The Tenmile Range in Colorado, where a skull belonging to Jack McAtee was found. ( rjones0856 via Flickr) 
 
 It had been weeks since Jack McAtee was last heard of, and his father was feeling desperate. 
 
 He reached out to local police, printed fliers featuring pictures of his son — brown hair, green eyes, toothy grin — delved into hiking books and traveling blogs to figure out where the outdoors-loving 27-year-old might have gone next. 
 
 And over and over again, Steve McAtee read his son’s favorite book: “Into the Wild,” Jon Krakauer’s grim chronicle of another young man who vanished into the wilderness and then died there. Hoping for an answer. Hoping that story wouldn’t soon become Jack’s. 
 
 Jack McAtee, a St. Louis native living in the ski town of Breckenridge, had been driving amid the mountains of Colorado when his car swerved off the road and tumbled more than 100 feet into a river below, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The car was totaled, but, miraculously, McAtee swam to the surface and escaped with only a scratch above his left eye. He had fallen asleep at the wheel, he told a state trooper that Thursday evening last September. 
 
 But the trooper’s suspicions were roused by the young man’s odd behavior — he seemed carefree one moment, erratic the next — so he took McAtee to the hospital, then to protective custody at the local jail, then to a mental health facility at Summit Safe Haven in Frisco, Colo., a mountain town at the northern end of Colorado’s Tenmile Range. 
 
 The next morning, according to Colorado newspaper the Summit Daily News, McAtee walked out of Safe Haven with just $67 and the clothes on his back. And that was the last anyone saw of him. There were no more phone calls, no bank withdrawals, no run-ins with the police. Nothing. 
 
 Until this August, when a pair of French hikers bushwhacking down a mountain near Frisco came across a skull on the rugged, steep slopes. 
 
 The skull, DNA tests revealed, was Jack’s. 
 
 “Our search has come to fruition,” Steve McAtee wrote on a Web site set up to find his son. “Our closure is at hand.” 
 
 His son was gone, he continued, “There’s nobody now who saw just what Jack saw, knows what he knew, remembers what he remembered, loves what he loved.” 
 
 But the McAtees tried. During the year they spent wondering what had become of Jack, the McAtee family tracked him across the country in an attempt to see what he saw, to know what he knew, convinced that being in the mountains he loved would tell them something about why he had vanished. 
 
 Friends,Please go to: www.findjackmcatee.comThis is an update we would like to get out to all the wonderful people… Posted by Steve McAtee on Friday, October 9, 2015 
 
 They began in the spot where he was last seen: the gravel cliff above the Dillon Reservoir. Standing before the mountain-ringed reservoir, Steve McAtee recorded a short video for his son, panning the camera across the pristine landscape. At the end, he turned the lens toward himself. 
 
 “I love you Jack,” McAtee said. “Wherever you are.” 
 
 He left no physical evidence behind, but the family had a few leads. According to the Summit Daily News, McAtee had asked the state trooper who responded to his crash if hitchhiking was allowed in Colorado. 
 
 Within certain guidelines, the trooper explained. 
 
 Then McAtee asked the trooper the best destination to hitchhike to using nearby Interstate 70. 
 
 “Moab,” the man responded. 
 
 Moab, Utah. Lead No. 1. Steve McAtee and one of his four daughters traveled to the desert city and got the local newspaper to run an article on Jack. They flew low over peaks he used to rave about, eyes straining for some kind of sign of where he’d been. 
 
 Then there were the leads from Jack’s own history, which Steve McAtee hashed out endlessly on the FindJackMcAtee Web site. His sense of adventure — he used to fly planes in Alaska. His commitment to service — he once spent a month living and working at a homeless shelter. His admiration for Chris McCandless, the focus of “Into the Wild,” who, like McAtee, grew up in the suburbs but then fled into the wilderness, where he lived for a time on the strength of his survival skills and a Thoreauvian desire to disconnect. Perhaps he was piloting flights for fishermen in Alaska, or volunteering at a shelter in a big city like San Francisco or Houston. Perhaps he’d just gone deep into the wild around Frisco, where 10- and 12- and 14-thousand-foot mountains and endless acres of trees would shield him from the outside world. 
 
 Alaska, shelter, mountains. Leads 2, 3 and 4. Steve McAtee reached out to his contacts in Alaska. He posted Jack’s missing poster on the Facebook pages of homeless shelters in cities across the West and Midwest. All six of the McAtees flew out to Summit County and ensured that signs about their brother and son were posted at every trailhead. Riding a mountain bike up and down the steep slopes, the family stopped every hiker they came across and held up Jack’s photo. Have you seen this man? 
 
 During the winter months, when it was impossible to stay in Colorado and scour the mountains, Steve McAtee devoted himself to reading about lives lived off the grid. “Travelers,” or “Rainbow people,” as he called them, migrated from town to town without cell phones, jobs, permanent housing or bank accounts. He studied these drifters ceaselessly, trying to figure out what might have appealed to Jack — the creative chaos of Burning Man? the California winter campsite “Slab City,” where McCandless had once stayed? 
 
 Then there was the other lead, the one the McAtees didn’t want to think about. Jack had stopped taking medicine for bipolar disorder just before the crash, the family told the Summit Daily News. It had happened before, and on three of those occasions he’d gone missing for a short while. Usually he popped back up again. 
 
 But the state trooper who met Jack McAtee wrote in his report on the incident that he believed the crash might have been intentional, according to the Summit Daily News. Maybe he was trying to die. 
 
 Maybe he was already dead. 
 
 “At times, it’s a bit like being in the wilderness ourselves,” Steve McAtee wrote on Thanksgiving, 2014. “At times the lack of hope and feelings that it may be all over, that Jack may be dead and never found. And yes, we all understand that very well could be the case.” 
 
 His updates from this summer are more optimistic. “It was a long cold winter,” McAtee wrote during a visit to Colorado in July, “… Even in light of the fact that Jack has now been missing for such a long time,we remain vigilant, hopeful and thankful for [friends and family] — even in the face of despair.” 
 
 When the Summit County Sheriff’s Office called Steve McAtee in August to alert him about the skull, he tried not to assume the worst. 
 
