Inchworms Journal during 26 days lost...newest report

[QHShowoman]

Have they had any aircraft up using FLIR in the area looking for her? That seems like the most logical way to search a large area for heat sources. Especially if done at night.

I think they tried to use aircraft initially, but the crappy weather conditions made it difficult.

[Bluebearee]

I just finished a 31 hour overnighter from Caribou Valley Road to ME 4 SOBO. Here are a few possibly relevant comments.



7) The trail sign to Mt. Abraham about a mile south of Spaulding Lean-to indicates that you can get to Kingfield in 7+ (7.3?) miles using the Fire Warden trail. Perhaps the authorities were thinking that she tried to bail out there. As a note, the Maine Section 6 map does not include the entire Fire Warden trail; accordingly, perhaps the authorities believe that she was lost on a side trail in that area. That would possibly explain the search area.

.

Thanks for the detailed accounts- your observations are just as I recall this section to be. Her second day from Poplar Ridge does not contain precipitous areas.

How visible and obvious was the MATC Mt Abraham sign? That is an area of question to me but I just can't see her staying on a blue blaze that long. Especially assuming middle of the day hiking.

[attroll]

Let me pass along some information about the search that may have not been released to the public. This is some of the information that was relayed directly to me from one of Inchworms friends who came up from TN to hike that section of the trail and help the searchers.

• Inchworm spent Sunday night at the Poplar Ridge lean to
• Hikers confirm that she did NOT sleep in the Spaulding shelter Monday (or Tuesday) night
• Texted husband George Monday morning 7:15am that she is heading to Spaulding lean to
• Last cell phone ping was near top of Lone Mtn around 3pm
• A hiker sees Inchworm resting about two miles shy of Spaulding (near top of Lone Mtn) around 3-3:30 pm
• The only side trail north of Lone Mtn is the VERY clearly marked intersection of Mt Abraham trail. Across the intersection is a little used side trail to Carribou Pond Rd. This trail is overgrown after a short while, is unblazed and unlikely to be confused with the AT.
• The terrain in this area is very gentle, no cliffs or crevices she could have fallen into, or off of
• Searchers covered ten deep both sides of the AT and all side trails from Poplar Ridge to Hwy 27. She is not within 200’ of any of these trails
• There is zero sign that Gerry has made any effort to be found. Her backpack and poles are nowhere to be found.
• Gerry was a nurse and so has excellent medical knowledge and had a first aid kit
• She carried one or two lighters, matches, a Nesbit and a whistle (on her pack). I don’t know about other emergency equipment, but I did give her my pack list which has survey tape, a mirror, fire starters and more that she may also have in her pack.

[Old Boots]

Thanks Attroll, this information was very helpful.

[Sly]

Let me pass along some information about the search that may have not been released to the public. This is some of the information that was relayed directly to me from one of Inchworms friends who came up from TN to hike that section of the trail and help the searchers.

• Inchworm spent Sunday night at the Poplar Ridge lean to
• Hikers confirm that she did NOT sleep in the Spaulding shelter Monday (or Tuesday) night
• Texted husband George Monday morning 7:15am that she is heading to Spaulding lean to
• Last cell phone ping was near top of Lone Mtn around 3pm
• A hiker sees Inchworm resting about two miles shy of Spaulding (near top of Lone Mtn) around 3-3:30 pm
• The only side trail north of Lone Mtn is the VERY clearly marked intersection of Mt Abraham trail. Across the intersection is a little used side trail to Carribou Pond Rd. This trail is overgrown after a short while, is unblazed and unlikely to be confused with the AT.
• The terrain in this area is very gentle, no cliffs or crevices she could have fallen into, or off of
• Searchers covered ten deep both sides of the AT and all side trails from Poplar Ridge to Hwy 27. She is not within 200’ of any of these trails
• There is zero sign that Gerry has made any effort to be found. Her backpack and poles are nowhere to be found.
• Gerry was a nurse and so has excellent medical knowledge and had a first aid kit
• She carried one or two lighters, matches, a Nesbit and a whistle (on her pack). I don’t know about other emergency equipment, but I did give her my pack list which has survey tape, a mirror, fire starters and more that she may also have in her pack.

Baffling..

[attroll]

Baffling..

Yes, it sure it.

[Hill Ape]

thanks for the info update troll... it left me thinking

what in the world really happened? did she just walk away from her life? somehow that theory just doesn't jive with me. no evidence of foul play.

i hope she's safe, where ever she is. i have a terrible feeling water took her somehow.

[BirdBrain]

I think they tried to use aircraft initially, but the crappy weather conditions made it difficult.

A white helicopter was flying every day I hiked through that section (rt 27 to Poplar Ridge 7/26-28). The visibility was good while they were in the air. It was foggy every morning. When the fog burned off it was in the air.

[Turtle Feet]

Let me pass along some information about the search that may have not been released to the public. This is some of the information that was relayed directly to me from one of Inchworms friends who came up from TN to hike that section of the trail and help the searchers.

