Random Final Journal Entries Of A Hiker Who Died While Hiking Appalachian Trail (11 items)

• 

  (#9) 11 Hikers Were Slain On The Trail

  Authorities ruled Largay's passing an accident, as she expired from thirst, starvation, and exposure. No foul play was involved. About 3 to 4 million people trek the Appalachian Trail each year, and most end their trip safely. But since 1974, 11 people have lost their lives on the trail.

  One incident, from 2011, is unsolved: Scott Lilly succumbed to oxygen deprivation, but the culprit is still at large. In 2001, someone took the life of a woman in New Hampshire. In 1975, a man offed a woman because he wanted her backpack.

  For anyone concerned about hiking solo on the Appalachian Trail, plenty of tips are available. 
• 

  (#8) She Loved Life, Her Family, And The Outdoors

  Largay was a retired nurse from Brentwood, TN, who, according to family and friends, spent her spare time in the woods. She attended a hiking camp, took her grandson hiking, and even made a quilt that featured a hiker walking on a path.

  Largay's husband George said his wife prepared extensively for a year and a half before attempting her Appalachian Trail trek: She read seven books on the trail, took a specialized Appalachian Hiking course, and did 200-mile practice hikes in Georgia and North Carolina.

  George also recalled his wife as someone who was always there for others, and hiking the Appalachian Trail was one of the only things she ever did for herself:

  I knew her reputation as a nurse before I knew her as a person. It was always about other people. It was never about Gerry. It was always about you. She was the best listener I've ever met. Very caring. She loved life. We'd kid that she put the "joie" in "joie de vivre."

  She was tons of fun to be around. I'm probably the typical guy [who's a] "just give me the remote and the game on" [type of person], but she would search for new horizons.
• 

  (#2) She Wrote Letters To Her Family Before She Passed

  As Largay's time drew to a close, she wrote a journal entry that included an apology to her family. She also wrote each of them letters, trying to help them move forward. Even at the end, she tried to put her family first. She cut up her credit card and buried it, kept her driver's license visible so she could be identified, and placed the letters and journal in a sealed bag with a note to her husband George. 

  In one of her last letters, Largay wrote, "My deepest love to you. And to all my friends. I pray to see you all in heaven." 
• 

  (#3) Rescue Teams Came Within 100 Yards Of Her Camp

  A forester came across Largay's remains two years later; Largay was only two miles from the Appalachian Trail itself and 2,300 feet from a path that turns into a road. The walk to the street would have taken only 10 minutes. 

  However, because she was in a tent in a dense area, K9 search teams couldn't pick up her scent, and it was impossible to see her tent. 
• 

  (#10) The Long Search Was In One Of The Most Remote Parts Of Maine

  The search for Largay was complicated by the fact that she was in a remote, densely forested part of Maine. Known as Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness, it was one of the last legs of Largay's trip. Helicopters and planes searched from overhead; others searched on ATVs. 

  K9 search teams also joined the rescue mission, but the area was so treacherous and hard to walk through that the dogs' handlers had to at times pick up the animals and carry them. According to Largay's journal, she heard the rescue planes and tried to wave, but it was no use. Eventually, the rescue groups stopped using aircraft. 
• 

  (#7) She Reportedly Didn't Know How To Use A Compass

  Though Largay's family said she prepared extensively for the hike, some may argue otherwise. Jane Lee, the woman who hiked with Largay initially, told investigators Largay didn't know how to use a compass. Rescuers were alarmed someone would try to hike the Appalachian Trail alone without such crucial knowledge. 

  Largo also left a GPS in her hotel, which would have worked even when her cell phone failed. Experts say she also should have carried an emergency locator beam that would have transmitted her coordinates. 

  Lee also told investigators Largay frequently got lost when they hiked together, and Lee had to search for her. According to Lee, Largay was afraid of the dark and "got flustered easily." 

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking