On Monday, the life of 21-year-old college student Joel Tranby was tragically cut short when he fell several hundred feet down a rocky ravine while hiking in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains.
His girlfriend, who was with him at the time, called for help but was unable to locate him. Sgt. Tom Speldrich of the Lane County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Tranby stopped responding verbally before rescuers arrived.
His girlfriend was rescued by helicopter, while a search mission with volunteer teams, Oregon National Guard Blackhawk crews and drones were all unsuccessful in locating Tranby’s body. However, upon analyzing drone footage, Tranby’s body was eventually located on Wednesday. Now, authorities are consulting climbing experts to determine if his body can be safely recovered.
Tranby, who was from Bend, was a major part of his community, according to family members. He was an avid nature-lover who used to coach his former high school’s Nordic Ski Team and was planning to graduate college in December. His family has created a GoFundMe page to create a scholarship in his memory and to cover any expenses needed to recover his body from the mountain.