 “We don’t have any information yet,” he told the Summit Daily News. “I would call it inconsequential at this stage.” 
 
 Two months later, the information came: Jack had died. 
 
 What’s still not clear is when, or how. Taniel Ilano, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, told the Denver Post the investigation into McAtee’s death is ongoing. 
 
 But in his message on his Web site, Steve McAtee doesn’t ask those questions. The biggest one, the one that’s dogged him for the past year, already has an answer: “A person, an irreplaceable person, is gone.” 
 
 Correction: A previous version of this post incorrectly identified Jack McAtee’s father. His name is Steve McAtee. 
 
 More from Morning Mix 
 
 Great white shark devours a seal on camera as Alcatraz tourists watch in awe ||||| Jack McAtee's skull was found on Peak 1 in August by hikers 
 
 Breckenridge resident Jack McAtee, 27, went missing in Frisco on Sept. 19, 2014. A skull found near the summit of Peak 1 matched his identity according to recent DNA test results. (Summit County Daily) 
 
 Summit County authorities said Monday a skull found by hikers in August is that of a 27-year-old Breckenridge man who went missing in September 2014. 
 
 Jack McAtee's skull was the only of his remains located on Peak 1, according to officials. The county sheriff's office said the positive identification was done using DNA. 
 
 McAtee, whose family said he was bipolar, disappeared a day after he drove his car into Dillon Reservoir and swam to safety with only minor injuries. 
 
 A Colorado State Patrol report said his black sedan veered onto the paved bicycle path, cutting through a 10-foot opening between a steel guardrail and a concrete highway barrier, according to a Colorado State Patrol report. The car left the path, rolling for about 135 feet across dirt and gravel along the reservoir. It went airborne for 110 feet, turning end over end, before it crashed into the water. 
 
 The car was almost entirely submerged, the report said. 
 
 McAtee was taken to a hospital by authorities and then evaluated by a psychologist because he was acting erratically. He was then released and never heard from again. 
 
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 "Our search has come to fruition," McAtee's family said in a statement posted on a website aimed at finding the missing man. "Our closure is at hand, albeit we acknowledge it will be a lifelong process." 
 
 There was an expansive search for McAtee after he went missing, which included the Breckenridge Search and Rescue Team who "dedicated thousands of man hours," the statement on findjackmcatee.com said. 
 
 Family members initially believed McAtee possibly had been hitchhiking. Searchers sought the help of truckers and truck stops throughout the state and beyond, widely circulating McAtee's picture. 
 
 Taniel Ilano, spokeswoman for the Summit County Sheriff's Office, said an investigating into McAtee's death remains active and ongoing. 
 
 "There's been no determination on manner or cause of death," she said. 
 
 Jesse Paul: 303-954-1733, jpaul@denverpost.com or @JesseAPaul 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| The day before he went missing Breckenridge resident Jack McAtee crashed his car into Dillon Reservoir at around 6:40 p.m. on Sept. 18. 
 
 His black sedan veered onto the paved bicycle path, cutting through a 10-foot opening between a steel guardrail and a concrete highway barrier, according to a Colorado State Patrol report. The car left the path, rolling for about 135 feet across dirt and gravel along the reservoir. It went airborne for 110 feet, turning end over end, before it crashed into the water. 
 
 His car was almost entirely submerged. Miraculously, he swam to the surface, with only a laceration above his left eye. 
 
 McAtee claimed he had fallen asleep at the wheel. A state trooper interviewing McAtee said he did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In fact, McAtee had recently stopped taking his medication for bipolar disorder, according to family members. 
 
 The state trooper did not know that as he took McAtee to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center for medical clearance and then to the Summit County jail for a mental evaluation. The trooper just knew that McAtee was acting erratically, his moods swinging from irritated to chatty. 
 
 At one point, McAtee asked the trooper if hitchhiking was legal in Colorado. Within certain guidelines, it can be, the trooper explained. McAtee then asked him where he would hitchhike if heading west on Interstate 70. Just making conversation, the trooper said, “Moab.” The trooper left McAtee in a holding cell at the jail. At first, McAtee was in high spirits. Then he cried in his cell. Then, before the trooper departed, McAtee seemed to be in a good mood again. 
 
 The next day McAtee met with a psychologist. He was released at around 11 a.m. on Sept. 19. He was wearing a red hoodie and a tan hat. He had $67 in his pocket. 
 
 His friends and family haven’t seen him or heard from him since. 
 
 McAtee, a gregarious and adventuresome 27-year-old who had lived in Breckenridge for about 5 years, had gone missing three times after going off his medication, but never for this long. 
 
 Picking up on the hitchhiking theme in the troopers report, his family quickly assembled a team of volunteers, getting the word out to truck stops stretching from Salt Lake to St. Louis, where the McAtee family is from. 
 
 The Moab Times-Independent published a story on McAtee’s disappearance just in case he followed up on the trooper’s suggestion. The story generated more than 10,000 clicks, but no one there has yet to report a sighting. 
 
 However, a trucker in the Wheat Ridge area near Denver was convinced he saw McAtee. 
 
 Because of that tip, and the fact McAtee has made no bank transactions since his disappearance, the family is now focusing efforts closer to home. They now believe it’s possible he is still in the Summit County area. Posters have been put up all over town and along trailheads. 
 
 McAtee’s father, Steve McAtee, is currently leading search efforts from Breckenridge. 
 
 “In case you are reading this, Jack, your mother and I and your four sisters Megan, Maddy, Katherine, and Ali love you with all our hearts,” he wrote in an email. “And we want to be with you now, more than ever. We love you. Come home.” 
 
 Summit County sheriff’s spokeswoman Taneil Ilano told the Moab Times-Independent that McAtee’s disappearance is being investigated as a missing-person case. 
 
 Anyone who has seen McAtee — who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 170 pounds and has green eyes — or who has information concerning his whereabouts is asked to call the Summit County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 668-8600. ||||| Update number 14 - July 8, 2015 
 
 
 
 Today, July 8th, marks 293 days since Jack's disappearance from Frisco, Colorado on September 19, 2014. Jack's status remains unchanged, missing. The website –www.findjackmcatee.com has almost 40,000 hits. 
 
