Wife Who Vanished While Hiking The Appalachian Trail Turns Up 2 Years Later

wife who vanished while hiking the appalachian trail turns up two years later [Music] but before we start please make sure to subscribe to m r tv and hit the bell so you never miss any upload from us also leave a like right now 66 year old geraldine largay of tennessee was never one to shy away from a challenge no matter how extreme however one obstacle did ultimately prove too much for her when after setting off on one of the most difficult hiking trails in north america she disappeared without a trace her friends and family grieved praying for closure that they feared would never come that is until years later with geraldine's whereabouts still unknown when a tv crew made an unexpected discovery that left her loved one speechless for hiking enthusiasts the appalachian trail is considered one of the most breathtaking through hiking experiences in the world winding its way through 14 states the at is the perfect way to experience all the beauty that the u.s eastern coast has to offer but make no mistake the appalachian trail is not for the faint of heart the 2200 mile path is marked by rugged terrain and extreme climates and of the nearly 4 000 experienced hikers that set out on the at each year only about a quarter hiked to completion those odds aren't great but for geraldine jerry largay they were still odds worth taking the 66 year old retired nurse from tennessee was searching for her next great adventure and in the spring of 2013 she decided that the appalachian trail was just that despite an anxious nature jerry resolved to hike the trail without her husband george believing this challenge was one she needed to overcome alone still that didn't stop her childhood friend jane lee from tagging along in pursuit of her own life-changing adventure and so on april 23 2013 the two women set off on their first leg of the appalachian trail entering through a trail opening in harpers ferry west virginia unlike most who tackle the a.t however jerry and jane decided to go about their hike a little differently instead of through hiking the trail with no assistance jerry and jane were met along the way by george who would resupply them and even take them to a hotel for the evening to shower and rest after all these women were in their 60s the less risk they had to take on the trail the better yet age wasn't the only factor that made the hike a dangerous endeavor jerry had a notoriously poor sense of direction and would often make wrong turns along the trail making these short stops as well as jane's presence all the more essential despite these precautions however jerry and jane's adventure came to a grinding halt just two months in after getting word of a family emergency back home jane was forced to abandon their hike just a few miles into new hampshire before she did jane implored her companion to return home with her believing that jerry wasn't equipped to handle the remaining stretch of a.t but jerry wouldn't be swayed she was going to finish what she started over the next few weeks the 66 year old steadily made her way through new hampshire and into maine the finish line in sight she rested briefly on july 22nd and a group of fellow hikers snapped this picture of her perhaps seeing this photo would have calmed george's nerves as two days after it was taken he received no word from jerry despite scheduling a call with her to check in when the 24th came and went without sign of his wife george knew he had to act he contacted the maine department of parks and recreation who immediately summoned a search party for what would become the largest manhunt in state history for 20 days volunteers combed every inch of maine wilderness though by the end jerry was still nowhere to be found heartbroken george and the rest of large family had no choice but to assume the worst and held a memorial service for the beloved wife and mother later that year but had jerry really perished on the trail some investigators weren't so sure according to one witness a woman matching jerry's description was spotted wandering through a nearby town though around the same time another witness claimed to have seen jerry living in a women's shelter back in tennessee investigators were stumped though in october 2015 they finally got their answers while filming an episode of north woods law an animal planet film crew stumbled upon a crumpled yellow tent just a half mile off the appalachian trail they assumed it had been left behind by a hiker who had set up camp off the trail they were wrong beneath the rotting remains of the tent was a body so decayed that the crew was unsure police would even be able to identify it further investigation uncovered a journal tucked beneath the corpse and inside they discovered a heartbreaking truth the body belonged to geraldine largay who according to the journal had wandered off the at shortly after chatting with the hikers on july 22nd and was unable to find her way back with the trail out of sight and her supplies dwindling she waited for help which never came most tragic of all however was the final note she left behind when you find my body please call my husband george and my daughter carrie it will be the greatest kindness for them to know that i am dead and where you find me no matter how many years from now incredibly jerry had survived 26 days alone in the main wilderness and wrote in her journal right up until the very end and while the search for the missing hiker had ended sometime around august 4th the journal showed that she was still alive as late as august 18. with this news george and the largest were finally able to rest easy knowing that jerry was at peace despite losing the love of his life george had no regrets about encouraging jerry to hike the trail because she died doing what she loved living life to the fullest preparing for the appalachian trail is no joke and that's why those seeking to tackle the path often spend months at a time preparing for the journey thinking she might tackle the trail a certain teenager headed straight into the blue bridge mountains i know this valley like the back of my hand seventeen-year-old maddie rourke told vice i've grown up running around the woods and exploring everywhere the woods is where i feel more comfortable and if you took just a single stroll with her through the tree-lined ridges you'd have known she was telling the truth she could identify tree species with the same ease in which you might identify your neighbors that's because the teen lived in the blue ridge mountains totally off the grid away from the hustle and bustle of city life for six months out of the year but she wasn't entirely alone at her cabin which sat in a dusty clearing a handful of dogs might have followed her on any walk to the hen house where birds worked hard to ensure she had a few eggs for breakfast a few goats started alongside her too as well as a cat luckily she wasn't without human companionship her dad shared the cabin with her and it was his dream that drove the duo so far from other humans the idea of living off the grid started when i was a child he said he continued i was disgusted with the way people just took their resources for granted and they just didn't think about how they affected the circle of life that they were very much a part of you just find yourself living with your head stuck in a hole maddie of course had her own reasons for spending some of her most formidable years in relative isolation and it wasn't to avoid petty high school drama or highway traffic the impressive team lived off the grid to prepare for a six-month solo hike along the appalachian trail a 2200 mile path that takes travelers from georgia to maine it's a grueling and demanding journey but nevertheless those six months maddie believed would be beneficial hiking through the woods for six months is a good way for me to figure out who i want to be in life before going off to college she said yep while most 17 year olds find themselves by getting a little too involved at a high school party or by attending a college really far away from home maddie's approach was a little different but she was a different kind of person maddie's way of seeing the world is very much the way that young children in cultures that live closely with the earth see it her dad said it's very much that i am in the present mindset it's almost an ancient way of seeing the earth living off the grid didn't mean that maddie and her dad had it rough however in fact thanks to a few very particular set of skills the duo ate meals that would make any foodies mouth water on one morning for instance they ate scrambled eggs from their coop shiitake mushrooms they foraged and onions they grew all cooked in bear grease they made themselves from lard grifted to them from hunters there was no grocery store within walking distance of their little cottage so to get their proteins like deer jerky and summer sausage they had to get their hands dirty but they had the tools and talents for that too with rifles bows and arrows maddie and her dad hunted for their own me to become a good hunter with a bow you have to understand the pattern and rhythms of the woods her dad said and boy that duo did maddie felt more in tune with the world because they killed for meals growing up around death and knowing that it's necessary in order for me to survive i think it's made me know and appreciate the importance of life so much more maddie said her dad echoed the sentiment anything that keeps you more connected to the earth and the resources that keep you alive he said is a really important skill that's why maddie never let an animal go to waste after killing and skinning a deer and then scraping all the fat and meat off the hide she created bags and pouches from the pelt which she then sold on etsy to fund her appalachian trail hike she may have appeared like a truly special teenager but maddie didn't see it that way i've never thought that it's special that i know all this stuff or that it makes me cooler or a better person she said it just is what it is [Music] you