The nearly five-month search for a missing hiker ended in heartbreak as his remains were discovered on Thursday, The Denver Post reports. Josh Hall, 27, began a hiking trip with his dog at the Hessie Trailhead in Boulder County, Colorado, but both were later reported missing in February after a snowstorm. A week later, Hall’s dog was found more than a dozen miles away from where the trailhead. Rescue teams spent more than 700 hours trying to find Hall before discovering his remains near a small stream more than four miles from where he started his hike, according to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. Hall’s family was devastated by the news, according to a statement they released following the discovery of his remains. “While we grieve the loss of our son, we will strive to find comfort in the fact Josh died doing what he loved, and that he is and will always be part of Indian Peaks Wilderness,” wrote his family.