 
 
 It was a long cold winter for our Family as we waited to hear some word of Jack. Winter turned to spring, spring to summer, and still no solid leads. I do not know how we possibly could've gotten this far without all of the great friends we have.Thank you for all of the prayers that have been lifted up and are continually being lifted up for Jack and our entire family. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Even in light of the fact that Jack has now been missing for such a long time,we remain vigilant, hopeful, and thankful for you - even in the face of despair. All we want to do is find Jack and bring him back to good mental health. And if that's not possible, we desire closure. 
 
 
 
 After eight months of careful review of all the evidence, Jack's personal profile and everything that has been done using social media and an incredibly talented group of people on the ground here in Summit County - expert consensus is that there is a 50-50 chance that Jack is still alive. There is a 50% chance that Jack wandered off into the wilderness and attempted to survive. There is a 50% chance that Jack successfully left the area either hitchhiking or on his mountain bike and resumed Life with a new identity- a new life in another part of the country, living under the grid most probably in the western United States. We are covering both aspects. Both locally here in Summit County and now again stretching out west, we are going to extend our search considerably at this time using social media. And this is where I will ask for your help later in this message to help, once again in spreading the information about Jack. 
 
 
 
 First - Summit County, Colorado. 
 
 
 
 Colorado experienced record snowfalls this spring with some 89 inches fallen between April 16th and May 31st. This delayed any kind of restarting of the search locally in Summit County until such time that the snows were sufficiently melted. 
 
 
 
 Our family deeply appreciates the thousands of man hours that Is continually being spent and will be by the Summit County Sheriff's Department, it's coordination with the internationally acclaimed Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) including 65 active members and seven mission coordinators and the Summit County Flight-For-Life team. After months of careful analysis of all the evidence that has been collected about Jack, the Summit County Sheriff department and (SCRG) has developed an extremely comprehensive and accurate profile of Jack utilizing the statistics of thousands of cases in order to narrow a search plan locally this summer for Jack in Summit County based on his profile as it pertains to a missing person's behavior, to narrow the geographic focus of the search in the area. We have identified a specific geographic area immediately adjacent to the hospital where Jack was last seen as a renewed focus. Also, the entire 10 Mile Range which stretches from Frisco to Copper Mountain, Colorado. Jack loved this area, knew it well, and it contains some very high spires of rock which Jack loved to climb. This range has 14,000 foot peaks. We are specifically interested in the upper terrain and interested in searching the bottom of the bowls. This area takes a technical person to actually navigate and is far from the area that is populated by recreational tourists.This is an area that through Jack's profile, we understand would be attractive to him. 
 
 
 
 TO EVERYONE living in Breckenridge, Frisco, and Dillon, CO. 
 
 
 
 One of the things that remains a great mystery to all of us- The location of Jack's bike. Jack had a very good mountain bike – a blue TREK, with a split seat. This particular bike is the bike of choice for very serious mountain bikers, and Jack was never without it, having explored endless trails throughout the mountain ranges within Summit County. We have been unable to locate the bike, having searched every bike repair store in Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, and Dillon. The bike is missing and remains a key piece of evidence. If he had had his bike, he could've made it very far into the mountains. This would be good to know. If he sold his bike, he could've easily quickly sold it for from $800-$1200 and avoid using his bank account, which has several thousand dollars in it with no withdrawals. This is a key point because this would've allowed to Jack to assume a new identity and not be traced through electronic transactions. So therefore, I'm asking everyone in Breckenridge and the entire area to post this on their Facebook page and start a conversation about the blue TREK. Has anyone seen it? Does anyone know of anyone who purchased a bike like this in August or September, 2014?Any information about this bike would be very much appreciated now. Please report any information about the bike to the Summit County Sheriff. Thank you in advance. 
 
 
 
 Second - Everywhere Else 
 
 
 
 I am continually amazed the more that I find out about the forgotten tens of thousands of people in this country that live under the grid, intentionally. 
 
 I've learned a lot about the migration habits of these individuals to places seasonally which provide them the opportunity decent amount cash in a short period of time. 
 
 
 
 ALASKA - Fishing season is in high gear right now in Alaska. And the Alaskan fishing industry offers individuals under the grid the opportunity to make a large amount of cash in a short period of time. The labor for many of the thousands of boats that participate in the fishing season right now, is provided by individuals such as Jack who have migrated up from the lower 48. And Jack knows Alaska, having spent several weeks flying throughout the state in a private airplane. He could easily get to Alaska and around Alaska by hitching rides from private airports, Jack knows the aviation world. I am asking all of my personal friends in Alaska to post this on their Facebook page and ask their friends to do the same, notifying anyone they know who is in the fishing industry of www.findjackmcatee.com. And I am asking everyone else to creatively approach The many Alaskan fishing websites, advertising for jobs to be filled, with an Embed of the link quickly providing penetration of the Alaskan fishing industry via the web with a notification to go to: www.findjackmcatee.com 
 
 
 
 
 
 SLAB CITY - Slab City or The Slabs, is a campsite in the Sonoran Desert 156 miles northeast of San Diego, California. Several thousand campers use the site during the winter months. These people stay for only the winter before migrating north in the spring to cooler climates. This was noted as a destination for Chris McCandless in the book "Into The Wild". This was Jack's favorite book and therefore we suspect that he may have had it on his radar heading west. Please send this update to everyone that you know that lives in Southern California or the Southwest, ask them to post it on their Facebook page. Ask them to think of individuals they may know that would have some sort of connection to slab city. The website is: www.slabcity.org to discern creative ways to provide the link to www.findjackmcatee.com 
 
 
 
 BURNING MAN FEST - August 30 - September 7,2015. 
 
 
 
 Burning Man is a weeklong festival that is held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. The event begins on the last Monday in August and ends the first Monday in September. This particular event is a magnet for people that are living off the grid and each year attracts approximately 50,000 people. It's website is: burningman.org. Take a creative approach to post on "off the grid "blogs or websites and embed a link to Jack's website: www.findJackmcatee.com. 
 
