The Maine Warden Service resumed its ground search Tuesday for Geraldine Largay, a 66-year-old Tennessee woman who disappeared while hiking the Appalachian Trail in Franklin County nearly a year ago.
Largay, of Brentwood, Tenn., was last seen on the morning of July 22 at the Poplar Ridge lean-to in Redington Township.
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It was the first time the Warden Service, which is leading the investigation, has searched on the ground this year to look for Largay. Aircraft searches have been underway since early spring, according to Cpl. John MacDonald of the warden service.
The Warden Service was still gathering information and evidence from searchers, including state police, federal Border Patrol officers and the Maine Search and Rescue Association, who were out Tuesday, although MacDonald said Wednesday it is unlikely to lead to any breaks in the case.
McDonald said that the weather and dangerous terrain around the trail have played a role in determining the search schedule.
About 500 people are reported missing in Maine each year, and almost all of them are found within 24 to 48 hours, according to the Warden Service. It’s not uncommon for hikers to get lost on the Appalachian Trail – 281 miles run through Maine – but it is unusual for a hiker not to be found.
As the one-year anniversary of her disappearance approaches, the Warden Service will continue to search for her, although no dates have been set yet for future searches, said MacDonald.
A friend of the family who has been in contact with Largay’s husband, George, said they hope the search will continue.
“The family is holding it together the best they can,” David Fox of Nashville said Wednesday. “They miss Gerry very much and they’re trying to find ways to honor her in continuing the search but also moving on with what they have to do day to day.”
Largay was last heard from on July 21, when she sent a text message to her husband saying she planned to meet him in Wyman Township, about eight miles north of the Poplar Ridge lean-to where she was spending the night.
Another hiker, who was heading south on the trail, reported seeing her at the lean-to. But when Largay didn’t arrive at Wyman Township her husband reported her missing.
Largay began her hike in April 2013 in West Virginia. She’d gone about 950 miles and was about 200 miles from her destination, the summit of Mount Katahdin, when she disappeared.
Largay is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs about 115 pounds and was last seen wearing a black pullover shirt, tan pants and a blue hat, and carrying a black-and-green backpack.
A $15,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information leading to her location. Those with information are asked to call the Maine Warden Service at (207) 624-7076.
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