Josie Naterer is a mother who is never giving up.
Her 25-year-old son, Jordan Naterer, was last seen in E.C. Manning Provincial Park, near Hope, on Oct. 10, 2020, after leaving for what he described to friends as a solo hike. Extensive search-and-rescue attempts have been unsuccessful in locating him.
But Josie Naterer’s faith that her son is coming home has never wavered.
“We do believe he is alive out there,” Naterer said, saying her son is more than capable of surviving a winter in the wild.
“Anything he has ever set his mind to he has mastered. Through his Google searches and his reading lists, he was well-prepared, well-equipped and knowledgeable about what he was getting into.”
That said, the trails where Jordan disappeared can be confusing, and even seasoned hikers have been known to lose their way. Naterer said a retired search-and-rescue member who was helping her husband with a ground search just a few days ago is a perfect example.
“He hikes Manning all the time, and he got disoriented,” she said, explaining that perhaps that is what happened to Jordan too, and he has been sheltering in place somewhere to wait for spring.
The search for Jordan was initially undertaken by local authorities, after his black Honda Civic was found at a Manning trailhead and he failed to show up to a Thanksgiving celebration with his friends. Jordan had been living in Vancouver, and his parents flew to B.C. from Newfoundland to do what they could to find their son.
A fundraising page was set up to sustain the search after public authorities suspended their efforts as winter weather arrived. To date, it has raised just short of $150,000. But the cost of sustaining private search-and-rescue efforts is high and money goes quickly.
Naterer said she and her husband are endlessly grateful to the many people who have donated their time and money to help bring Jordan home, and now that spring has arrived, they are ready for a renewed effort.
She believes Jordan could have found his way across the border into the United States.
“Jordan could be in the Hozomeen Mountains in the fire tower, or in one of the cabins, and the reason they can’t get to them is the snow hasn’t melted,” Naterer said, adding she has spoken with U.S. authorities about the possibility.
“They’ve reached out to the Canadian authorities to come across the borders in June when the trails are clear to go up, but what we really need is helicopter time. … If someone could donate helicopter time to us to go down and search the skyline and the Hozomeen trail right into the U.S., that’s the priority for us right now.”
Hikers willing to donate their time in the Manning Park area are also welcome. Naterer said areas on Frosty, Similkameen and Monument 78 trails are still in need of checking as the snow continues to melt.
To her son, she says: “Stay strong. Stay strong and stay alive, we’re coming.”
If you would like to help the effort to find Jordan, reach out to Naterer via her Facebook page: facebook.com/helpfindjordannaterer.