 
 
 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA 
 
 
 
 Once again, Of particular Geographic interest in the state of California is Mendocino County. Such small towns that we are asking you to direct a link to the website in Northern California include the following: Ukiah, Willits, Boonville, Point Arena, Mendocino, Ferndale, Fortuna, Eureka, and Arkata. Essentially, the targeted area are all the small towns on US Highway 101 stretching north from Santa Rosa, California. Also, Placerville, California is of particular interest which is located just to the east of Sacramento. If you know anyone living in Northern California including any area in San Francisco to the north, please send instructions and respectfully request them to post the link to the website www.findjackmcatee.com on their Facebook pages and request that anyone actually living in those towns mentioned please print out the poster from the website and physically post it somewhere on the edge of town. Again, we are focusing in an area where there is a significant subculture of people that wish to remain off the grid. By the way, a great way to do this efficiently is to call the library and each of these towns, speak with the librarian, and ask Kylie if you could forward to her the link to Jack's website and ask her or him to post it on their Facebook page there. 
 
 
 
 Finally, Jack, if you happen to be following all of this, just know that all we want is knowledge of your well-being. Please give us a call, we love you more than you would ever imagine. I will be leaving the mountains today and journeying back to St. Louis. When I arrived here some 10 days ago, I looked at my inspirational journal and couldn't believe what it said, "You have journeyed up a steep, rocky path in recent days. The way ahead of you is shrouded in uncertainty. Look neither behind you nor before you. Instead, focus your attention on me, your constant companion. Trust that I will equip you for life whatever awaits you on your journey. " 
 
 
 
 I have been holding onto those words for the past 10 days. God is in control. I'm not. No matter what happens, our family knows beyond the shadow of a doubt that God has Jack in the palm of His hands, wherever he is. 
 
 
 
 If just one person in the world, as a result of all of this,would come to the Lord, it would all be worth it. We want to express our love to all of you as we wait to see how God will end the story. 
 
 
 
 Love, 
 
 
 
 The McAtee Family 
 
 
 
 Update number 13 - December 19th, 2014 
 
 
 
 
 
 ​Today, December 19th marks 101 days since Jack's disappearance from Frisco, Colorado on September 19th. Jack's status remains unchanged, missing. The website – www.findjackmcatee.com now approaching 31,000 hits due to the gracious help of our core friends and colleagues who have helped by drilling down the information on their Facebook pages or sharing the link via email to their friends and directing traffic as instructed by periodic updates. Our efforts to make sure we unturn each stone in our search for Jack remain in full force and unabated. States of Colorado, Utah and California have been absolutely saturated by the efforts of this website. We feel adequately covered in all places there and beyond. Our optimism remains vitally strong that Jack is still alive. We have one more assignment for you listed below as we request you to re-post a link to the website www.findjackmcatee.com. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The other night after dinner, my oldest brother Jack for whom I have great respect and after whom our son is named, said son Jack would be calling us on Christmas day. Brother Jack went on to conclude not surprisingly with a smile on his face that he was never wrong. We thanked him for the hopeful thought as it was exactly what we needed. As Ellen and I drove off, in my heart I said to God, "In my darkest night you brighten up the sky." You see we have the hope and knowledge that God is up to something and the best is yet to come. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I love my son's heart! I recently came across an incredible picture of him streaking across the Alaskan skies as co-pilot in formation with a group of fighter pilots passing closely by the mid section of Mount McKinley at approximately 11,000 feet on a perfectly clear day in a Diamond formation of high-speed experimental aircraft. This has been a biannual Sport Aviation expedition lead by my brother Tucker accompanied by a storied group of ex-fighter pilots for the past eight years. Passing right in front of Mount McKinley on a perfectly clear day, staring at that picture, I realized how much I love the heart of my son Jack, known for his quest for adventure and fearless expedition. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 There's no one I have ever met in my life that has a more tender heart for God than our Jack. A couple of years ago during this Christmas season in December, Jack was in the midst of a 30 day stint volunteering at a homeless shelter downtown.Living there 24 /7.He loved being there, helping and encouraging the homeless, making them feel better about themselves. Giving them a feeling of self worth and light at the end of the tunnel. Hope. That is the kind of heart he has. Always holding out hope for others. Perhaps at times so much so to the negation of his own hope. Gregarious, lovable, brilliant: all words commonly used to describe Jack by those who have known him. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 So here is the assignment and our humble request to our friends and colleagues if history repeats itself as is so often does, it is quite possible that Jack was drawn back into a shelter for this very experience once again during this Christmas season.. A homeless shelter is a great place to remain anonymous. Accordingly, we are asking that you post links to the website on your Facebook page and/or just share this email with as many people as you know in the following cities with the instructions to repost the link on their Facebook page as well as to any and all institutions which happen to either be related to or are shelters for the homeless. The cities include Denver, Salt Lake, Houston, Dallas, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Reno, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Kansas City, and St. Louis. We are targeting all homeless shelters in the cities. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 And Jack, if you're reading this, we want you to know that your story has had such a huge impact on thousands of people in the past 100 days. You are loved beyond what words can describe. I ask myself, "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts?" Day after day, with sorrow in my heart, wondering where you are. Wondering if you're even alive. Longing for that call, as we remember the incredibly relished times we have spent together over the last several decades, your family is reaching out to you with an indescribable love with full appreciation of just how valuable you are to us. We long for the moment to gather and remember what God has done. Worshiping Him in the middle of this storm same as we worship Him on a cloudless day. He is up to something and His timing is perfect. Looking at this through the eyes of infinity, this Christmas we celebrate with eager expectation the advent of Christ. And we anticipate that whatever is broken within you will be repaired and that God has made a way back. For Jesus was born as a light into a backdrop of darkness. Christmas is God lighting a candle and the darkness cannot overcome the light. God can't stop thinking about the day you're going to come home. Nor can we. Give us a call on Christmas Day and keep Uncle Jack's track record 100%. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 To all of you our friends and colleagues: Love from our family goes out to each and everyone of you at this incredibly special time of the year. We cannot adequately express how grateful we are for all of you uniting behind us in this effort to find Jack. And WHATEVER HAPPENS,we know that God will bring beauty out of the ashes. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. 
 
 
 
 ​With much love, The McAtee Family 
 
 
 
 
 
 ​Update Number 12 
 
 ​ 
 
 
 
 Today, Thanksgiving 2014, marks the 69th day since Jack's disappearance from Frisco, Colorado on September 19th. Jack's status remains unchanged, missing. The website – www.findjackmcatee.com now exceeds 27,000 hits due to the gracious help of our core friends and colleagues who have helped by drilling down the information on their Facebook pages and directing traffic as instructed by periodic updates. 
 
