Oregon Man Diary Froze

An Oregon man used a diary everyday before he froze to death during an enormous winter snowstorm. He chronicled each day of his life in shorthand, but after 68 days, he died from exposure and lack of food.

Agents from the U.S. Forest Service found the body of Jerry William McDonald on Thursday in the foothills of the Cascade Range. The site is about 60 miles east of Salem, but surprisingly it lies only 3 miles from the nearest small town.

Noble Knob looking NorthThis puzzled authorities because McDonald is an avid camper who knew the range well, had provisions for the trip, but did not manage to walk the short distance to safety.

Details of the Oregon man’s death are recorded in a diary he kept before he froze to death nearly 70 days after he made his first entry on Valentine’s Day.

He used an old ’70s calendar to make daily entries, using the current dates after scratching out the old ones.

It seems that he made camp in the remote range and fell asleep. However, when he woke up hours later, he discovered a severe winter snowstorm was underway and accumulation made moving his vehicle impossible.

Evidence from the chains on his tires showed he tried to navigate his vehicle out of the storm, to no avail. As time went on, it continued snowing and raining, making travel by foot or vehicle difficult.

The Oregon man probably used the diary as comfort before he froze from the extreme cold. From the entries he made, it appeared that he was lucid the entire time, but realized time was running out when he made the “no fo” (no food) entry.

Although he did not have GPS or a compass, and little food, he did have water. That is probably what sustained him. Experts say the human body can survive for weeks without food, but cannot last without water after about three days.

The Oregon man’s last entry in his diary before he froze was “rain.” He also acknowledged being stranded for 68 days. Ironically, he was 68 years old.

Sadly, he had no permanent residence; he lived out of the pickup truck that in the end served as his final resting place.