Jason Gritten died doing what he loved: Experiencing Idaho's outdoors.

"He specifically moved to Coeur d'Alene because he wanted to live in a beautiful area with land, hunting, fishing and a more laid-back lifestyle," said Dov Sassoon, a former co-worker and client of Gritten's. "He was tired of living in Seattle."

The body of Gritten, 35, was found by friends and family in the Salmon River east of Riggins on Wednesday night.

Gritten and neighbor Patrick Lusk, 27, Coeur d'Alene, went to the area to hunt bears, and were reported missing by family on May 17. Lusk, who has worked as a welder at Ground Force Worldwide in Post Falls, was still missing on Thursday afternoon.

A canoe was found upside down in the swift river on May 18. It was later identified as the one Gritten and Lusk had been using.

Idaho County Sheriff's Office officials said there is no indication that either man was wearing a life vest.

Gritten was found about a mile upstream from Spring Bar, which is about 9 miles downstream from where investigators believe the two crossed the river.

Gritten, who attended Central Washington University, owned a marketing company called Acquisition Marketing. Sassoon, senior vice president for an LED lighting company in New York, hired Gritten's former employer to manage his firm's online advertising. When Gritten formed his own startup company, Sassoon became Gritten's first client.

"Jason was always one of the smartest people in the room, loved the outdoors and always said he would never move somewhere where he couldn't spend time outside," Sassoon said.

Gritten moved to Coeur d'Alene about two years ago, bought a boat last year and enjoyed playing softball with friends. He and Lusk worked on refurbishing a camper together.

Sassoon was scheduled to meet Gritten in Chicago next week for an Internet retail conference.

"He was the kind of person you could trust with anything," Sassoon said. "He was an all-around great guy, and his loss is a big one for me personally and for my company who relied on him so significantly for our marketing success."

A sheriff's search and rescue team searched for the two men by boat and ATVs, but suspended the search after the third day. Family and friends have remained in the area searching.

The men went to the French Creek area of the rugged river system. Two sets of tracks between hot springs and the river were found a day after they were reported missing. Investigators believe the two left the hot springs and got back in the canoe.

Gritten's body was transported to Blackmer's Funeral Home in Grangeville after it was found.