Mystery of missing Appalachian Trail hiker still vexes wardens, locals one year later
Posted By UnBylined On July 21, 2014 (11:36 am)
CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — A mysterious disappearance in the Maine woods still has wardens searching for answers. Tennessee hiker Geraldine Largay disappeared while hiking the Maine portion of the Appalachian Trail a year ago. Maine Game Wardens believe they know what might have happened to her, but locals also have their own theories.
There are few parts of the Maine woods that hold more beauty than the kind seen along Route 27 through the Carrabasset Valley, and no part holds more mystery than a small section along this part of the Appalachian Trail.
“Once we find the end of this mystery, it will all be, ‘Oh yeah, now it makes sense,’” Game Warden Lt. Kevin Adam said.
Adam has been trying to make sense of what happened here last summer, yet the woods have provided no clues.
“Are there people we have looked for that we have never found? Yes. There are still people like that. It’s very frustrating, but it’s very rare. Probably less than 1 percent of all searches, probably less than a tenth of a percent of all searches,” Adam said.
Missing Tennessee hiker Geraldine Largay, 66, is part of that small percentage. After hiking nearly 1,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Virginia to Maine, Largay disappeared just 200 miles from Mt. Katahdin.
Wardens have conducted 15 searches for Largay and are still looking, but the terrain has made those efforts difficult. Maine’s 281 miles are known to be the trail’s most rugged. “The footing’s sort of treacherous, and you have to pay attention to where you step,” said Adam.
Largay was an experienced hiker and was prepared for her journey through Maine’s western mountains. Wardens believe the trail wasn’t her problem but the woods off the trail.
“I think she got off the trail somehow for some reason — I don’t know why — and there’s some very unique terrain up there. Boulder fields [where] you can stand at the top of the boulder and not see the bottom. Very narrow openings that people can fit through. That’s a theory,” Adam explained.
Theories have developed among local shop owners and motel owners as well — everything from alien abductions to murder.
“She probably hit a crevice or a hole of some sort, ” Ann McKee of the White Wolf Inn and Restaurant said.
“I think one of the main theories is that somebody took her, because where is she? Where [are] her supplies and equipment? There’s no sign of anything,” Mark Humphries, who owns the Northland General store, said.
“All those theories have been looked at, and nothing has popped up,” Adam advised.
Wardens are focusing on three or four miles around Poplar ridge, the area Largay was last seen. The mystery remains in the woods until she is found, an ending that seems as far away as the length of the trail.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by SawnieRobertson
oNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w
but we tried like heck and we think we're better off for the effort. A lot of positive came out of the trip I think and for the sake of information sharing here are a few things: We searched 4 miles of the Orbeton Stream south of the AT intersection. Every nook and cranny, every strainer, undercut, and deep pool with goggles and good sense. We actually walked the river, up to our ankles and necks in water. I moved log jams, huge mounds of beached debris, swam under waterfalls and crashed through all sorts of seemingly solid debris fields. We shined multiple flashlights into the depths of water sun couldn't reach where nobody has likely looked for inchworm. We even encountered a Solo Outward Bound group of a dozen well spaced small camps nearer the AT and south up to about a mile. These kids were truly out there and were, to some extent, quite likely searching around the river too. I can in full confidence say that no only did we find no trace but I could not possibly imagine a body being able to travel through the maze of strainers and blockages at any level without being caught or stuck on something. There were two or three spots where I couldn't search due to danger that she could easily have been but if shes there shes is forever lost. Since the other drainages have been searched, shes either in the Atlantic or elsewhere. We did find an abandoned tent along the stream in a very remote area all by itselt. It was super creepy to see as it seemed to be supported by something inside but it was just a tarp rolled up. The tent did not seem to be a backpackers tent and seemed too old and abandoned to be significant. I'll still let the wardens know of the find. Aside from that the only other interesting things we discovered were the constant but random received text message events we got. We had asked people to text us a lot during the multi-day search and we did receive about a half dozen text from our At&t, Verizon, and Straight Talk phones at some very unusual spots several hours after they were 'pushed out.' One example was while I was swimming inside a large water filled crevasse in one of the two gorge/canyons of the Orbeton deep in the valley with just a little daylight when my cellphone received a text. It was buried in my backpack underwater in two drybags when I heard it chim and vibrate. Our conclusion is that text messages can be received just about anywhere in this area, either sitting or in motion. It is almost impossible to get a text message out, much less a phone call. We were in the deepest/lowest part of the entire valley, so its reasonable to conclude that at a higher elevation a cellphone would eventually receive a text, even if motionless. Railroad road at the moment (8-18-2014) is being logged and is in excellent condition. Any vehicle can travel it to very near the AT area (1.25 miles). The washouts have been repaired. I'll try to post some pictures or a link or out search for anyone who is interested. I will not be pursuing this search in 2014 or probably ever but if you have questions feel free to pm me here. I feel I'm one of the few dozen or so 'informed' folks unofficially involved in Gerry Largays case when it comes to the full details. Feel free to write. Thanks everyone.
