The Most Disturbing Photo in Appalachian Trail History
Вставка
- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- There's honestly way more to this story than I could squeeze into 60 seconds. Watch the full length video here: • The Most Disturbing Ph...
RIP Geraldine Largay
Follow me on Instagram 📸: / kylehateshiking
Support the channel on Patreon 🙏: / kylehateshiking
My Gear spreadsheet: lighterpack.co...
BIG FOUR 🤘
Backpack: ula-equipment....
My FAVORITE Tent: zpacks.com/pro...
Gossamer Gear Tent: www.avantlink....
Sleeping Quilt:
Sleeping Pad: amzn.to/35rlMIw
OTHER SLEEPING STUFF 💤
Pillow: amzn.to/3he3mgX
Groundsheet:
FOOD & WATER 🍴
Filter: amzn.to/3pfZ25j
Stove: amzn.to/3simgd1
Cook Pot: amzn.to/3LSjqmJ
Spork: amzn.to/3shROja
Water Storage: amzn.to/3sinBk3
Food Bag:
Spice Container: amzn.to/3LZ2ISz
CLOTHING 👔
Sun Hoody: www.avantlink....
Shorts: amzn.to/3sdiQrL
Socks: amzn.to/3M2nPUi
Rain Jacket: amzn.to/3JPMBoy
Down Jacket: amzn.to/3UrHG2Q
Base Layer Bottom: www.avantlink....
Base Layer Top: www.avantlink....
Shoes: www.avantlink....
ELECTRONICS 🔌
Power Bank: amzn.to/3t4fDds
Headlamp: amzn.to/3M9yrke
Wall Plug: amzn.to/3pa3JNJ
Electronics Bag:
MISCELLANEOUS 🤘
Trekking Poles: amzn.to/3hqT39n
Pack Liner: www.avantlink....
Ultralight Knife: amzn.to/3t0m3dL
Ditty Bag:
Trowel: amzn.to/3CL0Ys6
Shoulder Pocket for Backpack: ula-equipment....
For business inquiries only: kyle.s.ogrady@gmail.com
This video and description contains affiliate links, which means if you click on one of the product links, I'll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
There's honestly way more to this story than I could squeeze into 60 seconds. Watch the full length video here: ua-cam.com/video/s2Ghz3DKb2g/v-deo.html
RIP Geraldine Largay
Yes I've read this story and it's gut wrenching! Thank you for sharing Kyle!💯 Have the most amazing week 😃
WRONG DATE!!!
I'm from Maine. We watched on the local news everyday praying she would be found. One of those stories that will always tear at your 💜🙏
Why walk two miles from trail to poop?
That's very sad, and may she rest in peace.
The politeness in her final note is so very heartbreaking.
Her kindness comes through.
She stayed in good spirits no matter the situation. God would be proud.
Bro 26 days? You could walk in any direction straight on and find civilization within 26 days. This was so preventable and so sad.
@@stgeorge5862Maybe she broke both her legs and didn't know how to walk on her hands
@@stgeorge5862I agree. You have enough energy and wherewithal to keep yourself safe for 26 days, there's no reason you couldnt walk for a day or 2 and find civilization
@@silverboogergod aint save her unfortunately
Rule number one of survival you are on your own. There is no rescue team coming to find you.
Rule number 2, do number 2 close to the trail.
Exactly
bring a PLB, personal locator beacon
then maybe a rescue team will come after you
@@cindy4628 What use is a rescue crew in a true emergency? They won't be there in time. And if it's not a real emergency then you should be able to keep yourself safe if you plan and prepare. Let people know your plans, include leaving a map with your route marked. Stick to your route as much as possible. Prepare for all possible weather conditions.
If you're going outdoors you are taking a risk. Shit can go down. Don't rely on any electronic device. It will affect your judgement!
@Amancalled Adam no one claimed it's a magical device that teleports you to a hospital lol
people that properly use a PLB know that it would take a couple hours, maybe days even after they press that button for help to arrive, you plan accordingly
that's all taken into account(obviously)
People get lost on the trail every year, that's why rangers say over and over "Do not leave the trail" the Appalachian trail goes through some of the densest parts of the woods on the East Coast and if you aren't from the area you'll become lost extremely quickly. Only the PCT really compares to the sheer amount of people who just disappear.
I grew up not far from where this woman went missing and there are certain areas even I wont go because how easy it is to get turned around and become lost.
Life Advice: If you are going out hiking or camping, please bring something with you to mark your path. Even if you never leave the trail, bring something anyway. If you do leave the trail its best to keep your markings in eyeline of each other. Also bring a map with you, I don't care if you have one on your phone. Bring a physical map, and a compass. Keep track of wjere you were and where youre going. Another thing to keep on hand is an emergency siren or whistle, anything that can make a lot of noise that can travel long distances.
I'm serious when I say these small choices can save your life.
This!!! Bring a bloody map and compass!! You should also take a course on how to use them. Never trust your sense of direction. And always bring your meds! Good lord, the number of mistakes this woman made are huge. My friend and I almost got into huge trouble when it rained hard and we confused a lake with a beaver dam created pond. Small mistakes loom large on the Appalachian trail. This is life and death. Don’t be foolhardy.
I can’t stress that advice enough.
It may not be no Appalachian mountain trail but I remember I was hiking in my go to trail down here in Florida. I was with my friend and I know I was about in the middle of the Forrest and I see a guy drenched in sweat raising his phone and hand for help. He asked for directions saying he got lost because his phone/ google maps stopped working. I gave him directions to get back to the main site but I could only imagine what the headlines could have been if I wasn’t there. People seriously have to stop relying on electronics lol
@@kathyb249 are u from the uk?
A small mirror too !🤔✌️
@@kathyb249 you are so dead wrong this area also has lot of issues with compasses not working...also it's extremely hard to find your way out when it gets extremely thick also maps wont help in the USA where almost 89% of forests are still not mapped.
this trail is known to get people killed not just by getting lost but by animals and paranormal and crappy humans...
My heart dropped knowing she could’ve walked under 2 miles and not have to die
Yes but that's only if she needed direction she could have ended up going much further the wrong way poor thing
@@mindys1198 you mark your path as you leave the camp site and you go in one direction. If you don't find anything within a half day's walk, you follow your markings back to the camp site and the next day, you repeat this until you've gone West, East, North and South. You can walk a mile in about 20 minutes, so she could have went 10 miles easily each day. Not to mention, she may have ran into other hikers. After attempting this, perhaps you give up, but you don't just sit at a campsite and give up and start writing notes to your family. Rest in peace.
Or have ended up 2 mile further away.
@@JASHALL10Bro I don’t know if I’ll ever be in this situation, but I’m going to keep your comment in mind. Thank you, if this saves me one day I’ll owe you lol.
She could have screamed or smth to alert people of her presence
What's always so eerie to me about missing stories like this, is pretty much always, at the end, it's stated where the individual's body was found. Most of the time they are not too far from where they were supposed to be. It always makes me sad that they felt so lost and hopeless, yet safety was right there. RIP
Nice to see people still rocking the self proclaimed p*do pfp
Being 2 miles away from the trail is pretty far
@@sgmysterykid2552 it’s not 26 days far tho. That’s like maybe 4-6 hrs
@@sgmysterykid2552dude people can run a miles in 8 minutes meaning you can run 2 miles in about 16 seeing as she’s old and has a ton of equipment it would still probably only take her about an hour to get back instead of 26 days to just die
@@etanmelo630when you lose the trail you are supposed to stop and wait for rescue. Wandering around will deplete your energy, and there is only one correct direction (which you don't know) but a fuckton of wrong ones that will get you even more lost.
She came so damn close to being found. Such a sad sad story. Rest In Peace.
She never went far at all!!!!!
@@Ivansky1do you know how far a mile is? In the mountains no less? Imagine 12 eiffel towers.
She could walk instead of staying still to the nearest village whatever that is , on the road signs would appear eventually
@@vroom3257 or she could head in the wrong direction and her body could end up not being found. Its all based on the situation. I'm sure she did what she could.
The photo isn't actually "disturbing" though, it's just a normal picture of her smiling.. I guess the story is kind of sad, but not very disturbing either. Those photos of Regina Kay Walters are bordering on disturbing, but even those I would say chilling.
