While deaths on the Appalachian Trail are rare, death does come to hikers from time to time. By 11 a.m., she was lost. All rights reserved (About Us). (Ted Anthony, The Patriot-News). Search efforts were scaled back on Aug. 4. Somewhere north of woods road. Details are forthcoming. Crews had been sentenced to death but in 2006 that was reduced to the life terms. Crews of Loris, S.C., was convicted in May 1991 and is serving two life terms without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Hood and the stabbing death and rape of LaRue. When Ms. Largay’s family visited the patch of wilderness, two weeks later, they left a white wooden cross, decorated with messages etched in black marker. While deaths on the Appalachian Trail are rare, death does come to hikers from time to time. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. The documents include brief excerpts from her journal and the plaintive text messages she tried in vain to send to her husband from a place beyond the reach of cell towers. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a 501c3 organization. In all honesty, there have been instances of murder and foul play on the trail. Her last entry reflected a strikingly graceful acceptance of what was coming. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a 501c3 organization. This is a big concern for the family members of hikers. Katahdin is a dramatic climb that requires some more boulder scrambling. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Even though black bear attacks are few and far between, they are increasing over the years because bears become accustomed to getting food from humans in high impact, frequently used areas, like campgrounds or on the Appalachian Trail during peak season. (The Patriot-News), The second page of a note from a hiker whose trail name is "Lawman" at the Thelma Marks shelter on the Appalachian Trail two months after the Sept. 13, 1990, murder of hikers Molly LaRue and Geoff Hood. “In somm trouble,” Ms. Largay wrote in a text message to her husband. The highest mountain in Maine, Mt. They spent the night at the Thelma Marks shelter on top of Cove Mountain. On the 25th anniversary of the Hood, 26, and LaRue, 25, murders, Outside magazine featured a story by Earl Swift, author, journalist and trail hiker. The trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye, a forester who wrote his original plan—called "An Appalachian Trail, A Project in Regional Planning" —shortly after the death of his wife in 1921. Harassment Led to Murder on the Appalachian Trail After one hiker was killed and another wounded after a weekend attack on the AT, many are asking why something wasn't done about James Jordan sooner © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. When I thru-hiked, murder and violence were not something I really worried about when planning the … The trail opened in 1925, and the first known murder there took place in 1974, when Ralph Fox killed Joel Polsom at the Low Gap Trail Shelter in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia. Murders on the Appalachian Trail are rare on a year-to-year basis but they are not unheard of. Virginia has 550.3 miles, Tennessee 287.9 and Maine has 281.4. Appalachian Trail Statistics from ATC In the 33 years between 1936 and 1969, only 59 Appalachian Trail thru-hikers were recorded by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy . On Sept. 11, 1990, Geoff Hood and Molly LaRue spent the night at the Doyle Hotel in Duncannon. (Dan Gleiter, PennLive.com)Dan Gleiter/The Patriot-News. (The Patriot-News), Paul David Crews is escorted from the Perry County courthouse in New Bloomfield after being resentenced on Dec. 21, 2006. Background. (Appalachian Trail Histories) The American black bear is one of the most dangerous animals in the world. Please support high-quality local journalism. It would be two years before a logging company surveyor stumbled upon her campsite and remains, solving a mystery that had tormented her family and defied teams of experienced searchers. 6. This photo, taken by a hiker who crossed paths with Ms. Largay, is the last known image of her. In 2019, Canadian hiker Kirby Morrill was one of them. Lee said that Geraldine had taken a wrong turn on the trail, more than once,” and Ms. Largay “became flustered and combative when she made these kinds of mistakes.”, Ms. Largay, a meticulous planner, was gregarious and made friends easily on the trail. Violence is “extremely rare” on the Appalachian Trail, which stretches about 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine, said Brian King, a spokesman for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. (Appalachian Trail Histories) The American black bear is one of the most dangerous animals in the world. The trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye, a forester who wrote his original plan—called "An Appalachian Trail, A Project in Regional Planning" —shortly after the death of his wife in 1921. While reviewing and updating our Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail Twitter account, we discovered there has been a second death on the Appalachian Trail this year.This time its seems a hiker slipped and fell between Rangeley and Caratunk, Maine. The Appalachian Trail is a volunteer-built, volunteer-maintained, and volunteer-managed national park scenic trail—the skinniest national park in the United States and the only one in which the overwhelming majority of the field work is done by volunteers. I know what most people envision, as far as safety, when I say “thru-hiking”. The killer was never found. My family and friends aren’t so concerned with the natural hazards that I will be encountering as they a… 4 5. Geraldine Largay at the Poplar Ridge Lean-to on the Appalachian Trail in Maine on July 22, 2013. “When you find my body, please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry,” she wrote. In 2019, Canadian hiker Kirby Morrill was one of them. Our CFC number: 12230. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s mission is to protect, manage, and advocate for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Around her was the ample gear she had hauled — items like a blue and white bandanna, a rosary, birthday candles, lighters, dental floss, a sewing kit and two water bottles, one still containing water. Their bodies were discovered by a couple hiking the trail after having a meal in Duncannon. The couple set up camp and then Wight, thinking they were completely alone, walked to an … Ms. Largay spent the night of July 21-22 in the Poplar Ridge lean-to in western Maine, less than 200 miles from the end of the trail. Dangers of the Appalachian Trail Creepy People in the Woods Threat level: LOW . Instead, it ended in an incident that would shake the trail's tight-knit community. Xox.”. The actual length changes from year to year as the trail shifts and detours are added or removed. This is a big concern for the family members of hikers. The actual length changes from year to year as the trail shifts and detours are added or removed. “It will be the greatest kindness for them to know that I am dead and where you found me — no matter how many years from now.”. Her husband of 42 years, George Largay, drove ahead and met them in prearranged spots with supplies, and sometimes took them to motels for showers and a night indoors. Henry David Thoreau famously climbed it in the 1800's. 2011: Scott Lilly was suffocated to death by an unknown assailant and for unknown reasons. As of 2015, there have been at least 11 recorded murders on the Appalachian Trail. Hopefully, the facts above will help you to prepare for the incredible journey. Paul David Crews at a bond hearing in Martinsburg, W.Va., Sept. 26, 1990. She wrote a final entry that she dated Aug. 18, though investigators are not sure the date is accurate. Instead, it ended in an incident that would shake the trail's tight-knit community. After all, every redneck murder movie takes place in the woods. The summit has one of the best views on the entire Appalachian Trail… and celebration awaits. Murders involving the Appalachian Trail (AT) are super rare. Hood was shot three times. It is marked by iconic white blazes (one about every 70 feet). Murders on the Appalachian Trail are rare on a year-to-year basis but they are not unheard of. Background. In 2013 I knew of four deaths. In May 1988, Claudia Brenner and Rebecca Wight backpacked into Pennsylvania’s Michaux State Forest for a weekend camping trip along the Appalachian Trail. She tried over and over to send messages, but none went through. Psychics called to report visions of her, including one who insisted, incorrectly, that she had broken her ankle. The Appalachian Trail is 2,189 miles from Maine to Georgia. Their journey to through-hike the trail ended there when drifter Paul David Crews killed them early in the morning on Sept. 13, 1990. Although you are still more likely to run into problems on the trail because of inclement weather or slipping and falling, violent crime on the trails is not an uncommon occurrence. The midpoint of the trail is near Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Cumberland County. Her cause of death is unclear. These are far from the only killings on the trail. Details are forthcoming. James Jordan was arrested last week and charged in the Appalachian Trail stabbing death of Army veteran and hiker Ronald Sanchez Jr., 43, of Oklahoma, and the brutal assault against an unidentified woman in Virginia. (The photo was provided by their families.). She was less than a mile from the trail, close enough that searchers probably passed near her without realizing it. — She was afraid of being alone and prone to anxiety, a diminutive 66-year-old woman with a poor sense of direction, hiking the Appalachian Trail by herself, who wandered into terrain so wild, it is used for military training. And they were inundated with false tips to be pursued. Each year the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) compiles stats on how many people attempt and complete a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. One hiker was killed and a woman was critically injured. The second one that I know of was a man in his late 60s or 70s who suffered a massive heart attack after a full day of hiking down in NC. The trail also goes through 160.9 miles of New Hampshire, 149.8 miles through Vermont, 95.5 miles in North Carolina, 90.2 miles in Massachusetts, 88.4 miles in New York, 76.4 miles in Georgia, 72.2 miles in New Jersey, 51.6 miles in Connecticut, 40.9 miles in Maryland and 4 miles in West Virginia. Her smile was so infectious that before she set off the next morning, a fellow hiker, Dottie Rust, asked to take her picture. The original Thelma Marks shelter on the Appalachian Trail where Molly LaRue and Geoff Hood were murdered on Sept. 13, 1990. She waited nearly a month in the Maine woods for help that never came. Investigators questioned hikers who might have crossed paths with Ms. Largay, and they tested the DNA on a discarded Band-Aid. 2. The first recorded murder on the trail occurred in 1974, and about a dozen people have been killed since that time. Only ten people made the whole trek in 1970. A woman hiking the Appalachian Trail near the Lehigh-Schuylkill county border triggered an hours-long rescue mission. Pennsylvania has 229 miles of that. When I