 
 
 
 
 ​Because of your protection, your trust, your hopes and perseverance, we feel your love. Whatever happens, we are still patiently awaiting an answer to our search for Jack. Colorado has been and continues to be searched very thoroughly. As illustrated in detail on previous updates, The search has been and continues to be a full-court press. We have put the word out even to the smallest of towns, posting the picture of Jack everywhere. Still, no solid leads. Our search using this website in Colorado has been exhaustive and even according to the authorities with whom we have been working very closely, it's effectiveness in getting the word out is unprecedented in any other case that they've ever worked on. 
 
 
 
 
 
 ​While the search in Colorado continues, we want to intensify our search in the State of California. Through our investigation, we have discovered several things that give us an indication that Jack may very well have headed in that direction. Although his bank account has not been touched, he did have enough money in his pocket to hitchhike to the coast. We are hoping that he may have gotten a job there and perhaps decided to change his identity. Jack could have utilized the name _John Pearson _for his new identity. Of particular Geographic interest in the state of California is Mendocino County. Such small towns that we are asking you to direct a link to the website in Northern California include the following: Ukiah, Willits, Boonville, Point Arena, Mendocino, Ferndale, Fortuna, Eureka, and Arkata. Essentially, the targeted area are all the small towns on US Highway 101 stretching north from Santa Rosa, California. Also, Placerville, California is of particular interest which is located just to the east of Sacramento. If you know anyone living in Northern California including any area in San Francisco to the north, please send instructions and respectfully request them to post the link to the website www.findjackmcatee.com on their Facebook pages and request that anyone actually living in those towns mentioned please print out the poster from the website and physically post it somewhere on the edge of town. Again, we are focusing in an area where there is a significant subculture of people that wish to remain off the grid. Thanks so much for your help here. 
 
 
 
 
 
 ​At times, it's a bit like being in the wilderness ourselves, at times the lack of hope and feelings that it may be all over, that Jack may be dead and never found. And yes, we all understand that very well could be the case, however, WHATEVER HAPPENS, we profess our love for you and what that love has done for our family. For love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, It keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 
 
 
 
 
 
 ​Our family has felt this love from you, and we continually thank God for it. It helps us persevere and so thoroughly illustrates our ache for relationship during this time and all the time for that matter. Our ache for our son Jack who we love so very very much. On this day of Thanksgiving, as you sit at the table, look around at each other and realize that each and every person sitting at the table today are so very precious to your life. Tell them that you love them. Take the opportunity to hold hands in a circle and pray for each other as you give thanks. And if you're so inclined, please include Jack and our family in your prayers today. We love you all, God bless you. Happy Thanksgiving 2014! 
 
 
 
 
 
 The McAtee Family 
 
 
 
 Update Number 11 - November 8th 
 
 Today marks the 50th day since Jack's disappeared from Frisco, Colorado on September 19th. Jack's status remains unchanged, missing. The website – www.findjackmcatee.com now exceeds 20,000 hits and between 2000 and 3000 Facebook shares just from the site alone. 
 
 Honestly, there have been days in recent weeks during which it seems all hope is vanishing. However, just when it gets dark internally, someone from among you sends us a letter, a note, an email that lifts us up and keeps us proactive with hope. While there have been a myriad of notes from personal friends, much of this communication comes from people whom we have never met. For this, the McAtee family is eternally grateful because it keeps us moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other, looking under every stone, not stopping and remaining ever hopeful. 
 
 
 
 During the past 50 days, each and every member of our immediate family-my wife Ellen and our daughters Megan, Maddy, Katherine, and Ali has traveled to Colorado and spent significant time and effort working in conjunction with the local authorities who have spent thousands of man hours searching for Jack. We have also spent approximately 10 days in Moab, Utah mountain biking, hiking the various places that Jack loved in this area. We also spent a couple of days flying low and slow over the coordinates of places Jack loved to hike there in Moab to get a Birdseye view of the off - trail sites that Jack was known to frequent. We have traveled the highways and the byways. We have searched the urban shelters.The mountains which are continuing to be searched by hunters. We have mountain biked trail after trail stopping people located at the edge of the wilderness areas giving them a poster showing Jack, and telling them the story. As mentioned in the prior update, there is a network of people that call themselves "travelers"that migrate from place to place within the state of Colorado. These individuals do not appear evident to tourists who visit Colorado, but are rather very much under the radar. One specific example of this type includes the "Rainbow People".The rainbow people are a band of what most people would call hippies which have decided to live off the grid. And as you can imagine because of the recent change in drug laws in Colorado, many additional like minded souls are streaming into the state. 
 
 The temperature in the mountains now falls to about 15° to 20° each night and has been doing so for at least the past four weeks-far too cold to make any hopeful assumptions that Jack may still be alive if he is in the wilderness area high elevations. However, there are a host of cities that are lower in altitude down on the plateau that are still warm enough as well as some small mountain towns ideal for "Travelers" this time of the year. This, for now, continues to be our target. 
 
 
 
 So therefore, I am asking once again for each of you who has any connections in Colorado to forward a link to the website – www.findJackMcAtee.com asking them to post it on their Facebook and likewise forward the link to anybody that they know who lives in a small town in Colorado. I have personally visited many small towns in Colorado but by no means have exhausted the search there. We can use the website for this purpose. The Colorado towns I'm specifically interested in drilling down on the include the following: Alma, Fairplay, Leadville, Buena Vista, Crested Butte, Creed, Del Norte, Pagosa Springs, Durango, Bayfield, Silverton, Ouray, Ophir, Telluride, Ridge Way, Montrose, Cortez, Dove Creek, Fruita, Grand Junction, Parachute, Rifle, Silt, New Castle, Glenwood Springs, Gypsum, Eagle, Avon, Fraser, Granby, Gunnison, Pueblo, and also Fort Collins. 
 
