Geraldine Anita Largay's (66) remains were found two years after she went missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail

[raisedbywolves]

Even if you are experienced, I wouldn't recommend anyone hike by themselves. There are so many things that happen outside of your control.

I agree with the possibility of diabetes, but it could have been as simple as her being dehydrated or having a bladder infection that make her confused and disoriented. It makes me wonder if she would still be alive today if she had chosen to camp with a buddy.

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.

[DrMichaelBaden]

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.

That is so very sad. How awful for him not knowing for 2 years.

[Angiebla]

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.

Aww man she was playing it safe. I'm sure her friend feels terrible, but it's not his fault.

I don't think she committed suicide either. Without organs and soft tissue, there are endless possibilities as to how she could have died. This is so sad.

[Nic B]

I didn't realize there was a thread on this, or that her remains were found till reading this just now. I originally heard of her going missing and knew about it because it was on the show I watch, North Woods Law. It filmed when she first was reported missing and filmed some of the searches they went on.

[raisedbywolves]

http://news.mpbn.net/post/documents-...alachian-trail

Documents Show Geraldine Largay Survived at Least 26 Days Off Appalachian Trail

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/d...-days-39376379

Missing Hiker Found Dead Last Year Kept Journal of Ordeal

[Olivia]

Oh god. Poor lady.

[raisedbywolves]

Oh god. Poor lady.

I know. This story was bad enough, but this news just made me super sad. I cannot even imagine...

[emylou]

How incredibly sad for her friends and family. I can only hope that she experienced some beauty and peace during her isolation before she died.

[daisylane]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...bvK/story.html

‘When you find my body, please call my husband,’ missing hiker wrote

This is terribly, terribly sad.

Sort of 'Into the Woods'-esque. Sort of.

RIP Geraldine

[puzzld]

God. I was hoping for a nice peaceful suicide or maybe a heart attack. Going this way would be right up there on the hit parade of "worst nightmares" for me.

[bowieluva]

I still don't understand how she was lost 26 days without realizing she was right next to the fucking road.

[animosity]

I still don't understand how she was lost 26 days without realizing she was right next to the fucking road.

I agree. I think it would only take me about a week to become very familiar with the mile surrounding my camp. Ten minute walk to the road? Tragic, but wth?

[raisedbywolves]

I am wondering if at first she was trying to stay in one location because she thought help was coming and they would find her the quickest if she stayed there...then I am wondering if her dwindling food supply and rationing of it kept her from doing too much?

I know that Thru hikers try to keep their load very light, and every ounce is precious. We carry an emergency locator beacon when we are out in the ocean. It sends out a signal like the ELT on a plane if we activate it. It runs on GPS. It weighs probably about 8 ounces. I don't want to armchair quarterback this situation, but it is so sad to think that if she had that that probably could have found her within hours. It cost about $200. Very sad!

[bowieluva]

I am wondering if at first she was trying to stay in one location because she thought help was coming and they would find her the quickest if she stayed there...then I am wondering if her dwindling food supply and rationing of it kept her from doing too much?

I know that Thru hikers try to keep their load very light, and every ounce is precious. We carry an emergency locator beacon when we are out in the ocean. It sends out a signal like the ELT on a plane if we activate it. It runs on GPS. It weighs probably about 8 ounces. I don't want to armchair quarterback this situation, but it is so sad to think that if she had that that probably could have found her within hours. It cost about $200. Very sad!

26 days, though! I'm with animosity, if it was a week, maybe I'd be like ok she was waiting for help but after a few days I'd be like 'what's worse, continuing on and possibly finding something or just sitting her and dying slowly?'

[Nic B]

I am wondering if at first she was trying to stay in one location because she thought help was coming and they would find her the quickest if she stayed there...then I am wondering if her dwindling food supply and rationing of it kept her from doing too much?

I know that Thru hikers try to keep their load very light, and every ounce is precious. We carry an emergency locator beacon when we are out in the ocean. It sends out a signal like the ELT on a plane if we activate it. It runs on GPS. It weighs probably about 8 ounces. I don't want to armchair quarterback this situation, but it is so sad to think that if she had that that probably could have found her within hours. It cost about $200. Very sad!

They mentioned she had a bad back also, so she packed very light. She had a partner who was hiking with her at first, but left suddenly because of a family emergency. Wonder if her friend would have been packing more, or would have been able to stay on the trail as planned. Or if there would have been 2 deaths instead of 1. We'll never knew. I don't even want to think of how her hiking buddy felt when all this happened.

[Olivia]

I guess you can also think the opposite way - how did they search and not find her so close to a road?

[animosity]

I guess you can also think the opposite way - how did they search and not find her so close to a road?

I believe I read something posted here that talked about how it was just far enough away that after searching the area, they were far enough in that they had to turn back before it got dark.

