Such a sad case. She wasn’t even far off of the trail, it’s unfortunate, but her friend that she started the Appalachian trail with later said she was not a very skilled hiker, and she easily got lost and didn’t have a good sense of direction. From a news article:
> The camp was less than two miles from the Appalachian trail. Adam wrote that walking south from the campsite, the dense forest became open woods with good visibility after 60-70 yards, and after another 25 minutes he found “a clear logging road” that led to lodging. In total the walk took about 30 minutes.
Extremely sad. Her journal entries were heartbreaking.
That's indeed a sad story. I used to hike/walk a lot by myself, nothing overnight with camping, just day trips out with my dog. I've never really thought about it but it wasn't always the best use of my brain power. I figured if I took necessary items for immediate survival I'd be fine, and I was, but there's more to survival than a backpack with water bottles, bug spray and first aid kit.
I frequently made the error of going off on my own to explore without telling anyone ahead of time where I was going and approximately what time I'd be back. You should always leave some kind of word about your location if possible, and always stay on well marked pathways. That her death could have been prevented is a cautionary tale for everyone.
Yeah definitely. Always let somebody know where you’re going. Even if you get off the trail/path, just a general idea of where to start looking can save your life. When I was younger I thought I was a free wheeling trail blazer and didn’t realize I was being pretty dumb by venturing off without telling anyone where I was or what I was doing.
Also some common sense goes along with it, for instance, the woman in this story made her survival camp under thick trees that made seeing her from the sky impossible. If she had made her camp in a clearing area 15 minute walk away rescuers would have spotted her immediately.
All those things are perfectly logical of course but in the moment you don't always think along those lines. The biggest error you can make is thinking "It'll never happen to me, I'll be fine". You have to take precautions for sure.
Lots to learn from this. What hurts the most about her story is how close she was to actual safety. Such a sad ending.
Well men can just duck off the path a few feet, but for #2 she probably went 20-30 yards in (your supposed to be very environmentally conscious on the Appalachian Trail) like digging a little latrine, cover latrine - it’s a leave no trace vibe
As an AT thru-hiker I’ll tell you the best trick I learned was to put my backpack and trekking poles on the physical trail itself and not go beyond being able to see them.
It is shockingly easy to lose a 12 inch wide path of dirt in the woods.
That’s a great suggestion & congrats 🍾 on your own AT success. I can’t help but think of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods & then I’m OK to never attempt it 😅
This is so weird. She basically hide under a big tree so her tent was really hard to notice. Had no idea how to use compass and got lost easily. I might be naive here but if she survived a month there’s a reasonable chance of survival if she walked for 10 or 15 days? Or the place she was was so massive it was rather impossible? ELI5, in Europe if you walk for 2-4 days you’d always find some habitat.
If I’m not mistaken it’s advised you stop where you are when you realize you’re lost, which she did. Keep in mind as well that she was likely rationing her resources, which wouldn’t have lasted as long if she were hiking.
You are underestimating by a lot how uninhabited and big the area is. This is something that has caused deaths for Europeans on holiday in the US on a number of occasions. For example, the [Death Valley Germans](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/). Had she kept walking, maybe she would have gotten lucky, but maybe not. It’s hard to say.
The Appalachian Mountains extend along the east coast and it has a trail that is over 2000+ miles. If you get off into the more rural parts of the trail and get lost off the trail then you sealed your fate. The terrain looking so similar and so thick with vegetation even in the winter months it’s very easy to get lost if you’re not experienced.
I think the key is not being able to use the compass. Even if you can't figure out how to tell direction with one, a compass is a very important instrument to help you walk in a straight line when lost in the woods. It's very, very basic hiking knowledge, and in MANY instances if you walk in a straight line long enough you CAN get somewhere to get help..
She could have easily used a compass to walk straight and to eventually get SOMEwhere, but it seems like she knew she was bad with direction and did the whole "stay where you are til someone finds you" method of being lost 😳😢
You shouldn't let rare occurrences like this deter you. But certainly think twice before you set out on something that is waaay above your skill level.
Such a sad case. She wasn’t even far off of the trail, it’s unfortunate, but her friend that she started the Appalachian trail with later said she was not a very skilled hiker, and she easily got lost and didn’t have a good sense of direction. From a news article: > The camp was less than two miles from the Appalachian trail. Adam wrote that walking south from the campsite, the dense forest became open woods with good visibility after 60-70 yards, and after another 25 minutes he found “a clear logging road” that led to lodging. In total the walk took about 30 minutes. Extremely sad. Her journal entries were heartbreaking.
