IAN THOMAS TREGER

MEET IAN

Lexington, Virginia · 29

WHO WAS IAN?

“He wanted to really see the world.”

Ian Thomas Treger, a Lexington, Virginia, Louis Head, Nova Scotia native, passed away in May 2026 while hiking in the Andes Mountains. He was 29.

Ian was curious about people — their traditions, their songs, the stories they told about the places they lived. He traveled to meet them, and he came home with photographs of ordinary afternoons in extraordinary places.

What follows is not a biography. It is a collection of photographs, arranged the way memories actually surface: out of order, some huge, some almost hidden.

The journey

The places Ian went. The people he met. The life he lived.

THE WAY HE MOVED THROUGH THE WORLD

Wherever he went, he stayed exactly himself.

CURIOUS BY NATURE

He asked better question. He listened more. He wanted to understand.

KIND BY CHOICE

He saw people. He made connections.

PRESENT ALWAYS

He found beauty in small things. He lived fully. He loved deeply.

Then one journey ended differently.

Nothing could have changed what happened to Ian.

But his family knew other rescues, in other circumstances, could go differently.

✨Getting someone else safely home is worth doing.

explore

Encouraging curiosity and adventure.

empower

supporting young people to lead with kindness

connect

Building bridges between cultures.

remember

honoring Ian by living his values every day.

WHY THE FOUNDATION EXISTS

His story is why we started.

Rescue readiness is what we do.

The foundation funds equipment and hands-on training for Peru’s volunteer search and rescue teams so they are ready before someone goes missing.

turning grief into purpose

We carry him forward. Together.

Ian’s light continues through every life we touch, every journey we support, and every story we help write.

Support the Foundation