Family of dead hiker struggles with ‘deepest grief’
Her son’s final text message came through about 4 p.m. Christmas Eve. Jack Holden, a 26-year-old who loved the quiet of the wilderness, was going up a peak in the White Mountains called Bondcliff, famous for its jutting rocks and panoramic views. He would be back by 10 or 11 p.m., he texted his parents.
Sally Holden didn’t worry. Jack had been at home in the forest since he was a Cub Scout. He had been an Eagle Scout and spent time in the Yukon in Canada. On Saturday, he had a pack full of gear, including a locator beacon he could activate if he got in trouble. On Christmas, his family planned a big brunch and dinner.
But Jack Holden never came back to his parents’ house in Jefferson, in central Massachusetts. The rescue team that followed his footsteps on Christmas Day from the Lincoln Woods trailhead for about 9 miles to Bondcliff found his body at the summit just after 8 p.m. Sunday, officials said.
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