Adventure sports are associated with high levels of risk. They involve extreme height, speed, and danger. These activities require intense training, utmost fitness, and specialized gear. For adventure enthusiasts, it is a way of life. They live for the adrenaline rush and the thrill these sports offer.
One such adventure enthusiast was, believe it or not, a 66-year-old woman named, Geraldine Largay. But don’t they say, “age is just a number”, and rightly so because Geraldine went on a hike across the Appalachian Trail. Although this trail was known for being tricky and challenging for even a young and fit person, Geraldine was confident she would be able to finish it successfully. Little did she know, her journey will be quite different from what she had planned. And two years after this expedition, her family will discover the truth.
The Appalachian Trail or A.T. is a traced hiking trail in the eastern region of the United States, extended across 2190 miles starting from the Springer Mountains in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The trial runs through 14 states of the eastern coast and is the perfect way to experience the region in its natural glory.
For hiking enthusiasts, this trail is one of the most breathtaking experiences in the world. However, it is not at all a comfortable journey. It takes about five months to complete this rocky trail which exposes you to extreme climatic conditions. In fact, out of 4000 hikers who set out on this trail every year, only a quarter manage to reach the finish line.
The odds of surviving this hiking trail were not great, but for Geraldine or “Gerry” Largay, it was worth trying. Gerry was a retired nurse living in Tennesse. She loved the outdoors and has always been an adventure enthusiast, even at 66. And in the spring of 2013, she was ready for her next adventure. After doing some research for her next destination, Gerry was convinced she had to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Gerry had been happily married to her husband, George, for almost 40 years now. They were high school sweethearts and Gerry had never known how to love any other man except George. But back in the day, Gerry had one fear; marriage. Her parents never had a happy marriage to look up to and she was afraid she will follow their footsteps.
But soon enough, George made Gerry realize that they are not her parents. So she can let go of the fear and embrace happiness instead. Her love for George was enough for Gerry to take the leap of faith. After their marriage, the couple became parents to a beautiful daughter. Gerry had finally let go of the fear and embraced her little family as the source of her happiness.
As a young couple, Gerry and George were always pretty outdoorsy, frequently going on treks and hikes. However, that didn't change even as they grew older. In fact, after her retirement, Gerry had more time to travel which is the reason she was determined to follow the Appalachian Trail.
Gerry had always been a strong independent woman, however, her anxiety was one thing she had battled with all her life. Her husband has always been an immense help in getting Gerry's anxiety under control. But despite that, she decided to go on this trip without him. She believed this was a hurdle that she needed to overcome on her own.
George was not on board with this plan. He wanted to accompany her on the trip for numerous reasons, like for one, Gerry had a terrible sense of direction and this trail was known to be challenging as it is. Plus it was not a matter of days, it will take her months to finish the trail.
After endless discussions between the couple, they finally reached a middle ground. Gerry agreed, after much resistance, to bring along her best friend, Jane Lee, on this trip with her. Gerry and Jane have been friends since they were little kids, and she knew George too since they all went to the same high school. She was the perfect person to accompany Gerry on this hike.
George had one more condition, even though Gerry was not going alone anymore, the ladies were in their sixties and they require extra precaution. So it was decided they won't thru-hike the trail and instead they will keep meeting George along the way, who would check in on them and restock their supplies.
So after countless preparations and discussions, the two women set off on their journey on April 23, 2013. They entered the trail through an opening at Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. Gerry had a newfound burst of energy, she was not sure if this because of the trip or being on foot again, but she was enjoying every moment of it.
Gerry loved to hike deep in the woods. The sky vanishes almost completely leaving only a few blue fragments scattered like a jigsaw puzzle. The air is rich with the smell of flowers and leaves, the sound of running water is hypnotic to her ears. Outside, the summer sun is bright and warm but here in the woods, it only peaks between the dispersed branches of the thick trees.
Gerry and Jane were set out on a routine, they would try to cover maximum distance during the day time, leaving the evening for rest and sleep. It was a smart call to avoid hiking the trail in the dark because Gerry's terrible sense of direction became even more challenging during the night time. Plus it was easier to locate things in daylight.
Gerry managed to be in constant touch with her husband. She would make at least one phone call every day to tell him she is doing okay and text him frequently too. On one of these calls back home, the ladies came to know Jane has some emergency back home. As a result, she will have to leave for home immediately.
Jane asked Gerry to come along with her. She didn't think Gerry was capable of handling the remaining trail alone. It had been two months since they left for their hike, which means they were not even halfway done. But Gerry had a separate plan altogether. She intended to complete this journey on her own and refused to go back with Jane.
Despite Jane's endless requests, Gerry decided to carry on with her journey solo. So Jane abandoned the trail a few miles into New Hampshire. And from that point onwards, it was just Gerry and her backpack. She kept a travel journal with her, to document her journey and ever since Jane left, she found herself writing in it more often.
Gerry continued the hike over the next few weeks, covering the distance from New Hampshire and reaching Maine, which meant she was almost there, she was near the finish line. She met many hikers along the way. Everyone admired her bravery, that she had made it on her own so far and all alone. She would always mention the support she got from her family, and how it kept her going.
It was the morning of July 24th, George had just finished up with breakfast. He poured himself another cup of coffee, while his eyes were set on the clock. Gerry was supposed to call today and update him about her whereabouts. He always made it a point to speak to her at least every other day, for his peace of mind.
