Who’s afraid of a walk in the woods?

The unknown long has spooked man’s mind, and the woods, whether unexplored or shrouded in darkness, invite one to ponder just what awaits in the wilderness and how many ways a person can die.

Such fear is not unfounded. Dangers do lurk in the forest thick. 

In the Smoky Mountain region, people have feared the wampus cat. The wildcat-like creature roams the woods, letting loose its heart-rattling screams and walking on two legs. The animal hails from legend, with strains of the story found in Appalachian folklore and Cherokee mythology. 

In one version of the tale a Cherokee woman is punished for spying on a hunting party as they sit around the campfire. She is transformed into a half woman-half cat creature, the wampus cat. In another version, a brave Native American woman dons a wildcat mask and defends her tribe against an evil spirit in the woods that has the power to cause a person to lose their mind.

Either way, the wampus cat has been scaring the beejezus out of people for generations. While the creature is firmly rooted in folklore, sightings have been reported throughout the region.

And while the wampus cat probably doesn’t merit such fear, there are other reasons to be wary of the woods, as without question there are times people walk into the woods and do not walk back out. 

Perhaps it is evolutionarily ingrained to have a healthy respect for the woods, to allow the phantoms of fear to circle one’s subconscious anytime he enters the forest. After all, there are wild animals and waterfall missteps, snakes strategizing their next strike, dangerous weather and poisonous vegetation. 

And then, of course, there’s us—perhaps the scariest thing in the woods.

Not (usually) on the menu

If not fear, at least respect for the local wildlife is appropriate. Most wild animals prefer to avoid a confrontation; however, most will also defend themselves or their territory when they feel the need to do so. Such scenes can prove dangerous and potentially fatal for humans. 

The most obvious and formidable wildlife risk to leap into the mind of many outdoorsmen is a bear attack. While other areas carry the chances of a grizzly bear encounter—a considerably more serious risk—the Appalachian region is home to the smaller, less aggressive black bear. 

Still, a bear’s a bear.

“They’re unpredictable wild animals,” said Dana Soehn, for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The sheer size of a bear makes it dangerous. A chipmunk would be scary at that size as well. But bears typically prefer to avoid people. Even when encountered, bears are likely to flee toward the most convenient exit route. 

“We advise people to back up and provide space because often the bear just wants to cross from point A to point B,” Soehn said. 

Justin McVeigh, District 9 biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, agreed. “You just back up slowly and go the other way,” he said. 

If a black bear is encountered in the woods, and simply backing out of the situation won’t suffice, it’s advisable to make yourself seem as big and off-putting as possible.

“Look big. Make a big noise,” Soehn said. “If you have a stick or a rock throw it at them.”

“Kind of scream and yell at the bear,” agreed McVeigh.

If the unlikely and the unfortunate does occur, don’t play dead. Attacks should be met head on.

“If you are attacked, absolutely fight back,” McVeigh said. “Punch, kick, everything you can.”

In 2006, a young girl was killed after fleeing from a black bear near Benton Falls in the Cherokee National Forest. The bear also mauled the girl’s mother and 2-year-old brother—reportedly picking the boy up in its mouth—as visitors to the Chilhowee campground fended the animal off with sticks and rocks.

A few years earlier, in May of 2000, a black bear killed an elementary school teacher from Tennessee while she was hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park’s backcountry. 

However, black bears are not considered aggressive animals, and attacks on people are an extremely rare affair. 

“We haven’t had any real attacks in North Carolina,” McVeigh said. “It would have to be something where the bear was cornered and there was no other escape.”

One reason humans may encounter a black bear—particularly an aggressive black bear—is food. The bears can become accustomed to food found at campgrounds and in backpacks or tents.

“We do everything we can to make sure we don’t have food-habituated bears,” said Soehn. “They can be very, very aggressive in their search for food and loose their fear of humans. Once they lose their fear of humans they do everything they can to get that granola bar or whatever.”

While the Appalachian region is rich with wildlife, it also bears a wealth of natural habitat for such animals to roam as well. People have little legitimate reason to fear an encounter while in the woods. 

“You know, we have coyotes, deer, bobcats. We have snakes. But as far as being dangerous, they’re not really dangerous,” McVeigh said. “The likelihood you’re going to have a close encounter with any of those is very low.”

District 9 covers the western portion of North Carolina. McVeigh seldom deals with incidents involving animals attacking people. 

“Generally, wildlife doesn’t really pose a threat to humans,” the biologist said. “They’re going to go the other way when we come stumbling through.”

Snakes score pretty high on the willies-scale for most folks. In the woods they blend in to the scenery, camouflaged alongside rocks and trees, logs and leaves. 

