Inchworms Journal during 26 days lost...newest report

[moytoy]

Whatever the reason is, it's not going well. Too much time has passed without any word. In my workaday world I drive around a lot and all I can do is think about this woman and her husband.

[Goonky]

I've personally fallen on the trail before a few times and it's always been on a steep descent. She had a steep descent down to the Carrabasset River. When you fall on a descent, your pack tends to land on you. It hurts. One time my head landed 6 inches from a rock. It was humbling. I can totally imagine a scenario where she fell, hit her head, became disoriented and wandered off trail. It's just my opinion, but I think that's more likely than foul play.

Certainly they can't rule anything out, but I can see an injured person wandering off trail.

I continue to pray they find her safely.

[Turtle Feet]

It sounds as though Walker is very familiar with Gerry & George. I'm guessing George must have hiked a little ways with her on Sunday, then turned back around before the summit of Saddleback. Here are a couple of his blog entries from Walker.

http://walkerat2013.wordpress.com/20...tratton-maine/

http://walkerat2013.wordpress.com/20...-for-inchworm/

no, inchworm was alone. she says she meets her husband at road crossings. according to other news reports, there is another woman hiking who resembles inchworm (in age if nothing else) and she was asked manyu times if she was "inchworm". maybe she hikes w/ her husband, maybe that's who Walker saw.

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[rustmd]

thanks TF for the clarification re: Walker. i read his posts, he saw inchworm & husband sunday--my hiking partner & i met up w/ inchworm at poplar ridge lean-to late that afternoon; early next morning, we left SOBO, inchworm left NOBO, she was excited, in great spirits.

i too have been thinking about inchworm all day, all night. . .praying hard that she be found, safely.

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[HikerMom58]

thanks TF for the clarification re: Walker. i read his posts, he saw inchworm & husband sunday--my hiking partner & i met up w/ inchworm at poplar ridge lean-to late that afternoon; early next morning, we left SOBO, inchworm left NOBO, she was excited, in great spirits.

i too have been thinking about inchworm all day, all night. . .praying hard that she be found, safely.

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Me too... I can't stop thinking about her & praying hard.

[modiyooch]

This section isn't necessarily close to a road. When I hiked this section, I did get to slackpack with some effort. At one point, we drove for an hour on a remote dirt road to intersect the trail. It was almost impassable. I'm wondering if she tried to come out on that road, not realizing that she was still deep in the area. I'm also wondering about the water crossing area. Could she be downstream?

[Turtle Feet]

Koda & QHShowoman - I've been trying to rationalize that same information. The only way that makes sense is that Gerry asked to have a call relayed. But why? She had a phone, was her battery dead? Did she lose the phone? And why, if she was at Spaulding that Tues. night (already her second night there, because we know she was spotted between the two shelters on Monday), would she ask for a message to be relayed? She was only a day's hike to the road where she would meet George. Seems to me that unless she planned to stay a third night at Spaulding, she would see her husband before the caller would get a call out (supposedly, the caller said she was headed SOBO). AND, if she wasn't planning on making it to the road, wouldn't Gerry probably have indicated to this mystery woman that there was a problem?

We don't know enough about this mystery caller and precisely what was said during the call, but I can't think of another way that mystery woman could have known to call the motel already on Wednesday.

[QHShowoman]

Turtle Feet -- that's been exactly my thought process on this as well. I wish I knew more info about that area of the trail -- but I also thinking that since the weather was bad (as has been reported), she ended up staying at the shelter longer than expected and didn't have cell service (or battery) and asked the SoBo-er to relay her whereabouts to the Motel. But the only way this mystery hiker could have known George was staying at that motel was if Gerry told her.

I really hope she's alright. I've been completely preoccupied with this case. But something is definitely amiss when an experienced hiker -- who has presumably enough gear to survive in the wild for at least a week -- just disappears like this.

[Goonky]

Glad to know I'm not alone worrying about her and following the story so closely. I just wish I could do something, you know?

