Tragic Backpacking Mystery Finally Solved: Don’t Let This Happen to You

Geraldine Largay was an experienced hiker who was making a monumental trek through the Appalachian Trail.  She stopped to use a restroom in the summer of 2013 off the trail in the Maine wilderness.  She came out, started hiking and then got lost.  Tragically, she died despite a massive search and investigation that involved everyone from fellow hikers and multiple law enforcement and rescue agencies.  A report detailing the facts of the investigation and circumstances of this tragedy was recently released, and it serves as a stark reminder for all of us to be prudent when hiking alone in the wilderness. 

She was found inside of a tent that she set up after becoming hopelessly lost, only a couple of miles from the trail, and apparently died from exposure.  She also kept a journal of her final days, and the last entry was to call her husband when her body was found.  (Read More)