I read the original news reports when she was found. This woman had anxiety and had not taken her medication with her on this hike. She got too anxious to act rationally and instead accepted her fate.
Yeah i was thinking why the hell she didn't try to find her way back instead of just sitting at the same place waiting for people to rescue her?
If im ever in that situation id die walking.
@@whipsandtips bro a bit backhanded trying to apply cold logic eh
She acted as rationally as she could. A basic rule for when lost is to hold where you are. If you are expecting rescue you don't move. If you aren't and have the survival knowledge and skills, then you can move from your location.
Her issue was she got turned around and ended up walking in the wrong direction. It probably occurred while she was going to the bathroom. If going off trail, for a break, it's good practice to mark the trees or make an obvious path for easier return to the trail.
@@whipsandtips No that fucking well is NOT. Survival of the fittest is about evolution, not about individual survival in a survival situation. Just because you put on a prayer emoji and an "R.I.P" doesn't mean your comment isn't absolutely disgusting.
@@whipsandtips this is not an example of that, you dull cow
If you have any type of cell signal, use it to change your voicemail and leave your location and situation there… That way when people call you to check on you they’ll know where to look for you.
Thats smart..yea u dont need a signal to do that.
Even private and government cell networks have to accommodate 911 calls
Great tip!!
@@henessy.-.45 my bf tried this hiking and it didn’t work :/
As someone who grew up around survivalist, I'm SHOCKED that I never thought about that or heard of it before. That is excellent advice! 👌
I helped search for her. She was so close to being out in a safe place, she was in the last spot anyone thought to look because it was so close to civilization.
I read the book “When You Find My Body” about Gerry. I cried multiple times, especially knowing how close she was to safety and she didn’t know. Thank you for helping to search for her.
Thanks for having a great and kind heart for taking your time to help look for her🙏
26 f%%%%%days though ???😢
What a dumdum
How can could you not find her??? I mean when a person Is missing. You start searching nearby first and then extend the radius...It's so sad
From her writings she had only ventured about 25 feet off the trail to use the bathroom. Always mark the trail behind you folks.
Um no. Learn how to use and review a map and know how to find you directions with and without a compass. This woman was ungodly incompetent.
Sat nav is so fucking cheap. It's 2023. Mobe the fuck along
@@mrsmartypants_1 I'm going to start doing that. 90% of the time I come out of the shopping centre I can't even find where I parked my car.
@@carpathianken take note that the sun rises in the East and sets in the west. That’ll at least inform where north is.
Or turn around and LOOK backwards. then remember the view.
As someone who lives less than a mile (as a crow flies) from the AT in western NC, please understand that just because this is the eastern part of the US and you think it’s not really a “wilderness” area, you CAN and WILL get lost in these mountains and no one will ever see you again. The terrain is crazy dangerous even 200ft off the trail feels like your lost forever. Stay safe.
True, I took a quick walk at Graveyard Field on the parkway. Missed a turn… walked hours trying to find a way out Finally heard traffic and walked towards it 5 hours later.
What is even worse, she was east of the SERE naval training area, maybe within 3-5 miles or so. As others have stated, breadcrumb paths out from your location to try and find the trail. I know the trail near bigelow mountain has a part of the trail that back in the 90s we had a friend get turned around and backtracked the wrong way. We sent 2 long distance runners to head down the trail to find him and re-direct him. Not to mention, if you aren't eating right. Your mental state can be exhausted. Waypoints for drop-offs are key and the log books in the lean-tos is key to actually leave your name as a marker of where you have been.
Always carry a whistle. Rescuers were very close to her.
years later 😅
@@label1877 Einstein genius
Or learn how to whistle with your fingers!It’s powerful enough to attract attention and doesn’t consume much energy!
@@ICT_rapsthats what I’m sayin 😂
She literally has a whistle on her pack strap.
1. Don't leave the trail farther than you can see it
2. Don't hike/travel alone unless you have trail markers
3. Tell someone EXACTLY where you're going and EXACTLY when you'll be able to text or call them again. If you don't text/call they will send some help asap.
Buy a SAT phone if you plan on hiking regularly
@@MacNif thank you for mentioning this! Im glad someone did :)
Sad
Always establish a panic time
@@MacNif better to carry an EPIRB. A Sat phone won’t lead rescuers to you. You push Th e button on the EPIRB and they will immediately respond and arrive as soon as they can get to your position. My son and his fiancé hike a lot so I bought them one. No subscription needed.
If you ever find yourself lost in the woods and staying in place is not an option for whatever reason, do the following: Walk a certain distance in a direction. Let's say 20 ft north. Mark your way as you go. Then walk back to your starting point. Then do the same thing in another direction and do so until you have made a "circle". If you don't find your way to safety, then repeat the same path but go a little further and continue to do this returning back to your center and going a little further each time until one of those leads you to safety. The key being to mark your route as you go so you don't get more lost
that’s smart
I would totally do this confidentiality if it wasn’t for my irrational fear of bears coyotes and mountain lions 😍
YES!!!! My grandmother told me this once. Love hearing it again.
I find it very useful to have a dog with you on your hikes (even if it’s just a hiking guide dog). I’ve been lost in the woods before and a dog led me back to safety. If you don’t have a dog, markers are also the best course of action.
Wow now that’s something I can use and will remember forever ❤❤❤
I once got lost. When I noticed I was lost, I stopped and placed rocks as I walked out to find the trail again. When I felt I had walked too long, I followed the rocks back to where I had started. I eventually found my way back.
How'd you do that if the rocks just led back to where you were lost? Lol
@@Essenceofblood5238You’re lost. You decide to go a direction and leave rocks behind to have a trail to go back where you started. You walk far enough to know this isn’t the right direction. You follow the rocks back to your starting point. Pick another direction and repeat the process until you find the trail 👍
it's called blazing a trail, rocks, a pile of sticks anything unnatural to mark where you have been.
Thank goodness for that 😮
Honestly this is what she should’ve done when leaving the main trial. Make her own trail so she could have easily found her way back.
The photo itself is beautiful - it was probably the last time she was really happy. It's everything that happened *after* which is disturbing.
She doesn't sound too smart.
@@educateme8455 nobody sounds smart when are lost, let's start by there.
Right. All these one off UA-camrs say this stuff to catch your attention.
@@educateme8455 well aren’t you just a symbol of respect. Talking sh*t about an elderly lady that died alone in the woods. Probably scared, lonely, and most certainly sad. But yeah, insult her some more. I’m sure if one of her family members or friends happen to see it one day it will make them feel great! So get your licks in! Whatever makes YOU feels better. Your parents must be super proud.
@Evalina César Cassule watch the whole video, she wasn't prepared at all. Lacked basic knowledge.
Bless this poor woman. I learned from a UA-cam video a while back a simple tip for helping you get out of the exact situation this woman found herself in. If you get lost first thing you do is you set up camp or create a base then you venture a set distance from the base marking your trail clearly along the way so you can always get back. Then you rinse and repeat this process by venturing further from the camp in every direction (preferably at 4 perpendicular points) always sticking to the marked trail you created. Eventually you will find the place you got lost
Awesome! Thanks!
Thank you for putting the info out there
Makes sense - hiked for decades and lucky never been "lost." Might've not known where I exactly was, but I guess I'm just good at spatial orientation
I think you may have just saved my life. I'm going hiking this spring to prove to myself that cancer & covid did not make me weak. (Kind of a private rebirth journey because I've lost so much to both.) I am terrible with directions and was petrified of this exact thing happening. Thank you so much.
@@SandraBettsArt Bring some king of gps trackers or locator with you.
Rule number 1 of going anywhere alone especially hiking in remote places - don’t go alone.
...and certainly not if you are a senior. Or best ...dont go at all
@@Gera1713just because someone’s older doesn’t mean they arent competent enough to do the things they love. You sound ridiculous.
Or just simply don't go problem solved
Right
This comment won't stop me, I can't read.
Some common sense for hikers: if you leave the trail for anything, make note of what direction the trail is running, and what direction you are walking, and don't walk 2 miles to use the bathroom.
