Regarding the thread on the death of a hiker on the Appalachian trail in Maine, a bit of new information has come to light. A quick analysis shows a few facts.

"On the initial missing persons report that was filed, [Mrs] Largay’s husband itemized a number of items that he knew she’d been wearing or carrying. Under the category labeled “GPS, PLB, Compass” — the acronyms referring to Global Positioning System, Personal Locator Beacon– the responding warden wrote: “SPOT. Left at motel.” SPOT is a company that makes, among other things, satellite-based devices that allow hikers in remote areas to communicate their whereabouts to others without the benefit of a cellular signal."

AND

[H]er skeletal remains were found on a high piece of ground about 3,000 feet from the trail, where she apparently set up camp after becoming lost."


Source: http://outthere.bangordailynews.com/2016...y-of-questions/


Another source yielded this tidbit.

"Mrs Lee told me that Geraldine had a lighter and waterproof matches. She stated that she did not know how to use a compass, She didn't even know if Geraldine had a compass.
Mrs Lee reiterated her statement regarding Geraldines lack of confidence and her inability to cope with the obvious rigors of the trail"

AND

"She was relying on her blue Samsung slide cellphone to keep in touch with her husband, who met her every few days with supplies. After she became lost, she tried texting her husband, but because there was no cell service, he never got the message."

AND

"Her doctor would tell investigators that once she ran out of the medication she took for anxiety, she could suffer panic attacks."

. . .

"Shane Vorous, who operates the Stratton Motel with his wife, Stacey, said Thursday that they try to tell hikers where they are likely to get cellphone service and where known dead zones are along the Appalachian Trail."

. . .

"Everyone relies on their cellphone so much,” Critendon said. With a lot of hikers, that is a problem, because there are so many ups and downs in that area, and it is so remote. I think of lot of hikers don’t realize it.”

. . .

"Lee, Largay’s friend who had hiked the trail with her until they reached Maine, told investigators that on several occasions Largay had become lost or had fallen behind, and Lee had to backtrack to find her. It wasn’t clear if Largay was taking prescribed anti-anxiety medication at the time."

Source: http://www.centralmaine.com/2016/05/26/m...-use-a-compass/

The article goes on to state a compass WAS found with her.

The additional excerpts (below) give the position of her body as N44 59.011 W70 24.099. Pulling it up on google, she was about about 2300 feet from a road (SW) and about 1750 feet from the trail to the SE.

Apparently, the Maine Warden service recently released some 1500 pages of files about the event.

It looks like a couple of grievous error were made. .

1. Failure to know how to use map and compass, the most basic skills ensured she would get lost after leaving the trail.

2. Her apparent reliance on cell phone to maintain contact. Especially given the known dead spots in the area. A little research on the hikers part could have prevented this.

3. Continuing alone on the trail after her companion quit.
Given her Anxiety issues, her having fallen behind before and her inability to use map and compass seem to be significant.

4. Failure to take the SPOT device with her. Almost goes without saying that such a device could have brought about her quick rescue.


I seriously have to wonder, How long did she wander around AFTER she realized she was lost? I doubt she traveled that far off the trail to relieve herself. Judging from her distance from the trail, she continued for some time AFTER realizing she was lost. Was her anxiety a contributing factor? Most likely, as it was a known problem for her.

This is a truly sad case and a death that did not need to happen. But it highlights the importance of the basics. Although she most likely did the right thing by staying put when she was lost, had she done so much sooner, it is likely that search teams with dogs would have located her quickly.


Additional excerpts may be found here:
http://www.centralmaine.com/2016/05/25/r...woods/document/


Last words. . I realize that I am a new poster here at the esteemed forums for equipped.org. However, in analyzing failures, we all learn. . I am curious to know what other members get out of the same information, and come to a differing conclusion.

Share your thoughts

This recalls a similar situation where a young high schooler became disoriented while gathering firewood for a picnic. Her instinct led her to travel downhill from the picnic spot high in the Santa Catalina Mts near Tucson, AZ. After tracking her down the canyon, my partner and I located her just after sunrise, and just before a gigantic waterfall would have given her problems. At this point, we were at least two miles from her picnic table.

There is already a thread about this event.

