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  1. #61
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    Quote Originally Posted by rocketsocks View Post
    This whole story will never make sense to me, I’ll never understand how someone could take a pea break and end up 2 miles from where they need to be.
    First of all, Inchworm was not 2 miles away from the AT.
    Using Google Earth and images from news stories indicating where her last campsite was found, she was "only" 650 yards (about 1/3 of a mile) from the AT.

    Second, apparently you've never dealt with people who have a poor sense of direction.

    When I was growing up, my mom had issues on long interstate drives. She would pull off the interstate for dinner or gas, and then get confused about which way to go to get back to the interstate... and then wouldn't be sure which direction to continue on the interstate.

    So back when the search for Inchworm was still on-going, the moment I heard she had issues with her sense of direction, I knew what had happened... she hadn't been attacked or fallen off the side of a hill or mountain. She simply turned of the AT to use the bathroom and couldn't find her way back.

    While I don't know where she stepped off the trail, if you look in Google Earth in the general area between the AT and where Inchworm's campsite was found, there's large sections of thin forest canopy. LNT principles state that you should deposit waste 200' from the trail. But with the thin forest, I could easily see where Inchworm might have walked 100 yards to find some privacy. When finished, rather than walking back towards the trail, she continued away from it. If she traveled 100 yards off trail to find privacy, she likely walked an additional 150 to 200 yards before she first thought she might be lost. So by the time she fully realized she didn't know where she was, she was already 300 yards from the trail. During the time she wandered around trying to get a cell signal, she only managed to double her distance from the trail relative to the position she was in when she first realized she was lost.

  2. #62

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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    First of all, Inchworm was not 2 miles away from the AT.
    Using Google Earth and images from news stories indicating where her last campsite was found, she was "only" 650 yards (about 1/3 of a mile) from the AT.

    Second, apparently you've never dealt with people who have a poor sense of direction.

    When I was growing up, my mom had issues on long interstate drives. She would pull off the interstate for dinner or gas, and then get confused about which way to go to get back to the interstate... and then wouldn't be sure which direction to continue on the interstate.

    So back when the search for Inchworm was still on-going, the moment I heard she had issues with her sense of direction, I knew what had happened... she hadn't been attacked or fallen off the side of a hill or mountain. She simply turned of the AT to use the bathroom and couldn't find her way back.

    While I don't know where she stepped off the trail, if you look in Google Earth in the general area between the AT and where Inchworm's campsite was found, there's large sections of thin forest canopy. LNT principles state that you should deposit waste 200' from the trail. But with the thin forest, I could easily see where Inchworm might have walked 100 yards to find some privacy. When finished, rather than walking back towards the trail, she continued away from it. If she traveled 100 yards off trail to find privacy, she likely walked an additional 150 to 200 yards before she first thought she might be lost. So by the time she fully realized she didn't know where she was, she was already 300 yards from the trail. During the time she wandered around trying to get a cell signal, she only managed to double her distance from the trail relative to the position she was in when she first realized she was lost.
    perhaps those spatially challenged shouldn’t attempt a back country trek, this is kinda hiking 101 and to hell with the 200 feet poop loops, tell the bears, squirrels, mice and birds that. I see your points HooKooDoo, but I just can’t get my head around the whole incident.

  3. #63

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    Okay, I’ll say it...is it possible Inchworm didn’t want to be found?

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  5. #65
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    If I were to tell the story to friends in an anecdotical way, I'd say that many issues added up.

    Reportedly she had a very poor sense for orientation. A former hiking partner said that she got lost several times through the days, whenever she was out of the guiding eys of her partner.
    When she finally realized she was lost in earnest, maybe she remembered to one big rule she had learned in some backcountry survival education: When you are lost, stay put and wait to be found.
    She was of a Generation who did not grow up with electronics and don't trust them too much, nor even understand how they work. She left her SPOT in the last hotel, and she didn't know how to use the phone to help her out.

    Then, she was on pills to help her angst - and after a few days ran out of these pills. Could easily be that she was more or less in constant panic and fear of life, so for the most time she just hid and kept quiet.
    Maybe the SAR guy(s) walked by close, just out of sight and she was too afraid to make her to be known. It was just one or two minutes and the opportunity for rescue had passed before she could get her mind ready.

    This is all speculation on my side, putting together pieces and rumors.

  6. #66
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    Quote Originally Posted by rocketsocks View Post
    Is it customary for SAR folks to periodically blow whistles and listen for a response along the search route?
    of course and they did

  7. #67
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    snip -

    anyone else find it odd that the SAR people apparently couldnt make it there in a day because it was so far in, but a TV crew can manage to make it to the spot?

    sure, searching s you move is slow, but they cant pick up the next day where they left off?
    you will not find an actual account of the search that backs up any part of this...

