French woman stranded in C-Falls reunited with lost documents

All’s well that ends well.

When Maud Le Corre of France embarked on a cross-country hitchhiking trip to see national parks and other wonders, she had no idea she’d end up stranded in Columbia Falls.

Le Corre, 21, just finished her studies of cinema in Quebec, Canada and was traveling the United States before returning home to Paris. She started in Chicago, she said, and spent a lot of time in South Dakota on a reservation near Badlands National Park. She also hit Yellowstone and the Tetons, among other wonders, and spent a few days in Glacier Park before disaster struck.

Le Corre planned to camp on Bowman Lake and was headed to Polebridge when she realized that she’d left her green card and other belongings in the vehicle of a woman who had picked her up.

She thought the woman, who drove a black SUV, lived in Columbia Falls, and that she might have daughters. Le Corre didn’t remember the woman’s name but said she was middle-aged with black hair.

After sitting out in front on Smith’s Food and Drug in Columbia Falls for a couple of days with a placard asking for help, Le Corre was reunited with her belongings about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14.

Le Corre was the recipient of many kindnesses from Columbia Falls residents while she was stranded. People provided her with food and clothes, and she stayed with a young local couple.

Despite this setback, Le Corre remained in good spirits throughout the ordeal.

“I’ve met really great people,” she said. “I love people so much. That’s why I’m hitchhiking.”