Snakes found in the Smokies include the venomous Timber rattlesnake and Northern copperhead. 

“We did have a copperhead bite at our campground about a month ago,” said Soehn. “They sought treatment and they were fine.”

Soehn describes the rattlesnake and copperhead as “not aggressive by nature.” They will attempt to flee, but these snakes can also be deadly.

“Depending on their age, depending on where the bite is, it’s hard to say,” Soehn said. “For some people it can be very serious, it can be fatal.”

Bats and raccoons generally are not feared but do pose a potential threat to people, as they are among the top common carriers of rabies. 

“If they see a bat laying on the ground they shouldn’t touch it,” Soehn said, explaining that a sick bat could bite and transmit the disease. “They have razor sharp teeth and they’re very small, and so if you pick one up you may not even know you have a puncture.”

Rabies doesn’t mean death. But it’s no fun either.

“It’s serious,” Soehn said. “A series of shots you have to go through.”

Insect stings represent a similar problem, as to most these creatures are an annoyance—but to others they are a matter of life and death.

“Probably the biggest threat is an allergic reaction to yellow jackets,” Soehn said.

“And bald-faced hornets, too.”

There also are elk, whose racks alone are reason to keep a safe distance.

“If you’ve ever seen a video of them sparring—the males try to win the affection of the female in the herd—it’s ferocious,” said Soehn.

There’s no record of an elk attacking a person in the region, but they have been known to become too comfortable around people for the National Park Service’s liking. Recently, one elk in particular crossed that line.

“It had become food conditioned and had begun challenging people for food,” Soehn explained. “Eventually we had to put the elk down.”

The region also is home to bobcats. They are quite secretive and rarely seen. This relatively small feline is not considered particularly dangerous—“the bobcat is about the size of a house cat”—and is not to be confused with the much more concerning varieties such as a cougar, panther or mountain lion. 

Long ago the Appalachian region was home to mountain lions. The large cat certainly posed a great danger to inhabitants of the time, but nearly a century has passed since then.

“People might think they have seen one, but we haven’t had any sightings in the park that have been confirmed,” Soehn said. 

Watch Your Step and the Weather

While wildlife encounters may present the most dramatic source of fear during forays into the woods, they are an outside risk at best. The natural environment and elements themselves present a more clear and present danger.

“We certainly have a lot of steep, rocky trails and we have swift, rushing streams,” Soehn said. 

Rather than worry about wildlife, people should be more afraid of the trail they’re hiking or biking. Injury, or even death, may result from a fall off a cliff or collision with a tree.

“Obviously it’s mountainous, it’s steep, it’s uneven,” said McVeigh. “Be aware of your surroundings and what you’re walking on.”

And statistically speaking, the possibility of sustaining some sort of hobble-back-to-the-parking-area caliber injury should be terrifying as we enter the woods.

“Things that are most common are sprains and strains,” said Justin Padgett, executive director of Landmark Learning, a school for outdoor professionals in Cullowhee, N.C.

Even the weather should give us pause. In the wilderness, dampness is an enemy and the cold can prove deadly. 

Those looking for something with a bit more flash to fear, lightening should do the job. 

“Lightening is a problem here,” Padgett said. “Lightening kills. It kills people who work and play outdoors, hikers and bikers.”

Getting hit with a jolt of lightening anywhere can be fatal, but when in the wilderness and far from immediate medical care the scenario can prove significantly worse. Padgett describes treating a lightening victim in the woods as “almost philosophical and fairytale-ish.” Resulting injuries can range from minor to fatal and survival is likely determined by the severity of the strike. 

“That’s the problem with lightening,” Padgett said. “Lightening’s anywhere from they-felt-a-jolt, no-other symptoms, you know, their hair stands on end, to they’re in cardiac arrest.”

Look out as well for the growing danger. 

“If you’re going to be outside you should probably learn what poison ivy looks like — you know, ‘leaves of three, let it be,’” McVeigh said. 

Plant life can present particular danger if ingested. A blue berry isn’t necessarily a blueberry. And some plants may be medicinal, but at the same time poisonous.

The Smoky Mountain region is home to a number of such species. There’s the pokeweed, mayapple, false hellebore and jack-in-the-pulpit.

“They’re all native species, very common species that people might encounter when they’re hiking,” said Katherine Mathews, associate professor of botany and director of the Herbarium at Western Carolina University. 

Generally speaking, people don’t go into the woods planning on grazing. For most, the chances of ingesting a poisonous plant are slim and such fears should be minimal. 

“It would be people who were interested in edible wild plants intentionally going out and trying these things—having a little bit of information, but not enough,” said Mathews. “It would have to be somebody that really intends to experiment with edible wild plants.”

