Wife Who Vanished While Hiking The Appalachian Trail Turns Up 2 Years Later
66-year-old Geraldine Largay of Tennessee was never one to shy away from a challenge, no matter how extreme. However, one obstacle did ultimately prove too much for her when, after setting off on one of the most difficult hiking trails in North America, she disappeared without a trace. Her friends and family grieved, praying for closure that they feared would never come. That is, until years later, with Geraldine’s whereabouts still unknown, when a TV crew made an unexpected discovery that left her loved ones speechless.
Hiking The Appalachian Trail
For hiking enthusiasts, the Appalachian Trail is considered one of the most breathtaking thru-hiking experiences in the world. Winding its way through 14 states, the A.T. is the perfect way to experience all the beauty that the U.S.'s eastern coast has to offer.
Not For The Faint of Heart
But make no mistake — the Appalachian Trail is not for the faint of heart. The 2,200-mile path is marked by rugged terrain and extreme climates, and of the nearly 4,000 experienced hikers that set out on the A.T. each year, only about a quarter hike to completion.
Woman Seeking Adventure
Those odds aren't great, but for Geraldine "Gerry" Largay, they were still odds worth taking. The 66-year-old retired nurse from Tennessee was searching for her next great adventure, and in the spring of 2013, she decided that the Appalachian Trail was just that.
Childhood Friend Trip
Despite an anxious nature, Gerry resolved to hike the trail without her husband, George, believing this challenge was one she needed to overcome alone. Still, that didn't stop her childhood friend Jane Lee from tagging along in pursuit of her own life-changing adventure.
Entered At Harpers Ferry
And so, on April 23, 2013, the two women set off on their first leg of the Appalachian Trail, entering through a trail opening in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Unlike most who tackle the A.T., however, Gerry and Jane decided to go about their hike a little differently.
Arranged Stopping Points
Instead of thru-hiking the trail with no assistance, Gerry and Jane were met along the way by George, who would resupply them and even take them to a hotel for the evening to shower and rest. After all, these women were in their 60s — the less risk they had to take on the trail, the better.
Poor Sense of Direction
Yet age wasn't the only factor that made the hike a dangerous endeavor. Gerry had a notoriously poor sense of direction and would often make wrong turns along the trail, making these short stops — as well as Jane's presence — all the more essential.
Family Emergency
Despite these precautions, however, Gerry and Jane's adventure came to a grinding halt just two months in. After getting word of a family emergency back home, Jane was forced to abandon their hike just a few miles into New Hampshire.
Gerry Refused To Quit
Before she did, Jane implored her companion to return home with her, believing that Gerry wasn't equipped to handle the remaining stretch of the A.T. But Gerry wouldn't be swayed — she was going to finish what she started.
Nearing The End
Over the next few weeks, the 66-year-old steadily made her way through New Hampshire and into Maine, the finish line in sight. She rested briefly on July 22, and a group of fellow hikers snapped this picture of her.
Missed Phone Call
Perhaps seeing this photo would've calmed George's nerves, as two days after it was taken, he received no word from Gerry despite scheduling a call with her to check in. When the 24th came and went without sign of his wife, George knew he had to act.
Largest Manhunt In Maine History
He contacted the Maine Department of Parks and Recreation, who immediately summoned a search party for what would become the largest manhunt in state history. For 20 days, volunteers combed every inch of Maine wilderness, though by the end, Gerry was still nowhere to be found.
Assumed The Worst
Heartbroken, George and the rest of Largay family had no choice but to assume the worse and held a memorial service for the beloved wife and mother later that year. But had Gerry really perished on the trail? Some investigators weren't so sure.
Reported Sightings
According to one witness, a woman matching Gerry's description was spotted wandering through a nearby town, though around the same time, another witness claimed to have seen Gerry living in a women's shelter back in Tennessee. Investigators were stumped, though in October 2015, they finally got their answers.
Nature Show Taping
While filming an episode of North Woods Law, an Animal Planet film crew stumbled upon a crumpled yellow tent just a half mile off the Appalachian Trail. They assumed it had been left behind by a hiker who had set up camp off the trail. They were wrong.
Tragic Discovery
Beneath the rotting remains of the tent was a body so decayed that the crew was unsure police would even be able to identify it. Further investigation uncovered a journal tucked beneath the corpse, and inside, they discovered a heartbreaking truth.
Lost Her Way
The body belonged to Geraldine Largay, who, according to the journal, had wandered off the A.T. shortly after chatting with the hikers on July 22 and was unable to find her way back. With the trail out of sight and her supplies dwindling, she waited for help, which never came.
