Posted on 05/26/2016 1:18:25 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT
Geraldine Largay knew she was doomed.
It had been two weeks since she left the Appalachian Trail to go to the bathroom and lost her way; two weeks since she had wandered deeper and deeper into the woods of northwest Maine in search of a cellphone signal to message for help; two weeks since she had pitched her tent underneath a copse of hemlock trees atop a ridge; two weeks since she was supposed to meet her husband, waiting for her in his SUV on Route 27.
Largay’s food was running low. Her water, too.
So the 66-year-old retired nurse sat down and wrote a note to whoever might find her — after she was dead.
“When you find my body, please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry,”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Remote area, very few people within miles of her.
10 feet off the trail (for curtesy of future travellers), scoop, poop, and shovel; get back on the trail and go home.
“How to Stay Alive in the Woods”, by Bradford Angier.
I have done numerous 3-10 day hikes along the AT but never had an interest in staying out there for many months on end. I’ve hiked just about all of the AT in the northeast in sections, some sections many times. However, spending months on the trail in one long spell never appealed to me. I have trained many outdoor group leaders and led many outdoor trips in programs (Outward Bound spin-offs), up to one month in length in the great mountain west, but so far one month is my time limit...... ha....
so you leave the trail to do a pee and don’t know enough to just turn around and go back the way you came to the path again...
maybe the husband hated her and left her there to die knowing she was that stupid ???
:)
And even if you bring a GPS, ALWAYS bring a map and compass and know how to use them!
There may come a time when the GPS satellite system doesn’t work... for whatever reason. Or more likely, the GPS unit doesn’t work (dropped, lost, dead batteries).
And then don’t move if you get lost and of course give someone your itinerary — where and when you are expected.
I still have a set of walkie-talkies that work very well without a cellphone network. They are dirt cheap these days, too.
whatever did we do before cellphones ???
she was relying on her stupid cellphone alone ???
That's a fun tidbit.
A co worker's mother and Helen Keller were friends, he had some childhood recollections and his mother's letters/photos. That always impressed me, and yes, I'm slightly familiar with her politics.
Clearly it wasn’t just a tinkle. But yeah. Even so, why go so far off the trail that you can’t see where it is?
Maybe it was too wet to start fires, but over 3 weeks? Surely one day would be dry, and there are for sure fire starters. And why not a solar phone charger? And why didn’t she find the trail rather than to search for cell bars?
Sad story.
And why do they always say “she died doing what she loved best.”? Starving to death??
"She had also tried to make fires using the matches and lighters she kept in her backpack."
The article says she was "no beginner", but what else can you call someone who has a lighter and still can't get a fire lit in Appalachia in July?
Oh, well! As always, Free Republic has people from all walks of life. I’m impressed! I’m lucky I can walk into town.
Where does the trail generally start? I’m thinking Georgia.
Read where that trail is not marked very well. You could lose it pretty easily if you stepped off it for one reason or other.
I remember one lesson from when I was a boy scout over 50 years ago. If you are lost, stop moving. Once she realized she could not find her way back (it should not have been more than a short time) stop moving.
Wait for help.
how far off trail do you have to go to tinkle to get lost?
_______________________________________
maybe she was looking for a bush that identified with her particular gender that day ???
Have you tried modern matches, lol? They’re produced with health and safety standards - they don’t light.
Bookmark
Definitely. If she was in a high pressure zone, they would have seen the smoke for miles, and if she was in a low pressure zone, they would have smelled the smoke for miles.
You’re bad, Nana! God’ll get you for that one, lol!
I thought of that too. I decided the WaPo may have some kind of strange toileting standards. Or maybe it was because she had texted her husband that she went off trail to go to the “br.” Because there aren’t actual bath rooms in the woods.
If she’d had a compass and the most minimal knowledge”
Now that’s Funny, Just Yesterday I stopped at the top of the hill on the way home (Angeles National Forest) in California. The Pacifico Mountain Trail crosses the highway there.
I witnessed 5 Hikers in a row, within about 15 minutes, get to the road, pull out their phone and begin walking the WRONG WAY for about 100 yards until their stupid GPS told them to TURN AROUND!!!
I learned to Properly read a MAP and Navigate at 8 years old!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.