Will they let anyone join the search? I could go up this weekend, I'm nearby.

[joshuasdad]

I really don't have any factual information to add, other than yesterday's conversation with a thru-hiker that met her a week before she went missing (see below). I should also mention that the parking lot near Gulf Hagas had a poster mentioning Gerry's disappearance, and asking for assistance from hikers with actual knowledge.

I am a bit surprised that I have not yet seen a consolidated timeline as to Gerry's reported locations.

It is my understanding that Gerry was supposed to be at Spaulding Mountain Lean-to on Monday night--a distance of 7.5 miles from the Poplar Ridge Lean-to that she supposedly stayed at on Sunday night. Would she then hike 13.7 miles over very difficult terrain on Tuesday to meet her husband at Route 27?

My understanding--supported in part by yesterday's conversation with a thru-hiker (near Gulf Hagas) that had met her--is that Gerry usually hiked short distances, like about 7 miles per day.

Accordingly, Gerry probably already suspected that she would be a day late at Route 27, and possibly relayed that message to the SOBO hiker. In other words, because she was a two days' hike from her spouse with one day to go for the planned pickup, she probably knew that she would be one day late, i.e., arriving on Wednesday instead of Tuesday.

If on Tuesday it was raining heavily, I think it is very possible that Gerry would stay at Spaulding Mountain Lean-to for another day. If the meeting with the mystery hiker happened on Tuesday night, her anticipated arrival at Route 27 would correspondingly be on Thursday. As one who often meets my spouse or a shuttler at trailheads, I can also see her trying to do something out of the ordinary to get to the planned pickup ASAP, for example, trying to get a message to her spouse, or hiking too fast/too far for the conditions. I have for one have had too many close-calls trying to meet deadlines, and have a few more scars because of those close-calls.

I'm sure that the searchers have considered this, but she could have headed up to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain (4 miles from Spaulding Mountain Lean-to), in the hopes of taking the chairlift or a trail (hiking or ski trail) down to the Sugarloaf base area. Alternatively, it also would make sense to me that Gerry might have hiked down Caribou Valley Road, or even past Caribou Valley Road and on to Crocker Cirque Campsite (about a mile away), or even up/over Crocker Mountain (another 8 miles) in an attempt to get to Route 27 ASAP.

I would also be willing to assist in a search as early as this coming weekend, if only to hike sections between Rt 27 and Rt 17 in the hopes that Gerry would emerge from the woods. I might be able to hike that trail that connects Sugarloaf Mountain to the base area as well. Feel free to PM me if you would like to join me. Also, if anyone has any information as to whether we are even allowed to hike the section that is being searched, please let me know.

[Koda]

You are not alone in worrying. For some reason this particular missing hiker is weighing heavy on my mind. To see a woman of her age gives me hope that I still have a chance. I understand it is confirmed that she spent Sunday night at the Poplar Ridge Shelter, but has it been confirmed the she spent Monday night and Tuesday nights at Spaulding Shelter...and if so, how was it confirmed...log book, scent, another hiker?

[joshuasdad]

You are not alone in worrying. For some reason this particular missing hiker is weighing heavy on my mind. To see a woman of her age gives me hope that I still have a chance. I understand it is confirmed that she spent Sunday night at the Poplar Ridge Shelter, but has it been confirmed the she spent Monday night and Tuesday nights at Spaulding Shelter...and if so, how was it confirmed...log book, scent, another hiker?

See http://www.kjonline.com/news/Search-...s-7th-day.html

"While MacDonald said search crews continue to work with hikers on the trail, no contact has been made with a hiker who said she saw Largay last Tuesday night.

The Maine Warden Service said the female hiker, whose name they don't know, called the Stratton Motel, where Largay's husband George was staying, and said that she was traveling in the opposite direction as Largay and they both spent last Tuesday night the Spaulding Mountain lean-to."