Markers could work too I feel like this could’ve been avoided
@@RichielaurensIIIthere are markers along the Appalachian Trail
No….dont leave the trail, especially to the point you no longer sees it.
I would rather have someone see me peeing near the trail than wandering off to avoid being seen. Then again - I HATE hiking and you would never catch me out there
I don't think she walked 2 miles to use the bathroom. I think she may of gone 100 feet off the trail and got turned around and starting walking further thinking she was heading towards the trail.
This photo was taken by a stranger who met Geraldine on the trail. They struck up a conversation and the stranger asked if they could take a photo because they just found Geraldine so radiant and wonderful that they wanted to document it.
People are judging her actions in the comment section but she was a wonderful bright person (by accounts of those who knew her) who enjoyed hiking. Yes, she has done it before even if she was a slow hiker.
But despite her mistakes in the last month of her life, let's not forget she is also a person with a story who was living life to the fullest.
Edit: I understand that people are just giving general critiques that could have saved her life. But we all make mistakes when we think we know better but we actually don't. I just don't like how our conversation around this wonderful woman is always about "what she should have done" and never about the legacy she left in this world.
This. So much hate for what. She was a mom. A woman who just wanted to do something for herself.
Most of these comments aren’t hate, just general criticism. She really shouldn’t have been alone.
Clearly not that bright.
She killed herself who cates
@@ubemcgrebbiii1923 agree
Today marks ten years since this happened, may she rest in peace
not sure thats how that works
@@silhouechorkinda because he said the picture was taken July 22, 2013 and her body wasn't found until October 2015. Approximately almost 8-9 3/4 but to tell the exact time it's been we would have to know when she died exactly so it's safe to stay it has been 8 or 9 years since then
@@kaxzuymji- ahhh so it took them two years to find her, i see
this is a proof women cant and never did manage to survive alone in the wild without men
It’s decided. You see me shitting on the trail, you keep walking and mind ya business.
I will
Mind mine, and you mind yours. 🤣💩
I will squat right beside you.
Exactly. Never leave the trail
W.e jus don’t surface dump, bring a e-tool
My husband was hiking the trail at the same time and always wondered what happened to her since you'd heard from other hikers about her being missing. A really tragic story
It’s heartbreaking that she died alone and afraid when she was lost, she knew she wasn’t gonna survive for long when her messages didn’t go through
@@cnachopchopnewsagency very cool, CNA (ChopChoo News Agency)
@@cnachopchopnewsagency dafuq
@@cnachopchopnewsagency i’ve never seen someone so allergic to püssy before
@@bred9901 what did it say?
@@gatunhame sexist insults towards the woman in question and said that if her husband was there she would’ve lived or if the husband got lost instead he would’ve been able to scavenge for food and survive
She had a device that would have located her but she left it behind. Our game wardens were heartbroken that they never could find her alive
Maine has some of the best wilderness personnel in the world, goes to show how difficult the job is.
Your words sound like lyrics.
Wasn’t this tragic event captured on the show North Woods Law
I’ve always said that if I would ever get lost I would burn the forest down
Not very good Forest rangers
It's utterly tragic. To protect herself from rain she camped under trees cover.. that also meant not being visible to plane/Air search. Her camp was 70 yards away from open area.. 2 miles away from Trail and 25mins away from a logging road. Ms Gerry's friend's revealed that her hiking and compass skills were not adequate.
I get lost in my own city even after living here for 39 years, so going hiking while i dont know much about hiking or compass skills, ill pass!
This woman had no business hiking alone being this incompetent.
Too many people assume everything will be okay. Just stick to the trail and bring enough water and trailmix and you too can be a wilderness hiker. Anyone venturing off into the wilderness should be required to pass a basic competency test just like anything else that's dangerous and will endanger others. A lost hiker endangers others who participate in the rescue.
That last sentence took me out Idk why 💀
Oh my god that’s so fucking sad, Jesus Christ
She looked so happy in the photo...its kinda heartbreaking. She probably saved up for that hike and was looking forward to it for quite a while not knowing that would be her eventual demise.
I can’t believe she stayed in one spot for that long. This is heartbreaking.
She wasn’t totally wrong for assuming their would be searchers. I’m
More shocked she didn’t hear or see people searching for her so close to the trail.
I imagine she was not conscious of N.S.E.W. If she was, she would easily have made her way back to the trail. Being aware of N.S.E.W. is one of life's basic useful skills.
@@JBplumbing12 what’s N.S.E.W ?
@@tabithagonzalez8007 North South East West
@@JBplumbing12 yeah bcs u can use the sun as ur reference which is which...the sun always rise at East ..as long as ur not in the south or north pole part of the globe...
The cases where hikers are found relatively close to the trail they got lost from are always the saddest to me. It’s also a good reminder to stay just off the trail to use the bathroom. Even very seasoned hikers have become lost this way, and many fatalities,
This was 2013. There was zero reason for her not to have a $100 handheld GPS--or hell, she had a charged cell phone. They make GPS apps like GAIA.
This was so avoidable by just being a little bit smart.
the kids who crashlandend in the Andes during the 80s were a couple miles from an Antenna service center, it is just hard to decide to which direction you could go. It is easy to speak after the facts.
@@stormdog9169gps were $500 in 2013. Smart phones were just becoming common in everyones pocket. Where did you get $100 from
@@stormdog9169 this guy knows exactly what happened that day!
@@stephen5808 I don't need to know what happened that day to know how stupid it was for an old lady with crippling anxiety to hike a 2000 mile trail through the mountains without a GPS. That was a predictable end.
The fact she was only 2 miles from where she got lost is crazy... a rescue team could've easily covered that in just a few hours I wonder how they didn't find her
Because the Appalachian trail is absolutely massive, she was 2 miles from it, but which of the 2190 miles was she 2 miles from?
I refuse to believe that a pack of trained hound dogs couldn't find her in less than an hour or two
If I remember correctly, there was an episode of North Woods Law (a show where they ride along with some of the Game Wardens in Maine) that covered some of the searching they did for her when she went missing. I don't remember all the details, but I believe it had something to do with just how thick the brush and everything was in that area. I'll see if I can find the episode in case you or anyone else wants to check it out.
Edit:
There were actually 2, one that covered the initial search when she went missing, and one that took place a couple years later when they actually found her.
- initial search: Season 3 Episode 9 "Lost and Found"
- finding her camp and body: Season 7 Episode 11 "Homecoming"
@George Wood it says she was 2 miles from the trail I would suspect 2 miles from where she was last with the group of people
If I remember correctly her camp was well hidden in some trees and bushes and the finder didn’t see it until they where right in it.
Imagine the hurt when she was found and those texts finally came through…
May this adventurous woman rest in peace.
For anyone else possibly considering solo hiking/backpacking, brightly colored string or flags of some kind would've saved this woman's life in all likelihood by allowing her to more easily find the trail again. So let her story serve as a reminder to always mark the trail and your path when you step off of it, even to take a quick pee break. You never want to experience the terror of zipping up your pants, looking around the forest, and realizing you've lost the trail. Like someone else said; some forests are hungry and will swallow you up if you're not careful.
She's alive
@@b.k8051what?!
But make sure you don’t leave your bright coloured strings behind in nature. You’re not allowed to leave things behind on the trail.
They have this thing called a compass
dont litter your crap on my mountain
If you're not injured, should be no reason to just stay and wait for rescue. You are a hiker. You are fit. You're your own rescue.
@Waffen&Rosen I wonder why she'd take up hiking then with such a condition?
EDIT; Calm tf down people all I'm saying is be realistic about your own limits k? Chill.🙄
@@rustyhowe3907 She may have been trying to get out her comfort zone, but still not very smart to go alone.
@@annarodriguez9868 Could be the case yeah, such a tragedy and I wish her family well.
You're right she should've not gone alone.
If someone needs help then they need help… not sure what you’re getting at
@@dontmindme333 What I'm getting at is if someone doesn't know you need help, they aren't coming to help. So if she was capable of walking, she should have continued to walk instead of staying put.
She stubbornly insisted on hiking ALONE after her partner had an emergency and left. She was known to have terrible sense of direction and anxiety disorder. What the HELL.
like man me too but I don't want to die.
her decision did cost her own life 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
And? She’s still human. She wasn’t out to hurt anyone. Be kind
Don’t blame her for her death wtf.