While few people eat plants in the forest, significantly more light campfires. This can also be a scary endeavor—Mathews suggests steering clear of the mountain laurel and rhododendron.

“I don’t know if it’d kill you, but it’d make you really sick to inhale the smoke,” the biologist said. 

Scaring Ourselves 

Some fears associated with the woods always will haunt us. Thoughts of the wampus cat creeping up along some moonlit mountain trail, for example, may forever send a chill up one’s spine. 

But other fears can be belayed, can be minimized. Simple communication can alleviate the fear of being isolated and abandoned in the wilderness.

“Make sure people know where you’re going to be,” McVeigh stressed.

And make sure you don’t unwittingly bring your fears to fruition. Be smart. Don’t try to pet an elk. Don’t leave out food that will attract bears and snakes. 

“You know, you don’t want to be hiking alone on one of our ridgetops during one of our lighting storms,” McVeigh said. “That’s not a good idea.”

In the modern age, some people may be tempted to calm fears and find comfort in the arms of technology, even deep the in natural environment of a state park or national forest. Blind reliance on cell phones or helicopter rescues is not a good idea. 

“That big misconception is out there,” Padgett said, explaining that rescuers often are unable to reach victims requiring medical aid in the wilderness and that cell phone reception isn’t always available. “They say ‘I don’t have to be prepared or know medical skills, I’ll just use my cell phone.’” 

Being prepared may prove the best protection.

“Just purchase a field guide and put it in your first aid kit—good idea. Making sure your first aid kit is stocked—good idea. Making sure you know if you’ll have cell reception—good idea,” said Padgett.

In that respect, a lot of the fears awaiting us in the woods are rooted in ourselves. Should we be scared of the wilderness and the dark, or should we fear losing our way because our map app evaporated and left us lost in a lightening storm?

“The number one problem for humans is humans. It starts with ‘don’t be a victim,’” said Padgett. “Know how to take care of yourself in these conditions.”

The Forbidden Salad Bar

Some plants are edible, but others are poisonous. Sometimes, they’re both. In general it’s a good idea to abstain from eating plants in the woods unless you know exactly what it is you are ingesting. In the Smoky Mountain region, there are a number of species that could be dangerous if eaten. Among them are the pokeweed, mayapple, false hellebore and jack-in-the-pulpit. “These could all result in illness and, in severe cases, death,” said Katherine Mathews, associate professor of botany and director of the Herbarium at Western Carolina University.

Pokeweed — This plant features a white taproot and broad leaves. It produces dark berries. “They have a juice that’s purplish that stains your hand,” Mathews said. “They sort of look like blueberries.” The root, stem, leaves and berries are all considered toxic. “If somebody ate a huge serving of that, they could die,” Mathews said. Death from pokeweed is rare. A person who eats too much will more likely experience symptoms such as cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Although this plant is toxic, people do eat it. The first leaves of spring are eaten, but only after being boiled and washed twice. People around here call it poke salad,” Mathews said. “Native Americans thought of it as a spring tonic. They are highly nutritious, there’s a lot of nutrients and vitamins in them.”

Mayapple — Growing just over a foot high, with large umbrella-like leaves, this plant produces a fruit in summer that is edible in small amounts. “It’s highly toxic, but it does have an edible berry,” Mathews said. “People actually make jam and pie out of it.” The plant also is used medicinally. Native Americans traditionally used the root as an antiviral or to treat stomach aches.“ It’s so toxic that if you tried to make your own concoction of it, you could actually poison yourself,” Mathews cautioned. 

False hellebore — This plant grows between two and six feet high and features ribbed leaves that end in a sharp point. It is common in mountainous areas and all parts of the plant are toxic. Fortunately, this plant does not look inviting. People are unlikely to eat the false hellebore. “It looks sort of like a lilly, or an orchid maybe,” Mathews said. “I really don’t know why anyone would eat that. That’s probably the least likely to poison people.”

Jack-in-the-pulpit — This plant is another one that is both toxic, yet edible. The roots of the plant can be eaten if prepared correctly but are dangerous if proper precautions are not taken. “It’s also called Indian turnip,” Mathews noted. “Native Americans cooked or roasted it. It has to be prepared just right for the toxins to be destroyed.” This plant’s root should never be eaten raw. The root is covered in tiny crystals—calcium oxalate crystals—that can cause severe pain in the mouth if ingested. Symptoms include irritation and swelling of the lips, tongue and throat. “They’re microscopic, you can’t see them. If you just ate it raw, then little crystals would get lodged in your mouth and throat,” Mathews said. “They will inflame your throat and cause this burning pain in your throat.”