Goodbye Note
Most tragic of all, however, was the final note she left behind: "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 find me – no matter how many years from now."
They Somehow Missed Her
Incredibly, Gerry had survived 26 days alone in the Maine wilderness and wrote in her journal right up until the very end. And while the search for the missing hiker had ended sometime around August 4, 2013, the journal showed she was still alive as late as August 18.
No Regrets
With this news, George and the Largays were finally able to rest easy knowing that Gerry was at peace. Despite losing the love of his life, George had no regrets about encouraging Gerry to hike the trail because she died doing what she loved: living life to the fullest.
Months To Prepare
Preparing for the Appalachian Trail is no joke, and that's why those seeking to tackle the path often spend months at a time preparing for the journey. Thinking she might tackle the trail, a certain teenager headed straight into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Teenager Knew The Land
"I know this valley like the back of my hand," 17-year-old Maddie Roark told Vice. "I've grown up running around the woods and exploring everywhere. The woods is where I feel more comfortable."
Identifying Nature
And if you took just a single stroll with her through the tree-lined ridges, you'd have known she was telling the truth. She could identify tree species with the same ease in which you might identify your neighbors.
Lived Off The Grid
That's because the teen lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains, totally off the grid, away from the hustle and bustle of city life, for six months out of the year — but she wasn't entirely alone at her cabin, which sat in a dusty clearing.
Animals For Company
A handful of dogs might've followed her on any walk to the hen house, where birds worked hard to ensure she had a few eggs for breakfast. A few goats strutted alongside her too, as well as a cat.
A Father's Dream
Luckily, she wasn't without human companionship. Her dad shared the cabin with her, and it was his dream that drove the duo so far from other humans. "The idea of living off the grid started when I was a child," he said.
Disgusted By Consumption
He continued, "I was disgusted with the way people just took their resources for granted, and they just didn't think about how they affected the circle of life that they were very much a part of... you just find yourself living with your head stuck in a hole."
Teenage Escape
Maddie, of course, had her own reasons for spending some of her most formidable years in relative isolation — and it wasn't to avoid petty high school drama or highway traffic.
Solo Hike Along Appalachian Trail
The impressive teen lived off the grid to prepare for a six-month solo hike along the Appalachian Trail, a 2,200-mile path that takes travelers from Georgia to Maine. It's a grueling and demanding journey.
Time To Think
But nevertheless, those six-months, Maddie believed, would be beneficial: "Hiking through the woods for six months is a good way for me to figure out who I want to be in life before going off to college," she said.
Different Approach
Yep, while most 17-year-olds "find" themselves by getting a little too involved at a high school party or by attending a college really far away from home, Maddie's approach was a little different — but she was a different kind of person.
Nature Centered Mindset
Maddie's "way of seeing the world is very much the way that young children in cultures that live closely with the Earth" see it, her dad said. It's very much "that 'I'm in the present'" mindset. "It's almost an ancient way of seeing the earth."
High-Quality Life
Living off the grid didn't mean that Maddie and her dad had it rough, however. In fact, thanks to a few very particular sets of skills, the duo ate meals that would make any foodie's mouth water.
All Natural Eating
On one morning, for instance, they ate scrambled eggs from their coop, shiitake mushrooms they foraged, and onions they grew, all cooked in bear grease they made themselves from lard gifted to them from hunters.
No Grocery Stores
There was no grocery store within walking distance of their little cottage, so to get their proteins — like deer jerky and summer sausage — they had to get their hands dirty. But they had the tools and talents for that, too.
Hunted For Meat
With rifles, bows, and arrows, Maddie and her dad hunted for their own meat. "To become a good hunter with a bow, you have to understand the pattern and rhythms of the woods," her dad said. And boy, that duo did.
Greater Sense of Appreciation
Maddie felt more in tune with the world because they killed for meals. "Growing up around death and knowing that [it's] necessary in order for me to survive, I think it's made me know and appreciate the importance of life so much more," Maddie said.
Connected to the Earth
Her dad echoed the sentiment. "Anything that keeps you more connected to the earth and the resources that keep you alive," he said, "is a really important skill."
Nothing Goes To Waste
That's why Maddie never let an animal go to waste. After killing and skinning a deer, and then scraping all the fat and meat off the hide, she created bags and pouches from the pelt, which she then sold on Etsy to fund her Appalachian Trail hike!
The Only Way She Knows
She may have appeared like a truly special teenager, but Maddie didn't see it that way. "I've never thought that it's special that I know all this stuff, or that it makes me cooler or a better person," she said. "It just is what it is."
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