Wedding ring found on Central Oregon peak

Most people who hike Broken Top expect to find beautiful views, but one man found a lot more. Jeremy Schmid found something that could be priceless.

“I saw something shiny reflecting in the sun, went over there and sure enough, it was a wedding ring,” Schmid said Thursday.

Schmid was visiting friends in Central Oregon from his home in North Carolina over Labor Day weekend. He spotted the ring near a stream formed by a melting glacier, swooped it up and contacted the Forest Service.

“There are people who will sometimes forget items or sometimes just lose items in the forest,” said Kassidy Kern, public affairs specialist for the Deschutes National Forest.

The Forest Service is not releasing photos of the ring because they don’t want people who don’t own it to be able to describe it and claim it’s theirs.

Schmid said there was another couple nearby, but he’s not sure it’s theirs or even how long it had been there.

“There were a few scratches on it, and that made me think that maybe it’s been through the freeze and thaw,” he said.

While there are lots of unknowns, there’s one certainty for Schmid.

“I’m married myself, so I figured I wouldn’t want to be in that position, having to explain where my ring was,” he said.

Schmid said he knows there’s the possibility whoever owns the ring may have wanted to leave it there, but he plans on holding on to it until someone comes forward to claim it.

If you have information, you can get a message to Schmid through the Deschutes National Forest: 541-383-5300.

Or email A.J. Kato: aj.kato@ktvz.com