Mt Whitney Zone
Posted By: Ken Poster AsABat passes away - 08/13/12 05:24 AM




Quote:
Searchers found an overdue California hiker dead of apparent natural causes
Saturday afternoon at his campsite near Charlton Lake in the Cascades,
Deschutes County sheriff's deputies said.

The sheriff's office had received a report around 8:30 p.m. Friday of an
overdue hiker, identified as William Jeffery, 54, of San Marcos, Calif.,
said sheriff's Capt. Shane Nelson.

Jeffery's wife told deputies her husband was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
after she had dropped him off at Elk Lake last Tuesday.

Nelson said she last heard from her husband on Thursday, when he told her
he was going to camp at Charlton Lake, located east of Waldo Lake near the
crest of the Cascades, and to meet her at Odell Lake to camp on Friday.
When he didn't show up, she called authorities.

Jeffery had never hiked this section of the PCT, Nelson said, but his wife
said he was an experienced hiker, well-equipped with food, water and
shelter.

Because of that, and the fact it was getting dark, deputies decided to wait
and see if he hiked out on his own the next morning, Nelson said.

When he didn't arrive by 10 a.m., the Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue
members and deputies headed to the Charlton Lake area. Lane County SAR
responded as well, since the lake and some of the trail is in that county,
Nelson said.

Deschutes County searchers found Jeffery's body around 3:30 p.m. at his
camp near the Lake, Nelson said.

The death appears to be from natural causes, Nelson said, but the
investigation is continuing, assisted by sheriff's detectives.




Posted By: Steve C Re: Poster AsABat passes away - 08/13/12 06:13 AM
Whoa! That is so unusual to die while out on a hike -- of natural causes. It sure must be a shock to his wife.

Rest in peace, Asabat. My condolences to his wife and family.
Posted By: BryanB Re: Poster AsABat passes away - 08/13/12 07:05 AM
Also saw this on the PCT email list, where he was a frequent poster. So sad...and he was so young.

I guess it just goes to show you really never know when it will be your time, and to enjoy life as much as you can each day you're still here.
Posted By: Harvey Lankford Re: Poster AsABat passes away - 08/13/12 12:00 PM
This is so sad, only 54

As some of you know, I love mountain quotes. This one reflects, despite the tragedy, that he died doing what he loved rather than dying in other circumstances:

But no journalist wrote about the banality of city life or how easy it is to become another automaton paying bills and working nine to five and being so removed from the primary necessities of life and so far from real fear and natural beauty and human instinct that when death finally approaches in some antiseptic white room, just as you have been waiting for it, you sense that you have already been dead for years.
Jonathan Waterman, In The Shadow of Denali page 246
Posted By: Brent N Re: Poster AsABat passes away - 08/13/12 06:01 PM
Vaya Con Dios.
Posted By: wagga Re: Poster AsABat passes away - 08/13/12 06:42 PM
Rest in peace, Asabat. My condolences to his wife and family.
Posted By: Steve C Re: Poster AsABat passes away - 08/15/12 06:42 AM
Originally Posted By: Ken


William Jeffery, 54, of San Marcos, Calif.,




Just so people know...

AsABat Bill Jeffrey had an extensive PCT website:   4 Jeffrey Net

He also had a HAM radio website: His radio call signal was AA6J. His site encouraged Scouts to earn their Radio Merit Badge.

His roots with scouting and hiking go really deep. He posted that he was in scouting with the twin brothers of Rosie Heid, now Rosie Breen (Rosabella).

We have surely lost a good man. Rest in peace, Bill.

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