Journal Entries of Missing Hiker Reveal She Survived for Weeks and Predicted Her Death
— -- Newly released journal entries indicate that Geraldine Largay, who set off to hike the Appalachian Trail as part of her "bucket list" in the summer of 2013, survived for almost a month after going missing in the wilderness of Western Maine.
The haunting entries also reveal that the 66-year-old predicted she would not make it back to her family, and that her body may not be found for years.
"When you find my body, please call my husband George ... and my daughter Kerry," a portion of Largay's diary, obtained by the Associated Press, stated, "It will be the greatest kindness for them to know that I am dead where you found me — no matter how many years from now."
The Brentwood, Tenn. native was last seen in the early morning of July 22, 2013, according to the Maine Warden Service. Despite one of the biggest search and rescue missions in history of the Maine Warden Service, her remains were not found until October 2015.
Her final diary entry was dated Aug. 18, 2013, nearly a month after Largay went missing.
The case of the missing hiker, who went by the trail-name "inchworm," garnered national attention, especially among the hiking community, and yesterday the Maine Warden Service released a final report on the Largay case.
The report included the diary entries that reveal Largay survived for at least 26 days in the wilderness, and attempted to send multiple text messages for help to her husband, but poor cell service prevented them from going through.
Largay died of starvation and exposure while in her sleeping bag in her tent, according to local ABC News affiliate WMUR.
Her family did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
