, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your friend Jeremy. I don't know him, but if he was a friend of yours, then he was a very good man, indeed. My prayers go to his family and friends.

"he left his dog unattended at home"

Poor dog! How long was it before they found the dog? I hope the dog at least had some water...

Jer didn't post here. And it is disrespectful to both his memory and those who loved him to try and second guess whether or not we could have done anything.

We all loved him and will miss him terribly. Now please let him be at rest.

Not everything in the newspaper article is accurate. They didn't even get the city correct.

FWIW - the dog is and has always been with family.

"the dog is and has always been with family."

Phew, that's good to know.