[Koda]

I agree Joshuasdad, a timeline of her confirmed whereabouts would be very helpful. I have to assume that the SAR have this but it might be helpful if they would post this.

[QHShowoman]

News articles have confirmed that Gerry texted her husband that she was spending Sunday night, 7/21, at Poplar Ridge lean-to in Reddington Township.
In the morning hours of Monday, 7/22, she sent her final text saying she was heading north -- her next stop would be the Spaulding Mountain Lean To, 8 miles away. Assuming she made it to Spaulding Mountain, the mystery female hiker spent Tuesday night with Gerry in that shelter.
On Wednesday, said hiker called Stratton Motel. It's almost 14 miles between Spaulding Mtn and Stratton -- I concur that this is double the distance that Gerry would've typically hiked in a day.

[Koda]

Thanks all for the clarification

[JustaTouron]

In the interview the officer stated that "there was no reason to suspect foul play!" I wonder how they could possibly rule that out at this point!

The statements:

1) "we have no reason to suspect foul play"

and

2) " we have ruled out foul play"

Are two entirely different statements that mean two totally different things.

The first simply means there is an absents of any evidence suggesting foul play. The second is much definitive statement and means that there is strong evidence that foul play did not exist. (Usually because you have determined what has happened)

Here they are simply saying there is no evidence to suggest foul play at work (someone following her, a threat, a know predator in the area) they aren't ruling it out.

[max patch]

This makes no sense to me:

"...The Maine Warden Service said the female hiker, whose name they don't know, called the Stratton Motel, where Largay's husband George was staying, and said that she was traveling in the opposite direction as Largay and they both spent last Tuesday night the Spaulding Mountain lean-to..."

I hope I'm wrong, but this raises a lot of questions and none of them are good.

[SawnieRobertson]

We are all thinking constantly about Inchworm's predicament and wondering what happened. Every day we read about some woman's or some child's disappearance. We read it, have a moment of sadness, maybe say a little prayer, and then go about our lives, shaking it off. This is different. This is family. There's no shaking it off. Inchworm has got to be found. She did not vaporize. At least, I hope not.

[joshuasdad]

This makes no sense to me:

"...The Maine Warden Service said the female hiker, whose name they don't know, called the Stratton Motel, where Largay's husband George was staying, and said that she was traveling in the opposite direction as Largay and they both spent last Tuesday night the Spaulding Mountain lean-to..."

I hope I'm wrong, but this raises a lot of questions and none of them are good.

The quote makes sense to me. If the two were together Tuesday night, the SOBO hiker could have hiked to an area which in which she had cell phone coverage, or in the alternative, if fit, could have made the 18.5 miles to Rt. 4, from which she could have made the call. Spaulding Mountain Lean-to appears to be in a small valley/notch on my topo map, and might not have had good cellphone coverage on Tuesday night, so the call could not have been made then.

Again, an accurate timeline could clarify this. If the call was made on Wednesday morning, the SOBO hiker just hiked into cell phone coverage, then made the call. If the call were made on Wednesday evening, she may have made the call from the road or a town nearby.

It seems to me that Gerry may have been doing fine on Tuesday evening, but may have just been running late, and had hiked out of cell phone coverage and/or had low battery power, and thus asked the SOBO for a little assistance in contacting her husband.

[Migrating Bird]

We all are holding our collective breaths and praying for a positive outcome. FWIW, during a recent hike in NH and VT, I could send and receive text messages, but not make or receive calls (Verizon) until I was south of Smarts Mt. The coverage was very spotty although I did manage to get through to a Verizon tech who sent an e-mail to my wife for me. According to the tech there should have been no reason I could not make a call with my IPhone 5 but I could only get though to Verizon. In 2010 when I hiked SOBO through ME, I could only get reception on Mtn. Tops, nothing in the below treeline or in the valleys with a Verizon dumb phone but it seemed much better than the IPhone, if I had 1 bar I could call out.