A "keychain temp gauge with compass" was listed among her belongings in the PDF of the incident report that was linked in the Press Herald article.Originally Posted by Skyline
Last edited by rickb; 05-25-2016 at 19:58.
Yes. Sounds like she was focused on going in the other direction ("north," uphill) to higher ground where she hoped she could get a cell signal. Back in 2003, there was a ski resort summit house which hikers used but that's a lot further than 3,000 ft. from where her remains were found. If that summit house still exists (I seem to recall maybe it does not), or if she at least knew about a west facing high point there, maybe that's where she thought she could get a signal?
That could have been moderately helpful, if she knew how to use it.
that was my first thought as well, work down hill. She had over 3 weeks to get there...somethin' dosen't jive with this story, unless she didn't wanna be found, for whatever reason.
What is the first thing people are told when lost in the woods? Don't move. Apparently she didn't move all that far. She was so close to being found. Tragic story made worse with the new information.
I'd have lit the woods on fire.
Missing hiker Geraldine Largay kept journal during weeks missing in Maine woods
The authorities did note some burned, downed trees in the vicinity of where she was found. They also found 20 matches in a waterproof case, two small birthday candles and two packs of toilet paper-- so it looks like she had the means to start a fire -- or another one.
Unbelievable,
This is so sad... my heart goes out for both her and her family...
Inchworms Journal during 26 days lost...newest report
Alive and lost for 26 days, kept journal:
http://www.centralmaine.com/2016/05/...n-maine-woods/
There is no way I could just wait to be rescued.
Hiker who died after disappearing from trail survived for weeks - The Boston Globe
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGS8IriF_avnJ0pN2kKa 9T6SXt-KQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=bXJGV5 vODaP78QGIoKSIDw&url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/25/hiker-who-died-after-disappearing-from-appalachian-trail-survived-for-weeks/KAcHuKSdYVHNTNu0qQobvK/story.html?p1%3DBGMenu_Article"><img src="//t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSYb8T6PlwsagRn6C_UyVn88sGIhJ1Jv f4OccqXJy1X-o2HZ8evqdmYjkytGImbACF8V_EX1S6c" alt="" border="1" width="80" height="80"><br><font size="-2">The Boston Globe</font></a></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGS8IriF_avnJ0pN2kKa 9T6SXt-KQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=bXJGV5 vODaP78QGIoKSIDw&url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/25/hiker-who-died-after-disappearing-from-appalachian-trail-survived-for-weeks/KAcHuKSdYVHNTNu0qQobvK/story.html?p1%3DBGMenu_Article"><b>Hiker who died after disappearing from <b>trail</b> survived for weeks</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">The Boston Globe</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">A hiker who died after going off the <b>Appalachian Trail</b> in 2013 in western Maine survived for weeks and kept a journal, the Maine Game Warden Service believes. Geraldine Largay, 66, went off the trail on July 23, 2013. The game warden service on ...</font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dMLubZU66RzWi0M&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr> <b></b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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Hiker who died after disappearing from Appalachian Trail survived for weeks, kept jou
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="7" style="vertical-align:top;"><tr><td width="80" align="center" valign="top"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"></font></td><td valign="top" class="j"><font style="font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serif"><br><div style="padding-top:0.8em;"><img alt="" height="1" width="1"></div><div class="lh"><a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNEWR9dvsSCi9_CkErSTy CwrQdYr-g&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&ei=bXJGV5v ODaP78QGIoKSIDw&url=http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/25/hiker-who-died-after-disappearing-from-appalachian-trail-survived-for-weeks/KAcHuKSdYVHNTNu0qQobvK/story.html"><b>Hiker who died after disappearing from <b>Appalachian Trail</b> survived for weeks, kept journal</b></a><br><font size="-1"><b><font color="#6f6f6f">The Boston Globe</font></b></font><br><font size="-1">In the file, which totals 1,579 pages, wardens said they believed that Largay couldn't find her way back to the <b>trail</b> after leaving it. The file also says wardens found evidence that she attempted to text her husband after becoming disoriented, but the <b>...</b></font><br><font size="-1" class="p"></font><br><font class="p" size="-1"><a class="p" href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dKtH46VzCda371M&authuser=0&ned=us"><nobr> <b></b></nobr></a></font></div></font></td></tr></table>
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Well said Scotty/Mags. Gerry has left us several incredibly valuable lessons that I hope help me or someone else someday. In general terms (and who knows maybe Gerry did but she was unlucky), because I hold Gerry in high esteem and out of respect for the departed, be humble. Respect the gravity of a thru hike or section hike of the AT endeavor. And, possibly more important, be humble enough to scrutinize your skill set and evaluate your acumen of that task at hand, in this case a somewhat rare solo 3 day section hike. Considering Inchworm made 3 or 4 critical mistakes before her last of more-or-less staying put instead of self rescue, possibly/probably she didn't. Thats really hard to say here but its brutally honest, the truth, and mostly why her SAR search was hopelessly unsuccessful. SAR gave her way too much credit. If you research the early parts of this thread, most people thought it kinda crazy to search anywhere near her pls of poplar ridge. In her defense she wasn't aided in the fact/logical conclusion that all of the planes/helicopters/commotion she likely saw and heard made her feel her rescue was imminent when in fact her SAR target area was well to the east of 5-6 miles or more. We've discussed in length that her area wasn't effectively searched on ground at all or debatably by K9 until nearer the end of this 26 day period.As Paul Mags once pointed out, thru-hikers develop a very specialized set of outdoors skills. Being a try-hiker does not necessarily translate into being a skilled outdoorsman.
