In what can only be described as something out of a Jack London novel, a Colorado hiker who went missing in August has been found dead while his dog remained alive by his side.

“Rich Moore, 71, of Pagosa Springs, went hiking with his dog up Blackhead Peak, a mountain just east of his home, on Aug. 19 and never returned, Taos Seach and Rescue (TSR) said,” noted Fox News.

“Crews were inserted via helicopter just below the mountain peak and moved west in their search for Moore toward the trailhead, where his car was found parked, the search and rescue said,”

Two hikers walk past Maroon Lake with the Maroon Bells in the background. The Maroon Bells, near Aspen, Colorado, are two peaks in the Elk Mountains – Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak. They are located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest. (Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

Despite the ongoing search, Moore could not be located. Two months had passed for a hunter in the Rio Blanco drainage found his body about 2.5 miles east of the peak. His Jack Russell terrier was still alive and near the body.

A cause of death has yet to be determined. TSR member Delinda Vanne-Brightyn said the area where he went missing was “so steep” they had to be “inserted in by a helicopter.” she said in a post on the TSR’s Facebook page.

“He was found 2.5 miles East of the mountaintop beneath where we were inserted,” said Delinda.

A day hiker descends a trail leading to the Maroon Bells mountain range in the Rocky Mountains near Aspen, Colorado. (Robert Alexander/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

According to CBS News, a month prior, “a missing 29-year-old hiker was found dead in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park with his dog by his side. Family members said it appeared the dog hadn’t left his side for two weeks.”

Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.