In the small, historic town of Skagway, Alaska, a 28-year-old geologist named Charles Bryan Gay, who often went by Bryan, was nearing the end of a summer work season in September of 2000. On the morning of September 26th, he was at a local hostel and spoke with the manager, mentioning his plans for the day. Gay, an avid rock enthusiast, intended to take a day hike up to the picturesque Upper Dewey Lakes to search for interesting geological specimens.
He was not equipped for an overnight stay in the rugged Alaskan wilderness and was expected to return to the hostel later that day. He had plans to check out that evening and board a ferry destined for British Columbia. However, Charles Gay never returned from his hike, and he never made it to the ferry.
The following morning, when it was clear that Gay had not come back, a search was initiated. Despite extensive and repeated efforts by search teams, no sign of the missing geologist was found in the immediate aftermath of his disappearance. He had vanished, leaving all of his personal belongings behind at the hostel. For an entire year, there were no leads and no clues as to what might have happened to him on the trail to Upper Dewey Lakes. The Alaskan State Troopers investigated his disappearance, but the vast and unforgiving landscape held its secrets close. His family, distraught and desperate for answers, traveled to Skagway to conduct their own searches, but their efforts also proved fruitless.
A year after he was last seen, a significant but poignant clue surfaced. In an old cabin situated at the top of Upper Dewey Lake, a sign-in book was discovered. Inside, a message read, 'Great day, great hike, but this goddamn pen ran out of ink. Bryan G.' This was the last known trace of Charles Bryan Gay. The discovery confirmed he had made it to his intended destination but offered no explanation for what happened afterward. The case grew cold, leaving his family with unanswered questions and lingering pain. Despite the passage of many years, his family has continued to keep his memory alive, hoping for a resolution to the mystery of what happened on that September day. The official investigation, led by the Alaska State Troopers, remains open, a somber reminder of a man who walked into the wilderness for a day of exploration and was never seen again.Last Seen: Sep 26, 2000