Here it is, a couple of posts up:

“This is some of the worst country in Maine,” Palman said. “It’s hard to understand how logistically difficult this area was. On any given day, by the time a searcher would get close to where Largay was found, they’d have to turn around to make it back to their vehicles by nightfall.”

[Angiebla]

I thought she may have had some kind of medical event happen that prevented her from leaving that area, but I guess she would have noted that in her journal.

Was she not an experienced hiker? In her text to her husband (that didn't send) she said "lost please call police and ask them what to do?" Wouldn't she know what to do?

I've always heard if you are lost, stay put, and someone will find you. But after about a day or two I would assume no one was coming and I would try to find a way out myself. It is weird that she stayed put for 26 days. Something had to have been wrong with her.

[raisedbywolves]

I believe I read something posted here that talked about how it was just far enough away that after searching the area, they were far enough in that they had to turn back before it got dark.

Here it is, a couple of posts up:

“This is some of the worst country in Maine,” Palman said. “It’s hard to understand how logistically difficult this area was. On any given day, by the time a searcher would get close to where Largay was found, they’d have to turn around to make it back to their vehicles by nightfall.”

I thought she may have had some kind of medical event happen that prevented her from leaving that area, but I guess she would have noted that in her journal.

Was she not an experienced hiker? In her text to her husband (that didn't send) she said "lost please call police and ask them what to do?" Wouldn't she know what to do?

I've always heard if you are lost, stay put, and someone will find you. But after about a day or two I would assume no one was coming and I would try to find a way out myself. It is weird that she stayed put for 26 days. Something had to have been wrong with her.

Wouldn't it be the same for her if experienced search people were encountering these bad conditions and couldn't make it from the road to her campsite during daylight hours? Maybe she was setting out during the day and then returning before dark because she feared getting even more lost? In the stories I read though it says that her husband says she had terrible sense of direction and he wasn't even sure she could read a compass. I don't know if she was experienced, but I don't think I would set out on the AT if that were the case for me.

This case fascinates me, but it also breaks my heart because it truly didn't have to happen. I am glad she got to do what she wanted to do, but I wish she would have taken some more precautions and planned better. When the hiking partner had to bow out she should have stopped. It's like stopping a dive when your dive buddy can't continue. I would think it's the basic rule of doing these kinds of things if all your plans revolve around you doing it with another person.

[Angiebla]

Wouldn't it be the same for her if experienced search people were encountering these bad conditions and couldn't make it from the road to her campsite during daylight hours? Maybe she was setting out during the day and then returning before dark because she feared getting even more lost? In the stories I read though it says that her husband says she had terrible sense of direction and he wasn't even sure she could read a compass. I don't know if she was experienced, but I don't think I would set out on the AT if that were the case for me.

This case fascinates me, but it also breaks my heart because it truly didn't have to happen. I am glad she got to do what she wanted to do, but I wish she would have taken some more precautions and planned better. When the hiking partner had to bow out she should have stopped. It's like stopping a dive when your dive buddy can't continue. I would think it's the basic rule of doing these kinds of things if all your plans revolve around you doing it with another person.

I agree with you. I have a shitty sense of direction, so I would never hike by myself. Especially not on such rugged terrain. It was not a good idea to hike out there on her own.

This case also breaks my heart too. I cannot imagine writing a journal to loved ones knowing I was going to die, alone, in the woods, and people might not find my body for an extended period of time. I don't know that I could take it being out there for 26 days, not knowing what was going to happen to me. That time must have gone by so slow. I almost want to read her journals, but it would be too sad to.

[bermstalker]

The disturbing moment the remains of a 66-year-old hiker were discovered inside her tent three years after she went missing, was caught on camera.

A crew filming Animal Planet reality series North Woods Law captured the distressing scene, which shows Maine police uncovering the makeshift campsite that Geraldine Largay had made as she waited for a rescue team that never came.

The October 2015 footage, acquired by InsideEdition.com, shows a visibly shaken Maine Warden officer pulling back the tarpaulin of Largay's tent to see her remains, which were inside her sleeping bag, underneath.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ht-camera.html







The video at this link
http://www.insideedition.com/headlin...alachian-trail

[raisedbywolves]

from the article Berm posted above:

The Warden Service documents indicate she'd left behind in a motel room a GPS device that could've sent an emergency signal.

So she had an emergency locator beacon but it was left behind. This just makes it even worse for me.

[daisylane]

I guess you can also think the opposite way - how did they search and not find her so close to a road?

This is my thinking.

from the article Berm posted above:

So she had an emergency locator beacon but it was left behind. This just makes it even worse for me.

I hate how close she was. And how prepared she was.

[Bewitchingstorm]

Very sad.

[Nic B]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ht-camera.html







The video at this link
http://www.insideedition.com/headlin...alachian-trail

I love that show, one of their episodes was about when she first went missing, and everyone was looking for her.