 
 
 Since the vast majority of these "Travelers" have neither a cell phone nor access to the Internet, please request anyone in these towns to post on their Facebook page and, if possible, to kindly print out the "Missing" poster from the website and take it out to someone they may know who is living on the fringes or simply physically post it somewhere on the edge of town where the migratory individuals may walk by. This is the only way we're going to get the word out effectively to this community of "travelers". 
 
 
 
 The leaves on the Aspen trees comprising the vast Aspen stands across Colorado and Eastern Utah have now fallen. However, each and everyone of the trees is still connected to the overall system of roots which Will continue to keep each tree alive until the new spring leaves begin to sprout. This is the story of our family and this mission because of you. You are our root system. You have been our strength, we have felt the hand of God through you. We are eternally grateful. Thank you. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. 
 
 ​ 
 
 We simply cannot express in words our love for our son Jack whose heart for God is Immense. We wanted to make sure that there was something on the website that if Jack were to go into a library somewhere and access the Internet, that he would see letters from each of us. This is our prayer. There is a new section in the "About" tab on the website entitled " Message to Jack from the Family". And Jack, in case you happen to be reading this instead of pushing the link on the "About" page, following are those letters: 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dear Jack, 
 
 This is Katherine. I think about you every day wondering where you are, and what you are doing. Sometimes I pick up my phone and try to call you, and then remember that I can not talk to you. We are all really hurting without knowing where you are, and hoping that you are okay. Each night before I go to bed, I pray that we find you soon. There are days that go by when I wish I could just hear your voice, and laugh about things with you. The Lugos and I were talking about so many funny childhood stories growing up with you, and how you are such an incredible person. Jack, you have no idea how many people love you, and miss you. So many people ask me about you, and how our family is. My heart doesn’t feel full with you being gone. You are our only brother out of the five of us. I really could not of asked for a truer, smarter, wiser, or loving brother. You are such a good person Jack. When I say that, I think it’s really rare to be a genuinely good person. You have such a kind heart that cares for people. There are a lot of people that you will meet along your path in life that come and go, but family is always there. We want you back with us! We want to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas and the rest of the year with you! We miss you. Things are truly not the same and never will be without you. You complete our family. I love you so much! There are so many incredible stories about you, which makes you such a unique and interesting person. Please keep hope if you are in danger, but if not and still do not want to come home, just call or email someone We just want to know that your okay! I love you Jack sooo much more than words can ever express. I just want to give you a hug, and laugh with you. I want to hear about the stories from the adventure you are on right now. I miss you! 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 
 
 Katherine 
 
 
 
 
 
 Jack, 
 
 I miss you so much and have tried SO hard to find you. I even loaded up my 8 week old Augie and brought him to Colorado with me to look for you. I am so baffled as to where you are and what could have possibly happened. There is not one hour that goes by that I don't think of you. I am heartbroken not knowing where you are. I call your phone and FB message you often hoping to get in touch with you. If you are traveling on your own adventure, there is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about...please just let us know where you are. I have felt like I have been so close to finding you so many different times just to feel you slip through my grasp. Please come home and tell me about your adventures and where you have been. There are no words to describe the agony of having a missing sibling. 
 
 I LOVE YOU. 
 
 
 
 Maddy 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dearest Jack, 
 
 We miss you more than you will ever know. Your absence has left a huge hole in the family that can never be repaired until you come home. I want you to know that I love you so very much. God gave us the most amazing brother, I can’t imagine a life without you. You make us laugh, your fill our hearts with joy, you have so much to give. The boys are ready to start skiing lessons from you, we need you home! Ali has her season pass, ready to ski with you every day. Katherine needs her friend to talk to and Maddy and I need to hear your amazing story of this adventure you have been on. I’m sure you will make us laugh, cry and shout with joy that you are back. We all wake up every morning with a prayer that today will be the day you come home to us. Mom and Dad are desperate to find you. Come home buddy, come home for the Holidays.I love you from the bottom of my heart. 
 
 
 
 Love, Meg 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Hey buddy, 
 
 "Not sure where you went man but it's not the same town when your not around. I miss you so much, and moved out here to be with you. I hope you didn't think I was mad at you, this summer with you was a blast. Every single person I see around town "even people I've never meet" ask about you. This town loves you man. But it's not the same without you and I don't think I'm going to stick around if your not coming back. 
 
 " I'm sorry I didn't have time to help you set up your fish tank with you a few days before you left. I really hope you didn't think I was mad at you because I love you so much and you mean the world to me. Your the best brother anyone could ask for. Love you so much, hope your ok somewhere. If you want to stay off then grid we'll all respect that but just a phone call to let us know your ok somewhere.Your are the smartest, most genuinely kind hearted person I know. And I know I'm not alone when I say I love you, I miss you, come home. 
 
 
 
 Love you so much, 
 
 
 
 Ali 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dear Jack, 
 
 
 
 Please watch the attached message from your crash site at Lake Dillon: http://vimeo.com/108730089 
 
 Love, 
 
 
 
 Mom & Dad 
 
 
 
 
 
 Thank you. All of you. And may God bless you greatly and hold you in the palm of His hand. The McAtee Family 
 
 
 
 
 
 Update Number 10 - Oct 21st 
 
 
 
 First, our family wants to reiterate our appreciation for the incredible care and love that you have shown us during this difficult time. Without you, we would've fallen flat on her face weeks ago. With you, we continue the search and we remain hopeful that Jack is going to eventually emerge and come back onto the grid. 
 
 
 
 Today marks the 32nd day since Jack's disappearance from Frisco, Colorado on September 19th. His missing status remains unchanged. 
 
 
 
 In my journeys throughout Colorado and Utah, I reread jack's favorite book "Into the Wild" wanting to rediscover the thought process of Christopher McCandless , the central character in the book, when he decided to vanish into the wilderness. Truth is, Jack and McCandless share many similar character traits. The difference being that Jack comes from an exceptionally close family and has always remained very tight with all of us. 
 