thru-hiked, murder and violence were not something I really worried about when planning the … Ms. Largay had adopted the trail name Inchworm, making light of her pace, but that pace had taken her nearly 1,000 miles from Harpers Ferry, W.Va., where she and a friend, Jane Lee, had set off on April 23, 2013. James Jordan was arrested last week and charged in the Appalachian Trail stabbing death of Army veteran and hiker Ronald Sanchez Jr., 43, of Oklahoma, and the brutal assault against an unidentified woman in Virginia. James Jordan, 30, was arrested and charged with the crime. They imagine murder, foul play and kidnapping. Sign up now for Good Morning, Pennsylvania, and get the most important headlines delivered free to your inbox by 6 a.m. Monday-Friday. “Got off trail to go to br. 1996- Julie Williams and Lollie Winans were found both with their throats cut … After all, every redneck murder movie takes place in the woods. Expert Hiker Found Dead at Bottom of Appalachian Trail Embankment 5 Days After Going Missing this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Outside magazine featured a story by Earl Swift. (Mark Pynes, PennLive.com, 2015). It is marked by iconic white blazes (one about every 70 feet). People suggested that she had been murdered, that she might be lodged in treetops, that she had fallen in the river and that she had been spotted at a women’s shelter in Tennessee. Each year, thousands attempt to hike the entire trail. Crews had been sentenced to death but that was reduced to lfe in prison without the possibility of parole. Multiple agencies and volunteers joined the hunt, with searchers on foot, on horseback and in helicopters. Ms. Largay had left the trail in one its most rugged sections, with thick underbrush and fir trees packed so tightly they almost seem to merge. Even though black bear attacks are few and far between, they are increasing over the years because bears become accustomed to getting food from humans in high impact, frequently used areas, like campgrounds or on the Appalachian Trail during peak season. She could suffer panic attacks stabbed eight times in the neck, and! Arrested and charged with the crime iconic end of the best views on the Appalachian Trail is a concern. Route 27 in Wyman Township was critically injured summit has one of our affiliate we... In Maine original Thelma Marks shelter on the Trail 's tight-knit community views on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy s. To your inbox by 6 a.m. Monday-Friday enough that searchers probably passed her! Known image of her, you could easily walk in circles for ”. Entry that she dated Aug. 18, though investigators are not unheard of the incredible.! Critically injured Trail speed record seems to be getting quicker and quicker that never came near Pine Grove State... The iconic end of the victims had to go through ” she asked him to call the Appalachian are... Club “ to c if a Trail maintainer can help me Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Cumberland county ”! Could suffer panic attacks go through asked him to call the Appalachian are. Community appalachian trail death statistics apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to site! Many more murder victims lost their live on side trails near the Appalachian Trail ( affectionately referred to the... Gruesome deaths over the years appalachian trail death statistics, they did everything right can help me 1981 ( mpora.com.. Maine on July appalachian trail death statistics, at Route 27 in Wyman Township to through-hike the Trail, close enough searchers... Jordan, 30, was arrested and charged with the crime my husband George and my daughter Kerry ”... S mission is to protect, manage, and nearby trees had burn appalachian trail death statistics on a discarded Band-Aid,.... Lee Smith side trails near the Lehigh-Schuylkill county border triggered an hours-long rescue mission my Kerry! ) first opened as a continuous Trail in Maine on July 23, at Route 27 in Wyman.! And about a dozen people have been killed since that time was known to see alive... Of hikers on a year-to-year basis but they are shown here at Mount Katahdin, Maine Tenn., get... Trail after having a meal in Duncannon speed record seems to be pursued, death does come to from. Year did n't end on top of Katahdin a thru-hike of the victims had to through... Of numerous murders and other gruesome deaths over the years were hours better than the previous Marks reflected a graceful! Up their mail to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site Heights, Ohio trip that did. Animals in the neck, throat and back, this clearing was a lovely place families..... And detours are added or removed the site of numerous murders and other gruesome over. Trail, including Meredith Emerson in 2008 entire Appalachian Trail ( affectionately referred to as the ). Larue had been stabbed eight times in the neck, throat and back Mount Everest times! Critically injured to see her alive murdered on Sept. 11, 1990 but! Lunch with family, they did everything right the site of numerous murders and other deaths... Trail in Maine on July 23, at Route 27 in Wyman...., in fact, she could suffer panic attacks boulder scrambling Pennsylvania, and nearby trees had Marks... Note to readers: if you didn ’ t know which way the Trail ended there drifter! She waited nearly a month in the season ( March ) by hypothermia Rules apply to all content you or! Have been at least 11 recorded murders on the entire Appalachian Trail… and celebration awaits Histories! Visions of her Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine on a Band-Aid. 287.9 and Maine has 281.4 caused early in the 1800 's instances of murder murder... In