However:

She exceeded her capabilities, she should not have been out there alone (and her friends should not have allowed her to be alone knowing her limitations)

She did not stay oriented to the trail when she left it. You need to take bearings, look for landmarks, leave a mark to guide you back, know the terrain around you, something that will tell you which direction the trail was.

She moved too far from the trail when she realized she was lost (conjecture), and anxiety would play a role in that. Many people do the same thing when disoriented, going too far in the wrong direction either before they realize they are going in the wrong direction or after.

She did not signal properly enough to be found by teams that did search in that area.

She evidently did not posses sufficient wilderness survival skills ( fire, signaling, navigation, experience, planning, judgement, reliable friends)

As stated in the other thread, this is not to insult the lady, just analysis of the facts. She was out of her depth, her friends did not help take care of her.

This thread should be merged with the previous one.

We often find ourselves referring to archived stories and comments years later. It's best if they are in one thread.

FWIW I believe that a respectful but clear-headed analysis of a tragic event is both appropriate and useful. The goal is never to blame or ridicule, but to learn from hard experience.

Agree. If any here have read an aircraft incident report, the primary intent is to determine what/who failed (aircraft or pilots) and why so that future incidents can maybe be avoided. The incidents I've read have been brutally honest; they aren't intended to make people (survivors/relatives) feel good, they're intended to save lives. Why learn by your own mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of those who have already beaten that path. Maybe we should model our comments to be more like what the NTSB would write. But for that you need hard facts and very little unsupported supposition.

As you suggest, that is a luxury we almost never have; hence the importance of being circumspect in what we post.

There is a dangerous temptation to post, from the comfort of my armchair, words suggesting that other people are less wise and capable than myself. I find that a little time "out in the weeds" cures me of this tendency with rapid, ruthless, and humbling efficiency. "There, but for the grace of God, go I."

Telling other adults what to do can be tricky business. This poor hiker's husband and hiking partner have taken a little flack for letting her hike alone and unprepared, but let's face facts - what were they to do to stop her?

We've said many times here at ETS, that survival situations like this are usually the result of a series of small missteps. Simply stated, this hiker, didn't see hers. Most don't what from I've read. I'm planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in about 2 years time. This story really made me sit up and pay attention. Instead of passing judgement or blame, I ask myself what I can learn from this. "What can I do to mitigate my risks on my own big hike?"

I'm pretty confident in my outdoors skills, but I will be spending some serious time honing my skills - especially my navigation skills - over the next couple of years. Map & compass, and GPS. We will be taking more than one method to keep us oriented to the trail, and also multiple ways to signal for help. Purposeful campfires in the PNW are notoriously difficulty for us non-locals to master, so some extra back-up will be taken for this purpose, just in case we need a signal fire.

More locally, as a parent and Scout leader, it's important to teach my kiddos to keep safe when they are out adventuring. I teach them basic first aid, how to light fires & build shelters, how make water drinkable, etc.... but what to do to stay found, and what to do if they find themselves lost or hurt, are my top priorities.

I am no expert, but I put a lot of faith in the "Hug a Tree" strategy. There's some excellent information about kid's survival here on ETS, and I believe that it's great advice for adults too. (Sidebar: I have a friend who is alive today, because she wasn't too proud to wear a Hello Kitty bike helmet when it was the only one that fit her.) It might have saved this poor woman's life: http://www.equipped.org/kidsrvl.htm

Here's a little video I made about teaching my three year old to hug a tree. She has a lot to learn, but it's never to young to teach them to think about safety first!

Backpackgirl Learning to Hug a Tree

Stay safe out there, my friends!

Greetings BacPacJac!! One thing we (Louisiana) do have in common with the Northwest, it is wet most of the time. I carry a few Trioxane (USGI Surplus) tablets to get the initial small stuff burning good as I add the larger stuff on top.

I need to practice my fire starting skills in damp environments. I haven't done enough of that, especially lately. I'm used to low humidity Colorado, where we have to be more concerned about accidentally starting fires. Other than in a pouring rainstorm, I'll bet fire starting in Colorado is pretty easy compared to other parts of the country.

I often use those myself as an easy way to ignite compressed saw dust bricks (eco bricks). Works great for damp wood too.

And I was just thinking. Does anyone carry lights with strobe or SOS modes? Similar to a marine distress strobe beacon? They're not that heavy but I'm wondering it would be worth the extra weight in the backcountry.