• Inchworm spent Sunday night at the Poplar Ridge lean to
• Hikers confirm that she did NOT sleep in the Spaulding shelter Monday (or Tuesday) night
• Texted husband George Monday morning 7:15am that she is heading to Spaulding lean to
• Last cell phone ping was near top of Lone Mtn around 3pm
• A hiker sees Inchworm resting about two miles shy of Spaulding (near top of Lone Mtn) around 3-3:30 pm
• The only side trail north of Lone Mtn is the VERY clearly marked intersection of Mt Abraham trail. Across the intersection is a little used side trail to Carribou Pond Rd. This trail is overgrown after a short while, is unblazed and unlikely to be confused with the AT.
• The terrain in this area is very gentle, no cliffs or crevices she could have fallen into, or off of
• Searchers covered ten deep both sides of the AT and all side trails from Poplar Ridge to Hwy 27. She is not within 200’ of any of these trails
• There is zero sign that Gerry has made any effort to be found. Her backpack and poles are nowhere to be found.
• Gerry was a nurse and so has excellent medical knowledge and had a first aid kit
• She carried one or two lighters, matches, a Nesbit and a whistle (on her pack). I don’t know about other emergency equipment, but I did give her my pack list which has survey tape, a mirror, fire starters and more that she may also have in her pack.

Her hiking friend may be the one person to best answer whether or not she would do this - but I do wonder if she bypassed Spaulding on Monday in order to shorten her hike the next day (Tues). She may have been aware of the weather forecast and decided to hike in sun rather than rain (I'm sure we've all done that). She had a tent, maybe she decided to try to put few more miles behind her Monday evening? That would explain her not being seen sleeping at Spaulding. That doesn't, of course, explain no one seeing her North of Spaulding on Tues. (not sure that's the case, but if it were I think we'd know that by now).

[WeShallSee]

I just read Crunchmaster's journal on TJ. He added a request that ".com" sign his guestbook in order to receive a personal message regarding "Inchworm". I have now idea what that's all about, but if you are but if ".com" is here, you might want to check it out.

[QuabbinHiker]

The info attroll posted for some reason is very upsetting. Read it carefully and repeatedly. I think there is a chance she walked off the AT for who knows what reason and very soon after some kind of "foul play" took place. ( SIDE RANT: I never liked the term foul play. It suggests we are all playing games in life or something )

[Migrating Bird]

Thanks Attroll, this is so strange as no sign of her pack has been found. If she was somehow separated from her pack, animals in the area would have spread the contents all over the place leaving a huge footprint. Other than gnawing on the handles of hiking poles for the salt content (if she had them), animals would not mess with them. She must still be with her pack and outside of the searched area. Dog teams would have picked up something. Regarding her going past Spaulding Mt shelter to reduce the hiking distance the following day, she has a lot of hiking experience teamed up with her husband. He would be able to establish whether this was something she might have done. She seemed like a very disciplined hiker who once she texted her husband of her intentions, would not have deviated from that plan unless she stopped short due to terrain/weather. If she had some sort of medical emergency affecting her mental capacity, she could have just wandered off without logic.

This is so distrubing, thoughts and prayers she is found.

[gumball]

I have wondered, although I tried not to, if someone else texted her husband, someone nefarious. I'm sure LE considered this.

[Migrating Bird]

I have wondered, although I tried not to, if someone else texted her husband, someone nefarious. I'm sure LE considered this.

My thoughts as well.

[Bluebearee]

Her hiking friend may be the one person to best answer whether or not she would do this - but I do wonder if she bypassed Spaulding on Monday in order to shorten her hike the next day (Tues). She may have been aware of the weather forecast and decided to hike in sun rather than rain (I'm sure we've all done that). She had a tent, maybe she decided to try to put few more miles behind her Monday evening? That would explain her not being seen sleeping at Spaulding. That doesn't, of course, explain no one seeing her North of Spaulding on Tues. (not sure that's the case, but if it were I think we'd know that by now).

Look at the mileage. 8 hours to go a little more than 5 miles?! She was struggling that day for some reason, Monday was not wet. Unlikely she went past the shelter late in the afternoon, she would have had two more miles to Spaulding Mt LT. That is now puzzling to me why the super slow pace in a section without really rough terrain?

Thanks so much for this Troll.

[Bluebearee]

I have wondered, although I tried not to, if someone else texted her husband, someone nefarious. I'm sure LE considered this.

She was seen on the trail alone (presumably) Monday 8 hours after the last text. Theory doesn't make sense given the sighting.

[ElephantEater]

It turns out that inchworm never made it to the Spaulding shelter afterall. Investigators believe that the supposed phone call to the Stratton motel was a mixed up jumble of calls the woman received. They have found hikers who spent Monday nite at Spaulding and Gerry was not there. She was last seen a couple of miles before the shelter just before the apex of Lone Mtn (also confirmed with a cell phone ping) around 3-3:30. From this point to the shelter is a very easy stretch of the trail. She would not have bypassed the shelter as she did not like to camp solo and it was too far to Hwy27. The only intersection is a very well marked blue blaze trail to Mt Abraham.

[ElephantEater]

Gerry averaged about a mile an hour - she was very slow. The first five miles that day was a decline and then the incline up Lone Mtn. She was VERY slow going uphill. She would take lots of breaks, particularly knowing that she only had a 8 mile day. Remember that she was 66 years old.

[ElephantEater]

(Those are my notes from above). Her hiking partner for the first three months of the hike is emphatic that Gerry would not have hiked past the shelter. She did not like to camp alone. Plus she would have arrived at the shelter between four and five pm, and that's the time frame we would usually stop in last year when the three of us did a section hike.

[Old Hillwalker]

Here is a well put together piece about this mystery by a well known Maine Outdoorsman: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/stor...storyid=252206