What got me was the partner that left her alone, regardless of her anxiety
I went 4 wheeling in the desert with a buddy once and came across this 55 year old woman who was prerunning a race course, and had gotten lost and was wandering around for hours. No water, no cell, no map, just an energy bar. This was not the first or last person I saved. Some people are completely ignorant about danger.
Mac - Good man. God knows who to send.
Name checks out
@@scottmatznick3140 lol
How do you get lost in the desert?
But why do they still defend homosexual special rights ?
This is the main reason you ALWAYS go with at least one other person. If you get injured/lost on the trail alone, theres nobody coming to save you.
She and her husband were meeting at checkpoints, she did have someone, and he did send help.
@@Elle... Correct me if i’m wrong, but there was nobody with her when she got lost off the trail, and her husband was the one who called the authorities after she wasnt at the checkpoint.
@@spicypugz that’s what I said. She had someone who was keeping track of her. You said no one was coming to save her, someone was.
@@Elle... Ah ok I thought you meant she had someone with her at the time she got lost. But this is why its important to have someone with you and not just keeping track of you every 20 miles, because its uncharted wilderness if you get lost off the trail. If she had someone with her who was better at direction than sources claim she was, maybe she would have been able to find her way back. But i think we both agree on that.
@@spicypugz I think both of them would have been lost especially after walking 2 miles away from the trail.
Rest easy sweet little lady you were found and your family got closure. May this terrible incident serve as an example to those that follow in your footsteps
Follow in your footsteps hits different here, just me?
Never go alone??
@@AyshKingme too
Bring a compass? Map?
It's here own fault, dumb OLD goat did not even try to survive
She and he husband stayed at the inn I work at quite frequently. She planned this hike on the AT for a long time. She was so excited to finally go. It was heartbreaking to all of us to hear what happened to her. Holding out hope they'd find her and she would have a crazy story to tell. She was a sweet woman
And dumb
Is it possible someone wanted her dead? Any life insurances or marriage problems?
Who was with her that day, who took the photo?
When did the family start looking for her?
This all looks a bit like a setup, how did the person taking the photo not notice her missing and didn’t call the authorities?
If she stayed at a campfire for some days they could have seem the fire at dusk, or seen the smoke.
@@Nikola__K sounds like you watch too many true crime podcasts. People get lost and die in the wilderness on their own all the time
@@Selkie7 Leah baby, who took the photo hours before and were where they when she got lost???
If it was her husband, did he just go home like nothing happened when he noticed she was missing?
If she when with some random people why didn’t he go with her, and why did she go with them if they didn’t even care about her when they noticed she was missing?
Also she seems to be experienced, not her first time out in the wild.
Im not saying it wasn’t an accident, just that people should ask questions.
And I don’t watch that shit, actually I don’t watch any tv channels at all.
@@Nikola__K I would hate to be your life partner
I read somewhere that if you’re out hiking and you’re almost out of phone battery, change your voicemail to be a message on your whereabouts. Include coordinates and any other details. That way, even if your phone dies, whoever calls you will receive that message and can send help.
This is great idea
Your voicemail isn’t going to change if you don’t have service
That’s good advice in a number of situations actually 🤔 Now I need to figure out how to do that 😆
Brilliant!
Yeah, but that’s absolutely not true, doesn’t work, and is bullshit. Literally does not work. Period.
i'm surprised a search team didn't find her being so close :(
It was honestly such an unfortunate thing. They were searching everywhere systematically and she just happened to be in the last area they had yet to search.
People underestimate how dense the forest here is. Plenty of areas where you literally can't see 10 feet from you.
I just have so much trouble with the fact that she hung out 2 miles off the trail for 26 days. That’s so long to just…wait. This poor woman.
I've walked around 14 miles in about 8 hours. It was the most grueling thing I've done. At times i would just need to stop because it was getting hard to hold my eyes focused on the path ahead. So I'd set my backpack down as a pillow and get at least 15-30 minutes of sleep then keep going
@@ErrorMoose 😂 is that a joke?
She's elderly. They can't go as long as we can, especially without food or water.
@@ErrorMoose ...an hour is "quite a long way" to you?
@@swingingsteel it is when you don’t know if you’re heading the right direction/don’t know where you are on a map. You wouldn’t be likely to waste time and energy fighting through dense wilderness when it’s possible you’re only getting yourself more lost. She thought the rational thing to do would be to wait and not wander off farther into the woods
:( she seemed so sweet
How ?
@@fernybern by the message she wrote for her family in her journal. You’d imagine anyone would have empathy for her, based on this short video.
@@fernyberntrying to explain something intelligently to you is like trying to explain flavor to a paper bag.
I remember this story and it was heart breaking. One of the cases where taking your rescue into your own hands would have been more beneficial
Heartbreaking? More like karma. Anyone this stupid has no business hiking
This woman probably gets lost walking to the refrigerator
@Robert Ewing kind of insensitive, she lost her life because of this.
@@njdxnjdx jesus christ. this was a human being who lost her life. how could you say something so insensitive? what the hell
@@njdxnjdx not anymore
Hikers should also know this useful tip:
If you're lost when hiking and know you won't have cell coverage or your phone is about to die, then change your voicemail message to state familiar landmarks of your current location and save it. So when texts or calls don't go through, people will be able to call and get the voicemail so they can find you!
This doesn’t work if you don’t have cell coverage
Maine is far and away the most desolate section of the trail. As I remember, every other state you could climb a nearby mountain and almost certainly get signal from a cell phone, but not the case with Maine. You truly feel devoid from human life. Even at the top of most mountains in Maine, you can't see any nearby towns, just endless woods
That's why I'll never leave this state.
And here I am living in London, sardine tinned amongst way too many humans
Same with North and South Dakota and Nevada and New Mexico. They have v low populations (except in the major cities ofc) but a lot of people go missing hiking in those states. Especially the Dakotas, it isnt called Death Valley in one of those states up there for no reason. Barely any cell coverage. I went to Vegas with family a few years ago and even in the mountains on the edges of Vegas get horrid connection, especially on the drive to the Grand Canyon. No service for over an hour.
@@wxstednxghts death valleys not in the dakotas😂
@@floppycheese96 the only places in maine without tons of people have barely any cellphone reception and no places to go. Plus most people in maine don't want non locals moving there. There is no housing except run down shit in the sticks, tourists are buying up everything and its just banks and resturants. The more people who move there, the more companies will develop and destroy the woods for more buildings.
This is so sad her smile is full of life and joy.
I guarantee that is NOT the most disturbing photo in Appalachian Trail history.
Dude titles all his videos similarly to clickbait people lmao
He claimed it before you, also he seems like a nice guy so it’s for sure the most disturbing. Whatever you have is only second to this. Period.
@@williamwatson1730 lol
What happened to never hike, scuba or mountain climb by yourself?
Ya, have you seen some of there women....
This was an episode on north woods law when wardens got the call for this search and rescue. They worked vigilantly for days trying to find her. This was a really sad story.
I've been watching NWL since it first aired. I vividly remember watching the episode of the initial searches. And I remember, years later, holding back tears as I watched the episode of when they found her remains. They tried everything to find her and never gave up until they were able to bring her home. It was heartbreaking but such a relief that she'd finally been found.
My husband was raised in the back of a holler in the mountains. He said that some woods are hungry and that you can hallucinate going in circles thinking you are getting close to something but just getting more lost.
I have mad respect for the old moonshiners lol
Asians believe too! Especially those staying in hilly regions...vege farmers.
😐 sun still rises in the east and sets in the west though
@@_cloudface_ in these mountains sun comes up about 10 in the morning and sets in 3 in the evening because of our mountains. Also it’s hard to know exactly where the sun is with all the trees overhead when you in the dark woods… it’s literally that dark no light. But I guess one could climb a tree lol
Ahem, "in the back of a holler" is not a saying nor is it an accurate description of anything.
@@swayjaayy5495 it is in southeast ky buddy lol
Always take a load of fireworks with you. After being lost for 48 hours begin to set them off. Hundreds of searchers will see them. Good luck hiking!
well maybe animals like bears will see them and attack
I'd be afraid of starting a forest fire?