Somebody more intelligent that me should chime in about map and compass skills too. My basic skills (and I took a basic map and compass class not long ago) will tell you that if you are truly lost, a map and a compass doesn't do you very much good. Yes they're important read on! Being able to triangulate your position, set your point of reference or a point of reference to, declination, etc etc etc doesn't help if you can't identify a point of reference (a distance mountain, hill, river, man made structure). If you're willing to walk a potentially long way in a straight line after becoming really lost then these skills might help you...or they may not. If you're lost from (in this case the AT) and have no idea whats around you and are not sure what direction to travel to for salvation, having a map and compass on hand is arguably irrelevant. I believe Gerry had absolutely no idea where she was or how or orient back to any particular point of the AT or anywhere else. Solution; Know where you're going both in trail and in orienting terms BEFORE YOU BEGIN A SECTION HIKE OR ANY OTHER. Have a firm plan in place before beginning your next section and know in broad strokes which direction to travel if lost. Know basic self rescue strategies. To paraphrase Warren Doyle, if on the AT walk downhill and follow running water. Within a morning or afternoon of walking you'll be much closer to or at safety.
To use maps in woods you have to know where you are to start with for the most part.
Fortunately AT maps have features like shelters, streams, mountains, and AT on them.
With even minimal attention to trail and a trail guide/profile like AWOLs as you hike, someone should be able to pinpoint their general area pretty close on these maps. Most remember shelters and climbing mountains.
With that, a compass, and knowledge of what side (left /right) they left trail relative to N/S. Hiking direction, a course to intersect AT again can be figured out pretty easy in most cases. If you dont know left/right relative to trail, you got bigger problem.
The AT can meander all over place , heading E, W , N, and even S in course of a nobo day. Without a map.....you can be in a pickle. Its far from a n-s trail on daily basis.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 05-26-2016 at 04:20.
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apparently suffered certain type of anxiety which under the circumstances would definitely have impaired her ability to think clearly. Add in a sore back, the ability to get frustrated and it's the perfect storm. Still perplexes me she wasn't located sooner
My wife (and hiking partner) read the AP story to me last night, and we talked about this for a long time. Man, wow.
On the one hand, it's really easy to second-guess someone else's decisions from the comfort of my armchair, and I don't want to do that. The Maine woods are difficult to navigate off-trail (and that's an understatement). It would be tempting to hunker down and wait to be found.
It's easy for me to say, "Just set a compass direction south and walk in a straight line until you cross a road or a trail." That sounds easy, but it's not. I managed to get myself pretty well lost in SW Virginia during the fall season about ten or fifteen years ago. Was following a trail (not the AT, a fairly obscure trail) and kept going for a while until I realized that I hadn't seen blazes in a long time. Miles, probably. This was pre-GPS and pre-iPhone. I had some vague idea where I was, but no idea how to get back to the trail. I took a break, got a snack, checked my map, and figured out that I would hit another trail if I managed to walk in a reasonably straight line -- this turned out to be way harder than it sounds, and this was in relatively open woods, not the thick evergreen forest of Maine. Based on my experience in Vermont, I can't imagine trying to go cross-country in Maine.
The whole thing just makes me very sad for Inchworm and her family.
It really makes my heart hurt to read these things and to think hard about what was going through her mind for so many, many days.
"In an Aug. 6 journal entry, Largay wrote, “When you find my body, please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry. It will be the greatest kindness for them to know that I am dead and where you found me — no matter how many years from now. Please find it in your heart to mail the contents of this bag to one of them.” That entry was about a week after the Maine Warden Service scaled down search efforts.
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