Friend dies on AT

“I had a friend (co-worker) die yesterday on the AT. I am not sure where he was. If anyone might have any information on this, would you please let me know. Thank you.

The only information that I know at this point is he was sick to his stomach Monday night and went to bed and woke up. Not sure what state or anything he was in.”

“Sorry to hear it Dawn. You might check whiteblaze.com. I'll betcha it's posted over there.”

“Chili, you may know this guy- he was a jude in Union County - Ed Johnson.”

“Thanks DH.”

“thatI think you mean whiteblaze.net DH”

“Thanks pedxing.”

“Bummer.
I'm sorry for your loss.”

“I don't know him.”

“I've looked everywhere and can't find anything.”

“Me either.”

“I've found nothing. More info please.
Name, place, time?
What's a 'jude'?”

“Where was he Monday? Where did you get any info on this?”

“Was that the guy the Beatles sang about?”

“Lawyer....probably..slang.

Posted a request for info over on WhitBlaze.net.......I'll let you know if anything pops up.”

“Name: Ed Johnson
Date of Death: 17 July 2007 (She said yesterday in the original post).
Where: Unknown.”

“I was thinking "jude" was a typo for judge or dude.

The Union County news didn't have anything on this.”

“I really do not have any more information than what I have posted. He was a judge, sorry for the spelling on that. He was backpacking with some friends in the GSMNP on the AT. That is all the information that anyone has told me. I was just wondering if anyone had heard anything. If you do please let me know. He was 61 yrs old.”

“I always get the park scoop at the coffee shop in Townsend. Guess I will inquire tomorrow.”

“Where did you get this information?”

“If it was indeed yesterday it can take a while for obits to be published. But I was unable to find any obit for an Ed Johnson from yesterday in the listings. I checked AR, TN, and the states the AT runs thru.”

“I checked Knox News, Maryville News, Smoky Mountain News and got nothing.

Jaime will know the details at the coffee shop. Her husband works at TreMont.”

“I didn't find anything on whiteblaze. Thanks for the correction on addy.”

“Not a bad way to go.

I'm sorry for your loss.”

“I'm guessing heart attack or stroke.”

“sorry for your loss cottonsocks - I'm sure I'm not the only one who will keep an eye out for news.”

“Nothing in the NPS Morning Report, at least not yet.  Reports take a few days, sometimes.

http://home.nps.gov/applications/morningreport/index.cfm”

“When something happens in a National Park on that scale, they're pretty quick to get a press release out. It only took a day before a press release went out with us. No names were released, it was very general. (a few of our backpacker.com forum friends suspected it was us before we even had a chance to contact any of them.)

They wait to release names until they know next of kin has been notified. That release could take upwards of 5 days.”

“Next of kin has been notified b/c that is how everyone found out. I was just wondering if anyone had heard any info on it. Just let me know and thank you.”

“any idea what his trail name was?”

“I stopped at the coffee shop this morning. Jaime said that 4 rangers had been in before me but she hadn't heard anything about it.”

“Where exactly is this guy from?

Union County Arkansas is El Dorado.

Union County Tennessee is Maynardsville.

Neither one are close to West Memphis.”

“Union County in NC is a possibility. I have a friend there whose husband is a judge, I will call her tomorrow and ask if she knows anything”

“At the coffee shop in Townsend now on WiFi. Still nothing.”

“Did chili and cottonsox have a breakup?”

“which one got custody of you?”

“Don't get them fighting about me again.”

“I let cs have bacpac.

It was a no brainer.”

“the decision or bacpac?”

“we let bacpac have arkansas...that was a no brainer also”

“My lucky day.”

“TN - Chili”

“I guess I am just a little confuse and thus I am not sure I can get any information for you.

You have a coworker in Maynardsville?

He was a judge?

You were in touch with his family as early as Wednesday?

I can't find and Ed Johnson on the Union County bar roster.

There has been nothing in the news. I will be up there Monday on business, I will inquire while I am there.”

“Nothing here.

http://unionnewsleader.com/

My secretary is from Maynardville and doesn't know an Ed Johnson. Do I have the name right?”

“:(
I haven't seen anything on WB or anywhere else. Does the family, or whoever you found out from, have details?”

“Who the hell gives a #&%!$?? If you are a close enough friend, you will have the details..if not, then let the family mourn whoever the hell he is in peace. IMO”

“I'm so glad I didn't post what was going thru the back of my mind.
NG is scarey. She would have openned a big can of whupa$$ on me. ;-)”

“You bet your ass I can be really scary!!! But I don't think you would mind if I whupped your ass...Hyway didn't mind one bit!!!”

“she hits like a girl. I let her wail on me quite a bit and never felt it.”

“LOL..yeah well I am a girl and you had too much stuff on...clothes or something...”