  8. #68

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    Quote Originally Posted by D2maine View Post
    you will not find an actual account of the search that backs up any part of this...
    In two years SARS didn't find her---a survey crew found her.

  9. #69
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    In two years SARS didn't find her---a survey crew found her.
    your point would be?

  10. #70

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    Quote Originally Posted by D2maine View Post
    your point would be?
    My point regards tdoczil's comment---
    anyone else find it odd that the SAR people apparently couldnt make it there in a day because it was so far in, but a TV crew can manage to make it to the spot?

    And how this relates to Maine Ranger Deb Palman's comment---
    "
    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."

  11. #71
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    My point regards tdoczil's comment---
    anyone else find it odd that the SAR people apparently couldnt make it there in a day because it was so far in, but a TV crew can manage to make it to the spot?

    And how this relates to Maine Ranger Deb Palman's comment---
    "
    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."
    how does that relate to a survey crew?

    the quote clearly states that the searchers made it there in less than a day and their gps tracks clearly show they searched the area, so i do not see the issue you seem to have. they hiked in searched and hiked out, they also used gps to keep track of previously searched areas to make sure they covered all the likely territory. they also were hampered initially with mis-information as to last known whereabouts.

    a lot of people worked very hard trying to find largay, and they were very close to finding per the gps tracks. its a sad tragedy and i feel for her family and for the searchers, many of who continued searching on their own time well after the "official" search was over.

  12. #72
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    Quote Originally Posted by D2maine View Post
    you will not find an actual account of the search that backs up any part of this...
    did you watch the video at the link that started this thread?

    a TV news crew walks to the spot where they found inchworm.

    someone explains that SAR couldnt reach that spot because it is so far into the woods that by the time they got near it the day was over and it was time to go back.

    no joke, both of these things are in the exact same video.

  13. #73
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    Quote Originally Posted by tdoczi View Post
    did you watch the video at the link that started this thread?

    a TV news crew walks to the spot where they found inchworm.

    someone explains that SAR couldnt reach that spot because it is so far into the woods that by the time they got near it the day was over and it was time to go back.

    no joke, both of these things are in the exact same video.
    how long do you suppose the news crew was in the area? there is a vast time difference between walking what is now to a known spot and searching an ever increasing search area. i am sure the woman who made that statement was simply trying to convey the difficulty of simply getting to and from the search area.

    this video does ok with the facts but there is a lot more information out there detailing the search efforts

  14. #74

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tipi Walter View Post
    From Maine Warden Service---
    map2.png
    Yeah, I don’t see how ya cross a water coarse, head uphill, bang a left...and not know traveling down will eventually get ya somewhere other than stuck on the side of a mountain.

  15. #75

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    Quote Originally Posted by D2maine View Post
    of course and they did
    which is why I say perhaps she didn’t want to be found.

  16. #76
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    report of the finding and a summary of her diary entries and contents of what was found...

    https://assets.documentcloud.org/doc...ort-Exerpt.pdf

  17. #77
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    warden service video detailing the search

    https://youtu.be/-fn0o3uO9Bg

  18. #78

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    Harsh CNeill. I got lost only a few miles from where she got lost. I stepped off the trail and the trail disappeared, that fast. I now carry bright pink ribbon to tie on a tree where I step off and do not loose sight of it. I was lucky, after an hour or so, I found the trail again. This can happen to anyone. Glad to hear you are perfect, with extensive back country skills. Inchworm did nothing wrong. Don't bash her. BTW, have you ever hiked this section ? You cannot judge unless you were there.


    Quote Originally Posted by cneill13 View Post
    I hate to bash a dead person but she was an absolute idiot who should never, ever have hiked alone.

    No directional skills. Her actions alone since being lost made no sense. Didn't follow the stream downward. Didn't climb to a peak for cell phone usage.

    But worst of all, she couldn't build a sustainable fire.

    It's hard to feel sorry for someone so completely devoid of common backpacker knowledge.
    Just ignore it

  19. #79
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    Quote Originally Posted by D2maine View Post
    how long do you suppose the news crew was in the area? there is a vast time difference between walking what is now to a known spot and searching an ever increasing search area. i am sure the woman who made that statement was simply trying to convey the difficulty of simply getting to and from the search area.

    this video does ok with the facts but there is a lot more information out there detailing the search efforts
    ive seen all the other data you keep mentioning as well. and i agree, it paints a more clear picture.

    i'm merely commenting on and calling BS on what was said in the video this thread is about.

    the video leaves out what youre talking about- that search teams actually did walk essentially right by the area in question. it paints as they were close, but never reached it because of time, etc. thats not entirely the same thing.

  20. #80

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    Thanks for the links D2maine, had t seen those yet.

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