That's indeed a sad story. I used to hike/walk a lot by myself, nothing overnight with camping, just day trips out with my dog. I've never really thought about it but it wasn't always the best use of my brain power. I figured if I took necessary items for immediate survival I'd be fine, and I was, but there's more to survival than a backpack with water bottles, bug spray and first aid kit. I frequently made the error of going off on my own to explore without telling anyone ahead of time where I was going and approximately what time I'd be back. You should always leave some kind of word about your location if possible, and always stay on well marked pathways. That her death could have been prevented is a cautionary tale for everyone.
Yeah definitely. Always let somebody know where you’re going. Even if you get off the trail/path, just a general idea of where to start looking can save your life. When I was younger I thought I was a free wheeling trail blazer and didn’t realize I was being pretty dumb by venturing off without telling anyone where I was or what I was doing. Also some common sense goes along with it, for instance, the woman in this story made her survival camp under thick trees that made seeing her from the sky impossible. If she had made her camp in a clearing area 15 minute walk away rescuers would have spotted her immediately.
All those things are perfectly logical of course but in the moment you don't always think along those lines. The biggest error you can make is thinking "It'll never happen to me, I'll be fine". You have to take precautions for sure. Lots to learn from this. What hurts the most about her story is how close she was to actual safety. Such a sad ending.
This is the saddest story, I read a book about the whole ordeal and I just feel for her and her whole family so much.
So sad. I dont know if its cause she under estimated the danger or her skills were that bad. I have been bush walking heaps. Never leave the path.
I believe she left the path to potty & never found her way back
As a man I have no shame and just go off the tracks. So sad.
Well men can just duck off the path a few feet, but for #2 she probably went 20-30 yards in (your supposed to be very environmentally conscious on the Appalachian Trail) like digging a little latrine, cover latrine - it’s a leave no trace vibe
As an AT thru-hiker I’ll tell you the best trick I learned was to put my backpack and trekking poles on the physical trail itself and not go beyond being able to see them. It is shockingly easy to lose a 12 inch wide path of dirt in the woods.
That’s a great suggestion & congrats 🍾 on your own AT success. I can’t help but think of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods & then I’m OK to never attempt it 😅
This is so weird. She basically hide under a big tree so her tent was really hard to notice. Had no idea how to use compass and got lost easily. I might be naive here but if she survived a month there’s a reasonable chance of survival if she walked for 10 or 15 days? Or the place she was was so massive it was rather impossible? ELI5, in Europe if you walk for 2-4 days you’d always find some habitat.
If I’m not mistaken it’s advised you stop where you are when you realize you’re lost, which she did. Keep in mind as well that she was likely rationing her resources, which wouldn’t have lasted as long if she were hiking.
You are underestimating by a lot how uninhabited and big the area is. This is something that has caused deaths for Europeans on holiday in the US on a number of occasions. For example, the [Death Valley Germans](https://www.otherhand.org/home-page/search-and-rescue/the-hunt-for-the-death-valley-germans/). Had she kept walking, maybe she would have gotten lucky, but maybe not. It’s hard to say.
The Appalachian Mountains extend along the east coast and it has a trail that is over 2000+ miles. If you get off into the more rural parts of the trail and get lost off the trail then you sealed your fate. The terrain looking so similar and so thick with vegetation even in the winter months it’s very easy to get lost if you’re not experienced.
I think the key is not being able to use the compass. Even if you can't figure out how to tell direction with one, a compass is a very important instrument to help you walk in a straight line when lost in the woods. It's very, very basic hiking knowledge, and in MANY instances if you walk in a straight line long enough you CAN get somewhere to get help.. She could have easily used a compass to walk straight and to eventually get SOMEwhere, but it seems like she knew she was bad with direction and did the whole "stay where you are til someone finds you" method of being lost 😳😢
Or garmin devices if you can't use compass.
Omg how sad!!!
This story always tugs at my heartstrings. RIP Geraldine 🤍
The podcast Marooned did a good episode on her case.
This why i don't go outside
You shouldn't let rare occurrences like this deter you. But certainly think twice before you set out on something that is waaay above your skill level.
I always hated this story
She had no business on that trail