Great idea actually. Just a few fire crackers could save your life.
If you’re doing firecrackers, you might as well just bring a whistle. It’s just as loud and has no risk of starting fires.
@@Adot_Gunzyeah bears totally walk to loud bangs
Rest in peace, Geraldine.
Getting lost in the woods is one of the craziest things that can happen
I helped repair a portion of the trail back in 2008. My arthritis got the better of me after I worked 6 hours on the trail. The group went ahead of me. I was slow walking. I came to a fork in the path to the parking lot and I freaked out. Praying two young boys that were with the group came back looking for me. I was so thankful to see them. Ty Lord
Glad that you made it , stay safe
glad you made it out too, babby
Why would they even go ahead of you 💀 glad you were okay
You're welcome peasant.
It's so crazy that she was so close to safety the whole time
A majority of people that are missing are usually found within a few miles from where they went missing or even close to a well traveled road or habited area. It's crazy
But how come no search party to find her? What did her family do to find her?
2 miles in the mountain is not close at all.
@@alexfrank5331 well just in terms of saving her life, and not dying. She was really close. She could have covered that distance in half a day, a day at the most if she knew which way to go.
imo that’s what makes it so sad… i’m sad this happened to her, i wish she would have made it.
The sad part is she was out there with a friend on the trail and the friend had to leave for some reason. The friend knew that she wasn’t good with direction, but still let her continue on her own. I cannot imagine what the friend went through and continues to go through after leaving her on the AT.
Maybe she decided to continue on her own
@@TheFallonCarrington For my understanding of the story she did continue on her own but the friend knew full well that she was horrible with directions and got lost easily. The AT is not the kind of trail you go out on your own if you’re poor with directions; her friend should’ve known better and tried to talk her out of it. Not sure if she did or not from what I’ve heard.
Yeah, now that you've mentioned that.....I found that to be awful and extremely shady.
that breaks my heart
She was a grown ass woman. It wasn't the friends responsibility
This is why everyone needs a locator which will work even if there's no service. A detailed map of the area wouldn't hurt either. It is a good idea people always say wait if you get lost that's true if you have something where they can locate you like a locator. But if you're sitting there starving and waiting to die then you have to try something to save yourself.
Personal Locator Beacon
I thru hiked the AT in 2013. I knew this woman personally. PLBs (Personal location beacons) did exist back then but they were very, very, expensive. That's why she had a stand alone gps. I bought my Garmin in reach in 2015 when I hiked the PCT. Even then, it was almost 1k for the device and 50 bucks a month to have it on.....
When I hiked in 2012, there was a hiker ahead of me named Parkside who drowned at Pierce Pond in Maine. I made it to the shelter at Pierce Pond one evening about two months later, there was a framed picture of him and a letter his family had brought there. it was so eerie to be there alone looking at a picture of this guy who, who had been about my age and had died a couple hundred feet away.
It probably served as a good reminder of unforgiving nature is
If you are ever lost, find water & follow it downstream. Communities always congregate near bodies of water.
not always possible, as someone who has explored quite a bit nature is not just trails and flat road. water often leads to cliffs and waterfalls that are 50-200 feet drops.thick follage and rocks may block your way .
In addition water also attracts animals. bears.snakes, wolves, coyotes and a bunch of other predators that may see you as a meal .
Altough your advice is good keep in mind the things above. I would find a high vantage point and try to get a bearing of my surroundings. always carry a compass with you a map and a altimeter .
Now a days there are plenty of watches with long battery life that do this . such as the garmins, Suuntos and even the G-shock GBDh2000 can save you from such situations.
I would say the best advice is to never trail alone in the wilderness and if you must do not leave the trail . if you leave the trail to go number 1 or 2 keep the trail at sight or leave "bread crumbs" behind to easily find your way back. bread crumbs can be a bright colored rag or shirt always on sight of each other.
I live in a desert bruh
Thank you
@@censored4christ162follow the wiggles from the cactus 🧃
@ROrneli you should apply to be Ai
My condolences. Damn, thats heart breaking.
She was afraid of being alone and prone to anxiety, a diminutive 66-year-old woman with a poor sense of direction, hiking the Appalachian Trail by herself, who wandered into terrain so wild, it is used for military training. She waited nearly a month in the Maine woods for help that never came.
Geraldine A. Largay chronicled her journey in a black-covered notebook that summer of 2013, and she kept writing after she lost her way, even as her food supply dwindled along with her hopes of being found. Her last entry reflected a strikingly graceful acceptance of what was coming.
“When you find my body, please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry,” she wrote. “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.”
It would be two years before a logging company surveyor stumbled upon her campsite and remains, solving a mystery that had tormented her family and defied teams of experienced searchers. Ms. Largay, a retired nurse from Tennessee, had survived nearly a month on her own - longer than many old backwoods hands thought possible - before dying of exposure and starvation.
wow! thank you
Were there any rescue searches?
So she wants hiking alone with no skill at all,poor sense direction + have anxiety problem thats kinda like suicide mission then?
@@goldenboy6667 I mean she survived for nearly a month with unmedicated anxiety so I don't think she was that unskilled
@@JohnJodioJojolands bro she's a grandma going on a 2000+ miles alone, in the jungle. No amount of experience will save her. Always being a friend, alert your loved ones, and be prepared. A simple cold would have killed her.
that’s heartbreaking. Rest in peace :(
When i was in boy scouts (12 years ago), i was taught two things. 1. Never leave the trail. 2. Never ever go alone. We have what's called a buddy system if you're going somewhere without your troop, bring your troop member with you. If you're going to camp alone, go to the campgrounds with multiple people.
I'm not a hiker so forgive my naïveté but shouldn't you bring a sat phone with a hand crank charger thing just in case? Like if you know you're going into an area with no cell signal at least you'd have the sat phone to call for help, and that'd have GPS built in too. I know this is terrible in terms of redundancy, "two is one and one is none" but having SOME form of emergency communication if you ever got separated from the group would be an absolute priority thing to bring no? Hell even a flare or a couple of fireworks or something... Literally anything is better than nothing in situations like this.
Sat phones are expensive and require special service plans. Many national parks, trails, and rural areas have poor to no cell coverage making anything but a separate satellite GPS useless. Fireworks are literally just a forest fire waiting to happen. An emergency flare gun is only useful if there is someone near enough to see it.
The first rule, as previously stayed, is NEVER go into the woods alone. All hikers or backwoods campers should bring a good topographical or terrain map and an orientatiering compass; and know how to use them.
@@Xenro66 Scouts do have some form of communications. Smoke signals from wood, whistle, and other things. They try to reduce the amount of technology use to prepare us in case we ever get lost. Such as using a paper map and a compass. We can't always rely on technology when we go camping or hiking. One of the scouts saying is "be prepared".
@@melissaharris3389Is there such a thing as "too expensive to save your life"? I don't think so.
what if the trail leaves you?
As an Appalachian who’s lived here my whole life and lives right next to the trail:
For the love of god be careful. Seriously. One second you’re in some big bustling city and the next second you’re in the middle of the mountains.
If you EVER feel like you might get lost, ask a local for help. Just make sure they aren’t cooked out on meth.
Big issue especially in Maine. Outside of outdoor activities, there’s nothing to do. Thus, drugs.
By all means, enjoy the outdoors, and if you need help, ask. Mainers are a helpful bunch.
Except the meth heads.
As a fellow Appalachian please say it right (ˌapəˈlāCH(ē)ən) stole that from google translate
What do I do if they ard
@@rachelmcclain5367 ask for some
@@rachelmcclain5367 boof it
Never travel alone. The more dangerous a trip is the more people you travel with. Travel with at least 2-3 people
More for the cannibals to feed on.
@@dewfall56 there are no cannibals in north american forest?
travel with atleast with 10 doctors 20 soldiers 10 botanist fully armed with machine gun if shit go south
edit: thanks for the likes i thought I'm the only one likes to be prepared.
More like don’t go if you’re inexperienced. Adding more people aint gonna do nothing unless somebody knows what they’re doing.
@@xondeez757 not yet...
Awww this is so heartbreaking. She sounded like an angel may she rest easy
I learned at a young age that sitting still waiting to die is not even an option.
