Undelivered Texts

George also discovered her phone amongst her belongings. Once it was charged, he read all the undelivered texts she sent out to him asking for help. On the day she wandered off, Gerry sent “In some trouble. Got off trail to go to the bathroom. Now lost. Can u call AMC to see if a trail maintainer can help me? Somewhere north of woods road. XOX”. His eyes were blurry with tears as he kept reading them over and over.

Not Visible

The campsite built by Gerry was nearly a mile or two away from the Appalachian Trail. And according to the officers who found her body, the campsite which she built was not visible to the human eye unless you are right next to it. The forests are thick as it is, so finding something like that was indeed next to impossible, even for the search aircraft.

EndNote

The saddest part was the endnote in Gerry’s journal, which read “When you find my body, please call my husband George and my daughter Kerry. 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. Please find it in your heart to mail the contents of this bag to one of them.”

Finding Closure

Even though George and Kerry had a memorial for Geraldine back in 2013, they had not received closure until this moment. Gerry was right, it was the greatest kindness for their tormented hearts to know that she is not lost but dead. Now they will finally be able to rest knowing that Gerry is in peace.

No Regrets

Receiving Gerry’s journal and belongings from the tent meant a lot to George and somehow helped initiate the healing process. Even though he lost the love of his life, he had no regrets about Gerry going on the hike. He believes this way, she died doing what she loves the most; living life to the fullest.