 The myriad of stories as result of this investigation of Jack's many friends who knew Jack well in Breckenridge, substantiates something that we've always known, an incredible character and similarity that Jack shares with McCandless. One key difference is that Jack has a very confident view of life through the eyes of Christ. Only this can explain the incredible antic adventures Jack embarked while living in Breckenridge. Things like climbing Mount Baldy near Breckenridge in the middle of a horrific snowstorm at midnight on skis with "Skins"with another adventurous friend and then skiing down in the darkness through the deep powder. Things like swinging through the Corona Arch in Moab on a bungee cord that Jack himself tied to the top of the arch. I will never forget standing on the runway and Spirit of St. Louis airport watching Jack solo at age 16. Later that year, Jack joined a group of a pilots including my brother Tucker and he spent 18 days flying throughout Alaska in formation with a group of military pilots. Having done this myself numerous times, I can only express that the wonder of flying low and fast over the glaciers in and around mountains as spectacular as Mount McKinley, was fuel for Jack's soul. But beyond that, Jack's fearlessness stems I think in large part from what he knows about his destiny in terms of heaven. With each unspeakable adventure, it's almost as if he was giving God an open invitation to invite him there sooner than later. Jack's landlord called me to tell me that whenever it was extremely cold and Jack would find someone on the streets there that was really down on their luck, he would bring them back to the apartment and let them sleep in the loft. Jack, at times on his days off, would sometimes go down to Denver with several close friends from his church and serve food in shelters there. This is Jack's heart. 
 
 
 
 So why am I telling you all of this? Well quite frankly because many of you have reached out to me and have wanted to know more about Jack. If you have followed the story, you know that we have been very purposeful in our search for Jack utilizing the website www.findJackmcatee.com. The website has had almost 15,000 hits and is approaching 2000 Facebook shares. People are very aware of this. However, Jack, If still alive, is off the grid here. What I would like to do now is to ask you to direct a link to this website to anyone you know who lives in a small town in Colorado. Truth is, there are many places where one can just go off the grid here in the state. And I pray that is what the case is now with Jack. And there is a subculture of people here that just lives out in the wilderness area. There are many shelters, for example, in areas that are very far away from the major cities. Shelters that just open themselves up to people who are wanting to vanish into anonymity. So this is our hope, and even though Jack left Frisco Colorado on that day with $64 in his pocket, that he managed to find a place where people will be willing to protect him from outside contact. These circles of people are very difficult to reach since indeed they are off the grid. In many cases, no telephone no Internet no TV no outside communication with the world. I have become very proficient at sizing up small towns and who is the right person to speak with in a short period of time. I have found that the local libraries are an excellent source of people who are willing to make the link available on their webpage and ask others to do the same. But if we can get this link onto Facebook pages in small towns across Colorado and Eastern Utah, asking each person that you may know there to post it on their Facebook page and request that their friends posted on their Facebook page, etc. this could be very helpful at this point in time. 
 
 
 
 Hunting season here in Colorado remains in effect until approximately December 1. We feel relatively confident that most hunters by now are aware of Jack. So far we have had no leads from hunters. In any event, this is good news because it leads us to think that he is in Colorado off the grid protected perhaps in a shelter somewhere. 
 
 
 
 So Jack, this is for you should you be reading this. We, all of us, want you to know how much you mean to each of us. We love you. We admire your faith. And we want you to know that you should not feel bad about giving us a call. It's time now to come home. We can start over. You are an incredible human being with incredible talents with an incredible heart for God. Your story and life is a light too many. As you may have forgotten, God has a great plan for you. Love, Dad. 
 
 
 
 And to our dear friends, the countless miles of shockingly bright yellow Aspen stands are so evident in my mind. As I drive through them, I think of all the wonderful people that have been so helpful during this time. Thank you. In the not-too-distant future I will be returning to St. Louis to resume my responsibilities at work. We will continue to use the website creatively to help us in our search for Jack. Many friends have been made along the way and many remain vigilant. All we can say is thank you from the bottom of our hearts for Your prayers, love, and support. 
 
 And even though at times it's easy to look at life through shrouds of darkness while going through this, in the end, the reality is that we know that Jack's fate is sealed. This is the peace that we speak of that we know and that we feel because of you and because of Him. And quite frankly because of what happened at Calvary. 
 
 
 
 With much love, 
 
 
 
 
 
 The McAtee Family 
 
 
 
 
 
 Update number eight - Oct 3rd 
 
 
 
 Fortunately the weather is still relatively warm up here in the mountains with a prediction that it should be good for the next five or six days. High temperatures will be around 75°Day and night around 40° and although the wind is blowing rather briskly there still a good chance that Jack has been able to survive in the wilderness because he's has good skills in this area. He is very familiar with the area. He has camped many times on the Gore range which stretches about 40 miles north from Frisco, Co. Hunters are now coming up from Denver in droves. 
 
 The tactic of getting this information into the hands of Colorado hunters is working very well. With your help by getting this information out to as many Colorado hunters as possible, all I can say is that I feel God's hand. The Colorado wildlife and game commission has been extremely cooperative in getting the word out to all of their on ground personnel with the instructions to tell any hunters they see about Jack and forward to their phone a link to the website. As of last night, we are certain that 100% of the trailhead's leading into the Gore range and the various trailheads around Dillon, Frisco, and Breckenridge as well have all been posted with Jack's missing poster. This is a massive area, again, all we are searching for is a clue and we have teams of dogs ready to roll. 
 
 Please note that there is now a $10,000 reward to anyone responsible for Jack's safe return to his family. This has been updated on the www.findJackmcatee.com website. 
 
 
 
 May God bless you for continuing to send the above link out to as many hunters that you may know in Colorado, again asking them to forward it to their network of Colorado Hunter friends using Facebook. I cannot begin to express the gratitude that our family has for your prayers, love, and support. We thank you and we love you for all of your prayers. We are holding up and vow to continue the search tirelessly to find our son Jack, whom we love and who is loved by so many others. Thank you. 
 
 May God bless you and may He be glorified through all of this. 
 
 Steve McAtee 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Update number seven- Oct 1st 
 
 First let me thank all of you who have been such a continuing source of encouragement to our family. I am holding onto the faith that God will have a good ending to the story. We are holding firm in our search and request your help – The effort of getting The link below to as many Colorado hunters right now. The rifle season has just begun and thousands of hunters are coming up from Denver and entering into this area through various trailheads. . We now feel there is a high likelihood that Jack just wandered off into the wilderness near Frisco,Colorado. If this were not hunting season, there would be far less possibility that we would find Jack. We are proactively targeting COLORADO HUNTERS cell phones. All we are searching for is a clue and we have a several teams of dogs which are already on the ground ready to roll. We need the eyes and ears of the hunters to give us the tip. 
 