It was now the evening and George was in a panic mode. He had been waiting for a phone call from Gerry all day now. It was unlike her to forget to call him since they already set out the routine of staying in touch always. If the call couldn't connect, she was supposed to drop a message which will reach automatically once her cell manages to find the network.
When the sky turned dark outside, George determined he can't wait any longer. He decided to call for help. By the next morning, if he manages to get in touch with her, they all could just laugh about it and call this thing off but for now, he will go forward with this because he can't risk anything when it comes to his family.
The last update he got from Gerry was that she had reached Maine. So George decided to contact the Maine Department of Parks and Recreation and report Gerry as missing. They immediately summoned a search party for her, which will go on to become the largest manhunt of the state.
The search parties would go out every day into the Maine wilderness and scan for any traces that could point them in Gerry's direction. But a week later, there was still no news of Gerry's whereabouts. To say that George was heartbroken would be an understatement. However, he had no plans of giving up. So the search parties continued looking and they involved search aircraft, state police, and even fire departments.
The investigators also spread out some flyers with Gerry's photo and description. The witnesses that came forward with information had contradicting stories. One witness claimed to see a woman matching Gerry's description to be wandering around a nearby town. While another witness claimed to spot Gerry around the same time at a women's shelter back in Tennessee.
The search parties combed through the Maine forests for 20 days but unfortunately, they could not locate Gerry nor any of her belongings or anything which could lead them to her. The investigators were stumped with differing stories from multiple witnesses. They all agreed, it was time to call the search off.
After spending innumerable sleepless nights figuring out how to reach his wife, George finally realized that he has lost Gerry forever. With a heavy heart, Kerry and George decided it was time to say goodbye to Gerry. They held a memorial service along with the rest of their family, for the beloved wife and mother later on in the year.
It wasn't until two years later, in October of 2015, when investigators finally got some answers about Geraldine Largay, the missing woman who was never found. During the filming of an episode for a tv show, the Animal Planet crew stumbled upon something strange in the woods.
A member from the Animal Planet crew discovered a tumbled yellow tent just half a mile from the Appalachian Trail. He assumed it was left behind by a hiker who might have set up camp off the trail. But he couldn't have been more wrong.
The man could smell the terrible odor and on exploring further he found that beneath the rotting remains of the tent, was a corpse so decayed he was not sure if anyone will be able to identify it. He immediately called the rest of his crew, so that they could report it to the police.
Once the cops arrived, they began investigating the content of the tent and found a journal tucked away inside. That is what helped them in identifying the corpse as Geraldine Largay, the woman who went missing two years ago in 2013. The news was heartbreaking even for the officers.
The officers reached the Largay residence to convey the bitter news to George. It was bitter for multiple reasons, George had already come to terms with losing Gerry two years ago. They assumed the worst and had a memorial service for her. So bringing this up again, would cause him immense pain.
If people were assuming that after two years, it would not hurt George since he already mentally prepared himself for the loss of his wife, they were wrong. That's the tragedy of losing a loved one. The news hit him like a punch to the gut. The officers left Gerry's belonging with George and handed the journal to him. The front of it said, "George please read xoxo"
George sat down with the journal and opened it with trembling hands. It was her handwriting. She had documented everything, her journey with Jane, her journey after Jane left, how she met many hikers on the way and how she fell off the trail and could not find her way back.
Gerry went off the trail to go use the washroom. But after wandering off into the woods, she couldn't find her way back. She tried to contact her husband immediately but her phone had lost the signal. She could not find a clearing either so she climbed upwards hopeful to find a signal at a height, but that effort too, unfortunately, was unsuccessful.
Gerry had no map, no GPS and her phone had lost signal. So she decided to stay put and camped out in the yellow tent. She waited for help, which never came. Her supplies were slowly diminishing and she saw no signs of hope. After 26 days of surviving out in the woods, she ultimately died in her sleeping bag because of starvation and exposure.
Gerry's journal also revealed the various efforts she made in trying to escape and survive the whole incident. She tried to make fire, map out the area, made a bed area with some small trees, pine needles and dirt to keep water out from her tent. She managed to get by for 26 days, but unfortunately, she couldn't hold on any longer.
The search party for Gerry was called off sometime around 4th August 2013, but sadly, the journal shows she was still alive as late as the 18th of the same month. If only things could have been different, they may have found her in the woods.
George also discovered her phone amongst her belongings. Once it was charged, he read all the undelivered texts she sent out to him asking for help. On the day she wandered off, Gerry sent "In some trouble. Got off trail to go to the bathroom. Now lost. Can u call AMC to see if a trail maintainer can help me? Somewhere north of woods road. XOX". His eyes were blurry with tears as he kept reading them over and over.
The campsite built by Gerry was nearly a mile or two away from the Appalachian Trail. And according to the officers who found her body, the campsite which she built was not visible to the human eye unless you are right next to it. The forests are thick as it is, so finding something like that was indeed next to impossible, even for the search aircraft.
The saddest part was the endnote in Gerry's journal, which read "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 found me – no matter how many years from now. Please find it in your heart to mail the contents of this bag to one of them."
Even though George and Kerry had a memorial for Geraldine back in 2013, they had not received closure until this moment. Gerry was right, it was the greatest kindness for their tormented hearts to know that she is not lost but dead. Now they will finally be able to rest knowing that Gerry is in peace.
Receiving Gerry's journal and belongings from the tent meant a lot to George and somehow helped initiate the healing process. Even though he lost the love of his life, he had no regrets about Gerry going on the hike. He believes this way, she died doing what she loves the most; living life to the fullest.