She had a hiking buddy, but her buddy was called away due to a family emergency shortly before Gerry went missing. Gerry elected to continue because she was going to be meeting up again with her husband shortly, so it wasn't going to be a long time that she spent by herself. I am not sure if her camping buddy was going to try to join back up with her again later or what.
Gerry and her husband were really close. He couldn't hike though due to health problems, so he followed her and met up with her whenever the trail crossed a road. I don't think she committed suicide. I think she was too close to her husband and enjoying her life too much at this point. She had worked all her life, and she was just beginning to do the things she had always wanted to do.