 If you know anyone living in Colorado whom you suspect may have a network including hunters, please forward them this link for the Summit County Sherrifs Office Press Release to Colorado hunters.... 
 
 www.findjackmcatee.com. 
 
 Send it to their email first And ask them if they could, would they please text it onto their hunting friends asking their hunting friends to forward it onto their hunting friends as well. and so on. All via text since that is the more likely way of receiving the message up here in the mountains. 
 
 Thank you for your love and attention at this hour. Our family feels your love and thanks you for it. May God bless you. Steve McAtee 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Update number six- Sept 29th 
 
 Good morning. 
 
 Weather is reasonably good up here in the mountains where we will focus our search today. The temperature is about 65° during the day and gets down to as low as about 40° at night. The media has extensively covered Jack's situation. Everyone here knows of the situation. The Moab Times Independent article published Wednesday has now between 14,000 and 15,000 hits. The Denver Post carried a front page story in yesterday, Sunday's paper on Jack. We were successful in getting CBS Channell 4 in Denver to air about Jack right after the NFL football game ended yesterday at 5 PM locally. CBSis continuing to air this piece now. With the help of some churches with boots on the ground in Denver, a continual search is being made for Jack throughout the shelters the roadways along Highway interstate 70 truckstops is being made. His posters being posted throughout the city of Denver. 
 
 On the roads nationally, due to the efforts of Prime trucking, Werner Enterprises, and Dot foods, as well as many independent drivers, there are well over 10,000 sets of eyes right now on the road watching for Jack along the highways of America with the missing poster posted on their cell phones. We have posters at virtually every truck stop on interstate 70 between Salt Lake and St. Louis. 
 
 This morning will be concentrating our search near the area immediately south of Summit County medical center where Jack was last seen. We are organizing a foot search with search dogs along the Minors Creek Trail which extends six or 7 miles out into the wilderness and begins at the back door basically of the Summit County medical center. We are hopeful today to get the Civil Air Patrol based in Grand Junction Colorado to give us some air surveillance along the 10 mile trail between Frisco and Vail. Jack is very familiar with this trail as he is hiked it several times before. It is essentially a trail along the mountain peaks from Frisco to Vail. Weather is relatively clear and the flying should be good today for the most part. 
 
 This is the big picture – Jack is either going to be reunited with me his earthly father or he's going to be reunited with God, his heavenly Father. Either way he's coming home. I want to thank everyone for your continued fervent prayer for the situation. As we continue through all this now, I feel a certain peace knowing that Jack is beyond a shadow of a doubt a son of the one true living God and right now God is holding him in the palms of his hands either in heaven or here in the mountains. 
 
 I love you all and appreciate everything that is being done by so many wonderful people around the country to help find Jack. We are holding up well and our spirits remain strong and our outlook hopeful. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Below is a list of articles published to date: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Most Recent 10/04/14:Summit Daily 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Other articles: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1) Summit Daily 9/27 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2) Moab Times 9/27 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4) Saint Louis Post Dispatch 10/2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5) Fox 31 Denver 10/3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6) Summit Daily 08/11/2015 ||||| Today March 25th, Easter 2016, marks 598 days since Jack’s disappearance into the Colorado wilderness from Frisco, Colorado on September 19, 2014 – 171 days since Jack’s skull was found on Peak One on the Ten Mile Range stretching south from Frisco. 
 
 
 
 Our hearts brim with gratitude for the love from so many, the throngs of you that joined hands with our family during this entire time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Nearly 75,000 people from around the world connected to this site and followed our family’s search for a son and brother we all cherish. Continual readership at this site is as a result of the multiple digital news articles published around the world that lead peple here. (If this is your first visit, see the “About” tab above-read the story, then come back.) 
 
 
 
 Though at times there are dark shrouds of sadness that periodically descend upon us, we also see a bright light of joy – experiencing first hand how God is bringing beauty out of the ashes with Jack’s Life and his story because of hundreds that came forward to donate to Living Water International in Memory of Jack - this heals our hearts. Thank you. We have now exceeded our initial goal of $50,000 and the donations continue to come in at www.water.cc/jack-mcatees-well-of-love. With an increased goal now to raise $100,000, We will continue to build additional wells in Jack's name thru Living Water International in Kenya for as long as the donations continue to flow in. Of vital importance in order to accomplish this, we are humbly asking each of you to share this on your Facebook page and ask your friends to do the same to extend this message of hope to a hurting world. Our loving God has brought beauty out of the ashes.
– Jack McAtee crashed his car into a reservoir in the mountains of Colorado on Sept. 18, 2014. He survived with only a scratch and told a police officer he'd fallen asleep at the wheel. The officer suspected the crash might've been intentional and the 27-year-old spent a night at a mental health facility in Frisco. A day later, the Breckenridge man was released and disappeared, reports the Washington Post. His family told the Summit Daily News McAtee had 10 days earlier stopped taking his medication for bipolar disorder, just as he had done a few times before when he dropped out of sight, but he always resurfaced. Over the next year, they scoured the country in search of him, thinking perhaps he'd gone off the grid like Chris McCandless, the subject of his favorite book, Into the Wild. They reached out to contacts in Alaska, where McAtee had flown planes, and homeless shelters, where they thought he might volunteer, but found no sign of him. In July, McAtee's father wrote online that "there is a 50% chance that Jack wandered off into the wilderness and attempted to survive." But a month later, two hikers found a skull near the top of the Peak One, immediately south of Frisco; DNA confirmation that the skull was McAtee's came earlier this month. "Our search has come to fruition," McAtee's family wrote. "Our closure is at hand, albeit we acknowledge it will be a lifelong process." It's still not clear how or when McAtee died. His skull was all that was found of his remains, reports the Denver Post. What is certain: "A person, an irreplaceable person, is gone," his family says. But "the story's not over," McAtee's father adds. The family is hoping to raise $50,000 to build wells in Kenya in McAtee's memory. Nearly $15,000 has been raised so far. (The Into the Wild author has revised his McCandless death theory.)