But moving around randomly only gets you more lost and makes it harder for rescuers to find you
@@pusheenthecat9264 it's not random. Pick a direction, and stick to it. You'll find a creek, fence line, trail, house, road, etc eventually, and then you follow that. You'll find someone. I've settled in for the night once, and was going to walk out in the morning because where I was at was super thick cedars and it got dark so quick I couldn't see and foolishly had no light with me. I'm still here today, and that's the only time today that I found it best to not move immediately.
At least bring a compass if you're in the wild.
@@GolemX I do now. Several years ago, I thought I didn't need one.
@@GolemXdon’t need a compass unless you’re in the Amazon
So sad. Always stick to the trail and always have a buddy. Rest in peace Geraldine❤condolences to her loved ones 💐
Just have a working educated brain and a working sence of orientation. The issue is that most people are just lost these days dont even have a sense of orientation and manage to get lost. Couldnt be me
@@Ju-Peter667oh you're so tough aren't you 🙄
@Ju-Peter667 you probably never go outside saying "oh that's sooo easy" sitting behind your laptop all day judging everything you find online
Wait for that "buddy" to go with you to face challenges and you'll never go anywhere.
Trail name “Inchworm”…my wife started her AT hike around the same time as Geraldine. They stayed at the same shelter more than once. My wife had to bow out in West Virginia, due to a knee injury. But she was so upset over this hikers disappearance and death. By all accounts she was an extremely lovely person.
She apparently suffered from severe anxiety which could have impaired her judgment, making her unable to find the motivation to search for the trail
@@geese5170 imagine losing the trail for 2 miles and then having too much "anxiety" to want to find it again lmao
@@wizzlewazzle9202 clearly your definition of anxiety is wrong. Anxiety isn’t an emotion it’s a state of mind. When you are crippled by anxious thought all your brain allows you to think about is every possible way that the next step you take (sometimes literally the next footstep) will be the very worst thing you’ve ever experienced. To her, she could’ve been 200 miles from the trail, but we are lucky enough to have hindsight and know she clearly could’ve gotten to the trail, but something about her stopped her. I’m gonna assume you didn’t know how anxiety can effect people and not roast you for being insensitive
@@geese5170 yeah my exact point still stands, this was nothing but incompetence
Moral of the story DONT GIVE UP ON YOURSELF!!💆🏾♀️
My brother got lost in sequoia and he didn't stop walking, he told me that he didn't see the ground becouse the trees are like 90 meters high and the moon does not reach the ground so he didn't see anything, he kept walking and like 4 hours later into the void he saw lights, he found a street and a french couple took him back to where we were and the rangers said that no one get lost in sequoia and comes out alive becouse its so damn big and inhospitable
im so sorry, can you dumb this story down for me? I just read it and it was amazing, like a short story/novel, truly beautiful but I don't understand what happen
@@youtubelover5270 I think the OP is referring to the Sequoia National Forest (the giant redwood trees). I live about an hour and a half from there and people come from all around the world to see them. Pictures don’t do them justice because they are just so massive, it’s surreal. You feel like you’re in a fantasy world lol. I think his brother got lost at night because the treetops completely covered the light from the moon so he couldn’t see where he was going. That would be such a scary feeling and experience lol
@@itsnotthatserious9102 OHHH I GET IT NOWW, thanks!!
i would hang myself wtf…
Yeah beats maine tbh
An important note here is awareness.
Being aware of the direction you are travelling in, and the direction you need to travel in to return to familiar ground is VERY IMPORTANT. A compass is a huge help, and periodically reading the compass to figure out your bearrings is also important.
Also people should take heed of exactly how hard it is to find your bearings in a dense forest, 2 miles from the trail for nearly a month and she could never find it, she never knew where it was.
yeah well sitting around waiting for rescue without confirmed comms with anyone is a lack of common sense.
@@InvictusProductionsX the vast majority of wilderness guides advise that when lost you should immediately stop and wait as the more you move the further you are likely to get from a place where people will try to look for you. In fact most advise ONLY moving when absolutely necessary such as looking for food or water, and even then they advise you only do so in daylight and marking a path BACK to where you were previously.
Look, its easy to sit in a warm comfortable home with a full belly and judge others in a life or death situation.
No one knows how they will behave in a stressful situation until they're in it, its the reason most emergency training involves real emergencies.
@@loganl7547 thats ONLY ADVISED IF SOMEONE WILL KNOW YOU'RE MISSING. In an instance like this where no one would know where to look for you for weeks they advise the EXACT OPPOSITE.
Your comment could literally kill someone that listens to it just like this woman.
@@nomorenames5568
Those guides aren't designed for bear grillis survivalist judgmental know it all's, they're designed for the average person, with a moderate to poor sense of direction who are under prepared and all they thought they were going to have to do is follow a trail.
1. Her husband knew she was missing (and reported it the next day), the person she was hiking with who had to return home the day before knew she was missing.
2. Aside from your attempts to gaslight me here, I have seen zero guides that suggest you walk around aimlessly, SOME suggest if you have a compass (she didn't) you use it, others suggest you retrace your steps (assuming she didn't try that is foolish) you do that, failing either of those things you are to shelter in place and make as much noise as you can as often as you can.
3. She recorded a journal on her hike and said that she had stepped off the trail to use the washroom, she was likely 100 feet or less from the actual trail but couldn't see the way back, she then proceeded to wander aimlessly for 2 days, if you need to understand how lost she was, it took her 2 days to make it 2 miles, and thought she had gone 4 miles, she probably zig zagged back and forth the entire time completely unable to discern which direction she was headed in.
I agree, sitting in place if you know how to get back to a familiar place is not wise, she had a poor sense of direction, no compass, and no familiar markings to follow, she was properly lost.
Again, it's all well and fine to sit in the comfort of your home, warm and cozy reading stuff on the internet, and tell the world what you would have done if it were you, but until you're there looking at 500 trees in all directions that all pretty well look the same, knowing that you could be 100 feet or 10 miles from any sign of the human race, unable to navigate by the stars because most people can't, unable to remember if you were heading towards the sun or away from it because most people don't pay attention to that, or even where the wind was coming from when you were on the trail, which is a terrible back up strategy as the wind can change direction or be non existent.
Good tip for people; if you wander off the trail a short distance and cant see the trail, look for the denser brush, fast growing underbrush tends to grow MORE densely along the edge of cut areas, like roads or paths, than it does underneath the establish tree canopy, this is counter intuitive to common logic of course, you'd think "denser means more established" but the opposite is true, the thicker long established tree canopy chokes out the sunlight making it hard for lower to the ground bushes and shrub to grow, where as near a cut line, like a path, road, electricity lines, etc, the tree canopy is open, so the forest edge along the cut line will be lined with thick brush, this is likely the reason she got lost so close to the trail, the dense brush completely obscured the trail.
@@loganl7547 I've hiked the AT. I know a bit about this topic to say the least.
Another sad thing to think about is that she was able to do that for 26 days. Rationing her stuff and making her shelter, etc. really proving she was competent and comfortable being in the Forrest.
26 days means she had a water source but likely ran out of food early or something.
@@censored4christ162she could have died from the elements
Nope not competent at all
@@JuanMartinez-xm6ky If you're an elderly person and can survive in the woods for nearly a month without food, water, or shelter, that's pretty competent.
@@3diva01If she was competent she would of been able to find her way back as she would of followed the water source to get to others, so the fact she didn't think rationally like that shows she wasn't competent at all.
Bless her heart. Rest in peace hun, you are not forgotten.
That is absolutely heartbreaking. I couldn’t even imagine what it was like the moment she realized help wasn’t coming and shes wasn’t getting out.
I dont understand why she decided to camp in one spot, just hoping for help. It is her life she gave up on, decidingthe path of least resistance is the one she should take. Hoping for someone else to save you...the greatest mistake any person could ever make.
Going to the mall is a better option
@@teofiloljubisavljevic7943 I can tell you're an indoor person. That's ok. Perfect teaching moment.
Rule number one when you get lost in the woods is to stay where you are unless you need to look for shelter or water. People WILL be looking for you in the area if they know you're out there somewhere, and a stationary person is much easier to find than a moving one. Staying put also allows you to survive longer, which gives them more time to search.
