Maine author to speak at Phillips library

Submitted photo

Dee Dauphinee Submitted photo

PHILLIPS — Dee Dauphinee, author of “When You Find My Body: The Disappearance of Geraldine “Gerry” Largay on the Appalachian Trail”, will be the “Maine” guest at the Phillips Public Library on Saturday, May 22 at 11 a.m. He will be accompanied by his research assistant, Doug Comstock.

Dauphinee wrote the account of Gerry Largay’s disappearance while she was hiking a section of the Appalachian Trail in western Maine. The title is a quote from Largay’s journal after she became lost in the woods in July of 2013.

Librarian Hedy Langdon shares, “Not many can forget the extended search for Mrs. Largay and the frustrating efforts of each day passing and her not being located. We knew she was up on that mountain somewhere, but where?”

The book is the tale of Gerry Largay’s preparation and actual trek and the accounts of the search by various groups involved in the operation. It underscores the frustrations of that effort.

What went wrong? How did she lose her way on a well-marked trail? Why didn’t she signal? Did she not hear all the searchers calling for her? Where was she? Why was she not found until two years later?

All these questions and more are answered in Dee Dauphinee’s telling of a story of grave sorrow, but also one of determination and faith.

The event, open to the public, will be held outdoors under a  canopy, providing for proper distancing. Admission is free of charge, but donations are encouraged. Among other services, contributions are used to provide other community events such as this one.

The book is available at the Library for reading before Dauphinee’s visit. There will also be two discussion groups prior to the event: Wednesday, May 12 and Saturday, May 15, both at 11:00 am.

Dee Dauphinee, a mountaineering, fly-fishing, and back-country guide for more than thirty years, has participated in several search-and-rescue expeditions. He lives in Bradley, Maine. In addition to “When You Find My Body”, he has written numerous articles on fly fishing, a collection of which has been published in his book “Stoneflies & Turtleheads”, about fly fishing in Maine and around the world.

Among his other publications is a novel titled “The River Home”, set along the West Branch of the Penobscot River, and the historical fiction tale, “Highlanders Without Kilts”, “a story of love, war, uncommon disaster, and triumph”. Both of these books are also available at the Phillips Public Library.

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