Incredibly odd development in the Geraldine Largay case

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Just read another article in the Globe today that said her family didn't like the way she was portrayed in the NYT article as "prone to anxiety"....so who knows what led to the disorientation...I guess we will learn more if her family shares some of the journal entries. Anyway....
 
I found this link while skimming the Gerry Largay thread on Whiteblaze.net. It's an excerpt of the Largay report created by the Maine Warden's department.
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2842883/Geraldine-Largay-Report-Exerpt.txt

  • Reported coordinates of her location (converted into decimal degrees): 44.983517 -70.40165
  • Satellite imagery: http://binged.it/1WsCaMt
  • Caltopo's MapBuilder layer depicting trails: http://caltopo.com/m/BD1J
    (Switch the Base Layer to "USGS 7.5' Topos" to see old roads and the original route of the Appalachian Trail.)
Her location was less than a half-mile north of Railroad Road. According to the report, she had a paper map and a keychain compass. Full inventory is listed at the end of the report.

The Maine Warden Service led the family back to the spot where Geraldine Largay was found. After paying their final respects, they left the site and were led south to the road. For me, this was the saddest part of this tragedy and here's why:

After clearing the campsite, we headed south. It was thick for the first 60-70 yards and then became open hardwoods with good visibility in all directions. It was steep but walking down hill was easy. After walking about 20-25 minutes we came to a clear logging road and followed that and came to the Old RR Bed. in total we had walked about 30 minutes.

Once on the Old RR Bed we walked back towards the Appalachian Trail and then continued to our vehicle location.

She had:
  • a map
  • a tiny compass (that could minimally indicate the cardinal points)
  • knowledge she was on a slope (she had walked uphill)
  • knowledge she was north of the trail (based on a text message she sent her husband)

The only thing she lacked was the skill to put the puzzle pieces together. Walk southwest and in under an hour you will intersect a road (or follow the drainage). Turn left and follow the road to the AT.

RIP Inchworm. Perhaps your story will motivate others to learn how to navigate in the woods.
 
I read some from the Washington Post the other day, what I haven't figured out is how she got to her last location. I saw she was at the lean-to south (on the AT) of Spaulding & North of Saddleback. Did she get off the trail there or after coming off Spaulding & Sugarloaf? Many of us have been in this area from Route 27 on the way to Reddington or from the CVR & know that landmark.

My initial thoughts were, how could you get lost following white blazes & how far off trail you'd go, but if you bushwhack from the woods there & then got turned around you wander downhill following a stream and end up in the logged area above CVR & maybe it gets confusing with many paths through there could be confusing. Many of us have read Trip reports on figuring how to get to Redington from either the Crockers or from CVR.

It's a sad case & while it's not much, at least she was able to leave a little something for her family so they have some words from her last days.
 
Here's another article: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hikers-tough-call-to-wait-for-help-on-trail-was-right-at-first/

This one also says she had a map, compass, and several lighters. If true, I have to admit, even I'm surprised. Even with truly minimal knowledge of how to use these items, I'm amazed this story turned out the way it did. I'm not suggesting a conspiracy of any kind, I'm suggesting either she didn't possess this minimal knowledge, or she was in a state of mind in which she could not apply that knowledge. I suspect it's the former, but a tendancy towards panic/anxiety certainly would not help matters (I speak from experience there).

Reminds me of the first winter hikes I did, years ago. I religiously carried an ice axe because I had read it was 'required gear' in the winter. Good thing I had that for, say, Passaconaway and Hale, which were among my first couple of winter 4k'ers.

I think many of us agree that safety and survival depend not just on equipment, but on the ability to use it effectively and appropriately, or to improvise when needed. Having now read most of the articles related to this incident, it now seems to me she lacked this basic knowledge. With several lighters, how could you fail to start a signal fire? With a keychain compass, how could you fail to point yourself in the most obvious direction and just start walking? Even if thick, one would become unlost in a relatively short amount of time.

On a more positive note, I salute people who push themselves within reason out of their comfort zone to do something that is important to them. The evidence suggests to me that hiking the AT was well outside her comfort zone - it was a risk and a challenge. Even with all we know, there is something to be commended there. Obviously we can (and have) debated how far outside one's comfort zone one should push themselves. I remain sorry this story turned out this way, and I wish those she left behind peace.
 
I can tell you being the same age as her it isn't easy to get along in life for some of us. And if I remember correctly one article quotes her friends who said she use to get lost or couldn't follow the trail well. So she had some issues going on which no doubt led to her death. So watch out for to criticize her for not knowing how to or why didn't she ideas. It seems to me she suffered from a form of mind loss or reasoning abilities. Maybe she shouldn't of been on the trail but shit happens. Ask me how I know.
 
I hear you but it seems to me that one should equally "watch out" for criticizing her mental faculties.

The only "issue" I see she had was the one common to many so-called "experienced trail-hikers", namely they can't navigate off-trail. They're expert trail-followers but out of sight of one they become babes in the woods.

BTW, it was such a revelation to read Facebook posts by hikers concluding what happened to Gerry is a good reason to relieve oneself by trailside and not venture into the woods. Uh-huh. An excellent demonstration of one's mental fitness, right there. :rolleyes:
 
While reading a related thread on another forum I saw a post with a link to a paper on lost person behavior: http://www.smcmsar.org/downloads/Lost Person Behavior.pdf The paper, at 30 pages, is a bit legthy but I found it quite interesting. It postulates that lost people basically go through 5 stages:

In Stage One you deny that you're disoriented; in Stage Two you panic when you admit that you're lost; in Stage Three you calm down and form a strategy; in Stage Four you deteriorate both mentally and physically, as your strategy fails to get you out; and in Stage Five you become resigned to your plight as you run out of options.