The only thing this woman did wrong, was to stray from the trail for a bathroom break without leaving a visible mark of where she came from. From there, she did everything you're supposed to do.
@@KattReen oh i very much know the rule. And i call bullshit on it. Depending on someone else to hopefully find you. What she did wrong doesnt matter, she is now lost. And she waited and hoped. Well...how'd that end up? She died like a rat, waiting in her camp hoping someone would come and rescue her. Dying in one spot?? Means you did absolutely nothing to try and prevent that. She was running low on food/water? Well what the hell are you waiting for? Chincked to fall out of thin air? I am an outdoor person, more than you know. And if you do not have skills needed to survive, you should not go and do what she did. First have training, have knowledge, have gear. Than you can go out in the woods and mountains. And if you get lost you will beable to survive and find a way out. She was practically next to main highway, yet they never found her. So much for waiting to be rescued.
@@KattReen in the middle of no where your going to sit and expect someone to come looking for you? 🤣🤣 yeah okay!! Maybe AFTER it's too late and you're dead they will find you. That's delusional! And you can always leave markers and clues to be found!
It's even more tragic learning how close she was to the trail. Really good lesson on why you always keep the trail in sight and to stop and backtrack if your not sure where you are going
2 miles from the trail in a dense forest is far from "close"...
@@mr.mcmagpie6606 she got lost originally from her diary. She walked 25 ft away to use the restroom 😭😭
Note to any other adventurers out there, if you go into the wilderness ALONE, don’t. No matter how experienced you are, ALWAYS bring a buddy. Increases your chance of survival immensely. Pretty much comes down to if one person becomes incapacitated the other can assist or go for help. Accidents aren’t planned, just plan to be ready!
The two best survival tools today are a satphone and a gps locator. They will find you everytime!
@@Greg3070 Right?! Like imagine being someone who KNOWS they have a bad sense of direction like this woman and going out without those things we've had for DECADES before she died.
@@Greg3070
Not only today, but in 2013 when she got lost too.
A younger person with a smartphone would have been fine.
@@BL-yj2wp a regular cell phone might be difficult, but climbing to high places or figuring out how to run an antenna high enough might make it work. But a satphone is designed for anyplace that can see the sky.
And as a bonus it'll take longer for you to starve to death
I watched this story unfold on North Woods Law. And then the episode over a year later when they found her remains. Heart breaking
I always wondered why she didnt build a large , smoky fire. This was tragic on so many levels. She was unprepared on so many levels.
How do you build a smokey fire. Thanks in advance
@@sarahmoon8864 add damp wood or leaves, lay a pine bough on ...most people have trouble NOT having a smoky fire 😆
@@sarahmoon8864 literally any evergreen will smoke if you can get the temperature right. Leaves burn really fast but enough can really make a difference. In this case. I would have found higher ground of course and I would have found a decent white pine tree and make a huge fire on the base of it and hopefully it sets off a course of events that require a chopper . On the higher ground you climbed make another fire more controlled and visible and stand there and wave with your tent or something. 😂
So sad, hiking partner should always stick together.
@@BloodandThorns always trust yourself and know your place. Never depend on someone else when thru hiking or backpacking. Know yourself. Mother Nature will always win. You go with her and she will take care of you or she won’t. Harsh truth.
Got married in Aspen, CO. One of my friends went off hiking by herself. Didnt tell anyone where she went. She said she had been walking looking at the trail and kept walking on what she thought was the trail. In actuality it was just a very narrow natural path (not worn down by walking but the flora was spaced just so to make it look like it was a pathway) when she finally stopped she realized she had no idea where she was. She fell down a very steep hill which caused her to lose her phone. When she went back up to try to find it she fell back down landed in the creek and then when walking back stumbled upon a behive and she was stung several times. Luckily someone heard her shouts and she followed their voice back to the trail. When she called me from a small restaurant at the base of the mountain I told her If she didnt sound so shaken up Id never have believed it.
She was VERY lucky to make it out without serious injury.
PLEASE be careful when you go out into the wilderness. It is not your friend.
Pain in the arse
She probably kept thinking “this possibly can’t get any worse!” Until she was attacked by bees…
You wouldn’t have believed her?
Lots of local resources wasted because of naive stupidity. I hope she was required to pay it all back.
Dumba$$.
I live here. I’m wondering if it was Hunter creek. Lots of people get lost on Hunter creek who aren’t from here.
Rest in peace ma'am. Mainers were very sorry to hear of her passing.
She looks like Stephen King.
@@RJMM you look like an insensitive asshole
@@RJMM the most idi0t comment i've seen. Grow up
Mr. Ballen did her story, and it's even more tragic. She was highly expierenced, and knew to stay put for rescue.
However, the forest was so dense that rescuers even search just metres away and never heard or saw her.
Truly tragic.
My parents were search and rescue members in their youth. One thing they drilled into me is to never hike alone. So many stories are like this one of lone hikers. Stay safe out there
The horrible thing is she was so close to the trail... But never moved. She stayed out. Ideally, they say you should do this. HOWEVER, you should actually make a campsite, and safely venture in 1 direction and then back to your campsite, only going far enough to explore but close enough you don't get lost from your campsite. Leave a note, or a signal (such as an arrow made from rocks, or a note), stating which direction you're exploring in. I can't help but think if she had done this, after a few days she may have found the trail...
She looks.so upbeat and happy. Such a tragedy. I remember when this happened and the story was big.
Really good point. Makes sense as long as you mark your path very well and stick to one direction at a time
@@bobbyflay2572 yeah it does, hell you could even drag a stick behind you to create a trail back to the camp
Just like in minecraft!!!!
Idk if she would’ve, two miles is pretty far when you’re lost tbh.
And the biggest problem is she gave up
I’m a Mainer, my friends husband is in the army and was part of the many rescue missions looking for her. I believe he was part of the team that found her body. Such a sad story.
What a coincidence, my friend has a youtube channel and his online friends brother has an uncle whos best friend lost an arm finding this woman.
@@yamilesgaib9018🥱
@@yamilesgaib9018 sounds like bullshit
@@yamilesgaib9018 what ? Lost an arm looking for her ? 😂
@@seanmcbrearty1365 Poor survival skills.
Never hike alone.
Never leave the trail.
If you have to leave the trail, mark your path.
Always carry a GPS.
Always carry a Satellite phone.
Always carry a compass and learn how to use it.
Learn how to feed yourself from what's available in the wild.
Always carry Smoke Flares....preferably the Orange Marine variety. Carry more than one.
Always carry survival food. Learn how to make pemican and carry....a lot.
Always carry the tools you need to survive, including a camp axe & shovel.
First and foremost this is why it’s important to know which way on the path you’re walking and if you walk off (which why) you need to know which direct you are walking in… a compass might have helped her back to the trail.
I've been in the wilderness my whole life. I always have a "pivot point." This means no matter where I am, I look at the sun before leaving to find out what direction my place of origin is, what direction I'll be going, and therefore I'll always know how to get back if I encounter trouble. The sun makes a semicircle in the sky and is at the highest point midday. Rises in the east, sets in the west. The sun will be your best navigation tool when you're in the wilderness.
You’re cute af
@@Darkpanther18Ellbro you missed dismissed everything she said😭
This knowledge will be of great comfort to this long perished woman and her family
@@cactusjackhausen8508point is, you shouldn't be doing an undertaking lile the A.T, especially solo, jf you dont have bare minimum wilderness/survival skills like this. The woman couldnt even use a map and a compass ffs. What business does someone have doing a 6 month trail, alone, without knowledge of a map and compass!!!!
The sun doesn't set perfectly in east/west and, as you mentioned, goes circularly through the sky. It's a useful cue, but a somewhat treacherous one too.
She looked to happy to be there. That’s heartbreaking. She was so close
2 miles is 1hr + in the wild
I remember this one. I live right below the train in Virginia and every year we get reports of missing or injured people so hundreds of volunteers go up to the trail and help with search and rescue. They sometimes find the person they’re looking for but most often they find the remains of people who disappeared off of the trail years or decades ago. I’ve only lived here for about 15 years but it’s happened every single season so far. My tiny town is the closest place with a store or restaurants so we get hundreds if not more hikers coming down to restock their supplies or just to take a bath in the river
She did not even need to get lost. She got herself in that unnecessary situation. So it is what it is.
