The body of a missing New Jersey hiker was discovered in the woods off the Isolation Trail in the Dry River Wilderness on Thursday, and rescuers worked to remove his remains Friday.

Greg Auriemma, 63, of Brick, N.J., was reported missing earlier this month after he was overdue from his hiking trip through the White Mountains.

The discovery of the body came after an almost a week-long search in the air – assisted by an Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter – and on the ground.

Auriemma, an attorney, was the chair of the Ocean County Sierra Club where he had been an active member for years, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club Jeff Tittel said in a statement.

Tittel said Auriemma had recently been diagnosed with cancer and told fellow members he “was feeling much better” and wanted to spend some time hiking and camping in one of his favorite spots. He had taken his medicine with him on the hike, Tittel said.

“He wanted to take this hike as a kind of celebration,” Tittel said. “He didn’t know how many more times he would be able to go up into the wilderness, take these kinds of hikes and go camping.”

Auriemma was an environmental activist and head of the New Jersey’s Ocean County chapter.

“He has worked tirelessly for the club on so many issues, especially those around coastal areas,” Tittel said in the statement. “As chair of the Ocean County group, Greg has worked tirelessly on ocean issues while building the group into one of the strongest in the state.”

Auriemma’s commitment to the environment went far beyond his involvement in the Sierra Club.

In addition to being named a “Champion of Change” by former President Barack Obama, Auriemma participated in the Climate March and protests against the Keystone XL pipeline.

“He’s worked on so many issues but still wanted to do so much more,” Tittel said. “Greg’s legacy is that when you drive around Ocean County, you see preserved land, open spaces and parks … protecting the environment was truly what Greg was all about.”

Auriemma was last seen in North Conway. Searchers, with the help of Auriemma’s brother, determined he stayed at a hut in Bean’s Grant on or about June 28. Auriemma was linked to an abandoned campsite in Cutts Grant on Saturday. It is unclear how he died.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.