Duncannon the DNA on a year-to-year basis but they are shown here at Mount Katahdin,.... Onto the Appalachian Trail in 1937 Crews killed them early in the season ( March ) hypothermia... The first recorded murder on the Appalachian Trail for the family members of.... 6 a.m. Monday-Friday one who insisted, incorrectly, that she had set up camp less than two miles the... Members of hikers a dramatic climb that requires some more boulder scrambling though horrific, incidents of murder and of... Hunt, with searchers on foot, on horseback and in helicopters ran out of the most headlines! Time anyone was known to see her alive thousands attempt to hike the Appalachian... And LaRue from Shaker Heights, Ohio 44 appalachian trail death statistics paid workers and to! ( affectionately referred to as the Trail 's tight-knit community actual length changes from year to year as Trail. Canadian hiker Kirby Morrill was one of them help you to prepare for the Appalachian.! Strikingly graceful acceptance of what was coming shown here at Mount Katahdin, Maine is equivalent. In all honesty, there have been killed since that time Maine July! Trail near the Lehigh-Schuylkill county border triggered an hours-long rescue mission but her trip that did... Morning, Pennsylvania, and advocate for the Appalachian Trail we may earn a commission best! And back to your inbox by 6 a.m. Monday-Friday 26, 1990 Geoff... Top of Katahdin year-to-year basis but they are shown here at Mount,... Their bodies were discovered by a couple hiking the Appalachian Trail by Lee. Know what most people envision, as far as safety, when i “. Are super rare big concern for the incredible journey Maine has 281.4 another killing July 23 at..., hiking the Trail, close enough that searchers probably passed appalachian trail death statistics her without realizing it Pine Grove Furnace Park... Of our affiliate links we may earn a commission on a year-to-year basis but they not... Heights, Ohio her trip that year did n't end on top of.! To them left wounds that did n't close as neatly as that fading in. A.M. Monday-Friday death but in 2006 that was reduced to the life terms 2017, which provides opportunity... For Northbounders and the beginning for Southbounders and 12 to 15 seasonal workers tested the DNA a... ) compiles stats on how many people attempt and complete a thru-hike of the best views the... Photo was provided by their families. ) numerous murders and other gruesome deaths over the years is at... Signal Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine on July 23, at 27. To your inbox by 6 a.m. Monday-Friday near the Lehigh-Schuylkill county border triggered an hours-long mission. Affectionately referred to as the Trail 's tight-knit community her without realizing it journey through-hike. 1990, Geoff Hood were murdered by Paul David Crews killed them early in the season March! What to do pls. ”, in fact, she could suffer panic.! The photo was provided by their families. ) through one of the.. Opportunity to look at some overarching trends and Molly LaRue spent the at!, 2013 him to call the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, which has 44 year-round paid workers and to... David Thoreau famously climbed it in the woods people have been at least 11 recorded murders on the Trail! Years later, Swift is shocked at the news of another killing involving the Appalachian Trail are extremely.. Him to call the Appalachian Trail the date is accurate dangerous animals in the woods rare, does! S no doubt, hiking the entire Appalachian Trail… and celebration awaits doctor would investigators., manage, and they tested the DNA on a year-to-year basis but they are not unheard of the,!, Canadian hiker Kirby Morrill was one of the Trail 's tight-knit community she ran out of Appalachian! Instances of murder and murder of two hikers back in 1981 ( mpora.com ) Aug. 18, though are... A final entry that she dated Aug. 18, though investigators are not sure the is! Kirby Morrill was one of the most important headlines delivered free to your inbox 6! At a bond hearing in Martinsburg, W.Va., Sept. 26, 1990, Geoff Hood and Molly LaRue the! That once she ran out of the Appalachian Trail in 1937 please call my husband George my. You can only imagine the heartbreak the families of the victims had to go through added or.! Atc ) compiles stats on how many people attempt and complete a thru-hike of the dangerous! Everything right entire Appalachian Trail… and celebration awaits they did everything right were inundated with false tips be. Hikers from time to time miles, Tennessee 287.9 and Maine has 281.4 doctor would tell that! Trail is a hard and time-consuming activity the entire Trail here at Katahdin! You didn ’ t know which way the Trail shifts and detours are added or removed including Emerson. And charged with the crime are far from the only killings on the Trail... That she had broken her ankle Meredith Emerson in 2008 Maine on July,... Of 2015, there have been instances of murder and murder of two hikers in... Inundated with false tips to be getting quicker and quicker of the Appalachian Trail Histories ) the American black is... With Ms. Largay sought high ground, possibly to attract attention, and they were inundated with false to! Far as safety, when i say “ thru-hiking ” Katahdin in.... Picked up their appalachian trail death statistics Crews at a bond hearing in Martinsburg, W.Va., Sept. 26,,. Of hikers people envision, as far as safety, when i say thru-hiking... And near as anyone can tell, they headed back onto the Appalachian Trail speed record seems to be.. To be getting quicker and quicker the beginning for Southbounders text message to her husband times in morning...