I do not understand. You can just keep walking until you find a town or other people, right?
@@AAscension She left the main trail to use the bathroom and got confused and couldn't find it again, so she texted her husband and stayed put.
@@AAscension The Appalachian trail stretches over 2000 miles a large portion of this trail in dense wilderness if you go off the trail and cant find it again you are unlikely to find other people or a town before you die the average time to complete the trail is 5 to 7 months. in theory given the correct circumstances you could possibly find help but if you just keep walking you are most likely just going deeper and deeper into the wilderness.
I’ve probably been to your town, that part of Virginia might be the most beautiful place on earth.
She was a retired nurse, she was married 42 years, and she had a beautiful daughter. She experienced a lot of great things before she died.
A GPS device would be perfect but even checking a compass before leaving the trail would’ve saved her. Hopefully this case can teach others!
Yes. I Have a GPS that you can mark where you are, then it tracks you as you go. Then, you can turn it to show you how to back track to your original spot marked.
Even better, learn direction based off position of the sun.
Or even better, dont go hiking alone if youre old and are scared of walking a couple miles and being lost for 26 days
She lost hers on the trail.
@@valeskavictoria1278 it wouldn’t matter to all of the trail experts
Always someone that’s never been on trail willing to give advice
I heard a story once about a girl hiking with a friend, stepping off the trail to use the bathroom, and ending up lost in the woods for weeks. Her body wasn't found until a soldier conducting training found her.
I stepped about 200 feet away from a campfire to go to the bathroom once and got turned around and lost with no phone... It's embarrassingly easy to to.
@@petertrzos6645 Me too when I was younger. Stepped away just enough for the bushes to give me some privacy and that was all it took to get turned around. Sill close enough to yell for help and the others hearing and calling back, which is how I got back safely. Since then I always carry a two-way radio and GPS if I leave visual distance from the camp.
People that have never been truly “lost” in the woods have no idea how truly terrifying it can be. I don’t care if you are a grown ass man or a kid. When you get lost, best thing to do is at minimum mark where you are walking to, and the best one I can tell people is once you pick a way, STICK TO IT!! I’ve been less then 100 yards from being “lost” and even then your mind starts to race and your adrenaline kicks in, you tend to make mistakes. Keeping yourself calm, and sticking to a plan will save your butt 9 out of 10 times. Sad story and it’s one I’ve heard before.
I absolutely can imagine how terrifying it is, that is why I stay far away from hiking and trails. I would 100% freak out. I know my limitations. City life is the life for me.
No don't pick a way and keep walking,
because you may be waking directly into the wilderness.
Walk in one direction, leaving markers, then backtrack if you didn't find the path, go back and go out in a new direction,
Eventually youll likely find the path, and you won't have gone too far from where they'll be looking for you.
Good point but the main one I was taught was just listen for water and follow it downstream because even if you don't find people animals and edible things will be around it
You are 100% right! Panic is the number 1 killer
You mean people that carry a map and compass and are smart enough to orient themselves before walking a mile and a half off the trail? Some people deserve to have their lifeless corpse found in the forest.
Poor lady. Still kind and selfless in her last moments 😢😢😢❤❤❤
This is why you don't go hiking by yourself and you should check in with the ranger to let him know what area you're going to be in and never ever for any reason go off trail
Stupid comment. You shouldn't discourage going outside in any manner. You should be discouraging being dumb af like this old lady was. All she had to do was have a fucking sat navigation like the rest of us or a garmin watch, hell even a map would do the trick if you know how to use it.
So she should just drop a deuce in the middle of the trail
And have a map
yes
@jamesjdm, she didn't initially go hiking by herself, she started in Georgia with a friend they were going to hike the entire appilation trail together, the friend had to cut the trip short bc of family emergency... the lady that died decided to continue on her own...
that pic always makes me insanely sad cause she seems so happy and full of like. like a sweet old lady in ur neighborhood that u grow a bond with and genuinely care for. like the sweetest and most comforting and nurturing grandma u could ever ask for. i hope her soul is resting well
That's exactly what I thought 😢
I remember the day they found her body and my entire family was happy to know the family finally got closure and peace. We watched the video on the news of them coming out of the woods with her in the bag, it was so nice to see that she would finally get a proper grave.
The only hiking advice I know to offer in the situation is when you go off trail make sure you have some bright ropes tie to a tree on trail and carry it with you to go to br or whatever you’re doing then you can get back to trail easily .
There’s lots of old logging roads in southeast US, you can drive miles into wilderness area’s on them. I camp out there a lot, and during the daytime, I like to explore. I always follow creeks so that I can easily retrace my steps. But one day, I got very lost. There was a fork in the creek and on the way back I followed the wrong path. I ended up being out there for 18 hours before I found my campsite.. probably the most scared I’ve ever been. Appalachian forests are super disorienting, you constantly have to keep track of where you’re going. As little as 5 steps in the wrong direction could get you completely turned around and lost.
It happened to me on a very hilly forested peninsula in Italy. The scary thing was the 200m cliffs hidden behind lines of bush; At night you don't know if the next step is your last so I walked inland which got me even more lost.
After seven exhausting hours, totally dehydrated, I happened upon a fishing hamlet where the fisherman for a well earned fee took me back to my starting point in his boat.
Your comment gave me such anxiety. Please be careful.
Oh yeah! My bf bought a couple cabins near Gap Mills, WV, last year. Only a Jeep can make it the hour drive out these old logging trails weaving through the mountains. There’s a 3 foot ditch that runs down the road from all the rain that’s washed away majority of the “road” that was originally there….it’s quite beautiful once you get to the top, tho.
@@JennyJeong425 lol I am after that experience. I have a satellite phone now for emergencies. But going out there and walking across land that very few people have walked on for hundreds of years is the fun of it. Still gotta be careful though.
I could never. Sorry, I love the idea of hiking and I think I have a pretty good sense of direction but the thought of getting lost in the woods scares me enough to just stay put in the city. Mad respect for the people who do this, wish I had the guts for it, but I think a lot of people underestimate nature and the wild way too much.
I was surprised she trusted herself to do this with her history of being a poor navigator. I’m stunned everyone knew this about her and let her go without a way to call for help, sat phone, gps, a signal device, something. It reminds me of the McCandless story, two adventures ending in dying alone in the wilderness.
Yes critical similarities too glaring to dismiss although in the case of McCandless he wanted to be tested (in part at least). This lady hiker idk.
I think they both longed for things like solitude, time for contemplation, et cetera.
They both got those things, maybe ironically.
I think the take-away lesson is that the wild does not always grant a pass to those who dismiss certain aspects of self-sufficient capability. And there are many self-entitled hikers these days in that category.
One "rule" or test I encourage people to ask themselves is this: Would you go out hiking if electronic aids (especially hiker apps) did not exist at all? If their answer is No (because they depend on such things), then maybe they should not be out hiking.
I would add quiet to your longed for list.
@@tm13tube Good addition although nature has sounds of its own. Often it is quiet, but sometimes far from it.
One thing it is not - artificial over-stimulation such as ppl get from electronic devices.
I happen to like the sound of a pika barking or water over a small shallow fall.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS know which direction to walk back to the trail. Compass is ESSENTIAL
She did not know how to use a compass according to her friend...bit weird.
Sun rises in the east & sets in the west... don't know how much simpler it could be!
@@RandomGuy17768 a trail is a bisecting line through the woods. You got a 50/50 shot of walking towards it or away from it. Idk why she went so far off trail to poop
the sun comes up in the east
fishing line and spray paint on the trees all the way once you leave the trail. even carving a chunk on the trees can help you find your way back. after that, start gluing bits of your cliff bar wrapper to the trees with gum. anything for a marker. torn pieces of your jacket...bring tacks and cornhusks, tack it to trees. my stepdad got us turned around in gifford pinchot forest where there was no trail and it was extremely terrifying. ive never hiked off trail since. hell, stack flat stones for markers, make blair witch stick dolls...i could go on and on. theres no way i could go thru that kind of mind fuckery of getting lost again.