Apparently, the paper is more that 15 years old and the author subsequently wrote a book titled "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why" that I am planning to put at the top of my reading list.
 
While reading a related thread on another forum I saw a post with a link to a paper on lost person behavior: http://www.smcmsar.org/downloads/Lost Person Behavior.pdf The paper, at 30 pages, is a bit legthy but I found it quite interesting. It postulates that lost people basically go through 5 stages:



Apparently, the paper is more that 15 years old and the author subsequently wrote a book titled "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why" that I am planning to put at the top of my reading list.

One of the most compelling books I have read in the last 10 years. An outstanding read full of analysis on people's behavior in emergency situations. The author truly did his leg work and has a depth of understanding of human behavior that makes this hard to put down. Lawrence Gonzales.

I highly recommend this book.
 
While reading a related thread on another forum I saw a post with a link to a paper on lost person behavior: http://www.smcmsar.org/downloads/Lost Person Behavior.pdf The paper, at 30 pages, is a bit legthy but I found it quite interesting. It postulates that lost people basically go through 5 stages:



Apparently, the paper is more that 15 years old and the author subsequently wrote a book titled "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why" that I am planning to put at the top of my reading list.

You're right, that is an absolutely fascinating read. While reading it I was reminded of an anecdote I read about Davy Crockett, someone asked him if he ever got lost and he replied: 'No, but there was a time when I wasn't quite sure where I was for about three months.' :)
 
While reading a related thread on another forum I saw a post with a link to a paper on lost person behavior: http://www.smcmsar.org/downloads/Lost Person Behavior.pdf The paper, at 30 pages, is a bit legthy but I found it quite interesting. It postulates that lost people basically go through 5 stages:



Apparently, the paper is more that 15 years old and the author subsequently wrote a book titled "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies and Why" that I am planning to put at the top of my reading list.

I liked the part about 'bending the map'. I think the phenomenon happens outside of spatial reasoning as well. Denying the reality in which you live can have consequences depending on which aspect is distorted in your mind. The effect can be really sinister when someone believes they have an accurate understanding of reality, and doubling down when challenged on that view. Another person with another perspective might call them a liar, but as George says, "It's not a lie if you believe it." When it comes to political views, that distortion [hopefully] won't kill you, but in the woods 'bending the map' can.
 
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lack of food and especially fatigue. As we age... and this happens to different people at different ages ... we get certain levels of dementia. It is just a fact of life. The fact that Inchworm already was on occasions having issues staying on trail and getting disoriented already exposes certain level of dementia. It only gets worse. Sorry to break it to those who are too young to realize that. She probably had a difficult and demanding day, got fatigued and this exacerbated her condition. People who get affected have trouble performing much simpler tasks than orienteering when they are fatigued or when they are hungry or under stress - in some cases the condition reaches a stage when you don't need to be hungry or tired. It's just a fact of aging.
 
Just to set the record straight, aging is not for wimps. And, my observation is that there is a lot more wisdom than dementia in old people.
 
It does not appear from the diary entries I read that she was not in control of her mental faculties.

Like everything else, aging has its ups and downs. There are still almost all good days at 56 for this hiker. But issues can pop up suddenly (stroke), or slowly (cancer). I used to see aging as a long slow slide, but that doesn't mean I can't try to hit the brakes.
 
I was fortunate to meet George and Inch, about a month before she missed her rendezvous with George . Saw them twice, actually.

First meeting was when George picked her up on the Auto Road at the trail junction at 2 mile park. He was picking her up and taking her into Gorham, where they had lodging for 3 nights. They stopped on the way out, we chatted. Inch was bright and bubbly, George was proud and all smiles. Considering the lack of cell service in Pinkham, they had timed their meeting within minutes. I asked if they needed any suggestions for shopping, sightseeing or restaurants, George smiled widely, thanked me, and said he had already done his homework on that and went down through a punchlist -- spot on, he even knew where they were going to church on Sunday, and that it was directly across the street from their lodging. He had done his homework. Inch was excited for hot showers, laundry, a pool, a hot tub, a real bed, restaurant meals and only asked if I could recommend a salon where she could get a haircut and a pedicure.

Inch was solo at that point on the trail.

When they returned on Monday, to get Inch back up to the trail intersection. we spoke again and both of them thanked me profusely ( for not much, really), declared that Gorham was a great spot for a rest off the trail, said they found everything they wanted and were impressed with the helpfulness of the people in town. I asked where their next planned off-trail rendezvous would be, and again, George had it all planned, lodging, meals, resupply and laundry. He even knew where to buy pie on Rt 26 in Newry.

Perhaps you cannot get much of a sense of people in 2 10 minute meetings. I thought I had, and was extremely impressed that the homework HAD been done. My sense was that this was a team-- she did the hiking, and he managed the logistics, right down to church services and pie.

Inch truly and deeply trusted in George. It doesn't in the least surprise me that she believed had to stay put where she was, trusting that the cell phone messages would work, and even though she was lost, George would make the rescue happen. They believed in each other, very very strongly.

That was a tough summer for AT hikers in northern New England. There were reports of a menacing trail stalker targeting women , there were many many warnings about Giardia and Norovirus, all water flow was below normal, and it was danged hot. George and Inch were completely committed to what they were doing, how they were doing it, and were supremely, happily confident that they each had their ducks all in a row and it was working well for them.

That it all went so horribly wrong surely has many lessons. I guess the bottom line for me in all this is-- her PLB could have made very quick work of her rescue, and it belonged on her person, not left behind in a motel room.

SHE had not planned to get lost, but THEY had planned for an emergency. Trust in what and how you plan is only as valuable the diligence with which you execute the plan.
 
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