Brian Laundrie manhunt: Appalachian Trail ideal place to 'get lost,' thru-hiker says

Florida fugitive Brain Laundrie’s whereabouts remain unknown almost four weeks after his parents say they last saw him leaving their North Port home for a hike in a nearby environmental reserve.

Although there have been conflicting reports regarding the extent of his skills as an outdoorsman, he has a history of spending lengthy periods of time at state and national parks.

It’s the wrong time of year to start heading north on the Appalachian Trail from its southern tip in Georgia, according to trail guides, but the stretch along the North Carolina-Tennessee border could be an ideal place to hide out. Even though it’s nearing the end of the southward season, with through-hikers who started up in Maine nearing completion, the trail meanders its way along the state lines in places far removed from major towns.