On June 6, 2006, 46-year-old Jack Coloney, an experienced outdoorsman and professional photographer, embarked on what was planned to be an eight to ten-day camping and fishing trip into the familiar woods of the Adirondacks. He was last seen in Inlet, New York, after signing the trail register at Wakely Dam. Coloney, a resident of Inlet, was well-known in his community and very familiar with the rugged terrain he set out to explore.
He intended to stay at campsite 48 along Moose River Road in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest, one of the most remote yet accessible areas within the vast Adirondack Park.
Concerns for Coloney's welfare arose several days into his trip. On June 14, an assistant ranger who was fishing noticed Coloney's campsite. When the ranger returned two days later, on June 16, he saw that the camp appeared untouched. This observation triggered a report to his superiors, as it seemed all of Coloney's gear was present but had not been recently used. A large-scale search was initiated on the morning of June 17, a day marked by discouraging wind and rain. The intensive 10-day effort involved 56 Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers, the New York State Police, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, and numerous volunteers. Together, they dedicated over 4,000 hours to combing an approximately 35-square-mile area. The search was incredibly challenging due to the nature of the terrain; the brush and forest cover in the Moose River Plains are so dense that off-trail movement is severely restricted, sometimes to as slow as half a mile per hour. One forest ranger noted that searchers on opposite sides of Sumner Stream couldn't even see each other, and Coloney's own brother, who joined the search, remarked that the spruce thickets were so dense that 'he could have been lying five feet away and you never would have seen him.'
Despite the exhaustive search by ground teams, helicopters, and search dogs, not a single definitive clue as to Jack Coloney's whereabouts was ever discovered. The only item found that was traced back to him was a red kayak on Sumner Stream. Investigators were able to determine from the changes of clothes left at his campsite that he likely went missing three or four days after setting up camp. Those who knew him do not believe he would have staged his disappearance or was suicidal. He had reportedly been lost on a previous occasion and managed to walk a great distance to safety. The complete lack of evidence, such as personal belongings or any sign of a struggle, has left investigators and his family with no clear answers. The official investigation remains open, but the trail has long gone cold, leaving the disappearance of Jack Coloney a lingering mystery in the Adirondack wilderness.Last Seen: Jun 6, 2006
