I will add wild hogs.
Being out of Vitamin I.
Hit by a car.
Being run over by Anish because you're too slow.
Being behind Malto on trail after a three'fer Chipotle black beans and rice burrito gorgefest swigged down by his seventh of the day maltodextrin and sugar drink.
Avalanche.
Not spending a night in Franklin, Hiawassee or Kincora Hostel.
Treating Baxter State Park personnel or any other NP, SP, or Wilderness Area authorities or any AT trail town biz or Trail Angel with a personal expectation of entitlement.
Tipi Walter wanting to have a 3 hr discussion on why super heavy haulers are all the "right way" for accumulating bag nights.
Illegal ATVers.
Loss of smell due to too overnighting on too many rainy day in the bubble at overfilled AT shelters.
Ignoring the rodents...small and large.
Rocks.
Mindless stomping down steep trail steps in the sleet while glimpsing to the side what you thought was a Big Foot.
Heart tremors from the sneaky Camo clad military suddenly springing from under the leaves in Maryland as they f&*k with AT hikers during their playing of war games.
Fouled water.
Buying into the assumption the AT through NJ is a toxic waste site.
Buying into the assumption the AMC Huts have to provided free services and goods to AT thru hiker royalty.
Buying into the assumption AT thru hikers are knighted royalty.
Assuming ANYONE hikes within an alienated isolated bubble who's personaL behavior has no bearing on anyone or anything else.
Tripping and falling should top the list. Everyone does it if you hike enough. And I know people that left the trail because of injuries from tripping and falling.
I.E.D.s - Inflated Ego Disorders
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
[url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]
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Answer to trivia question:
There have been a total of 7 AT thru hiker deaths caused by a combination of:
Crazy People
+ Criminal violence by a person not deemed crazy
But I am counting just homicides.
Several years ago I posted a similar, albeit more extensive list on VFTT: https://www.vftt.org/forums/showthre...=Trail+dangers
Feel free to repost it here or supplement what has been already mentioned.
Wearing cotton, particularly jeans, in the rain (or snow)
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Trench foot
Chaffing
I have met hikers who had to leave the trail in agony because of these two issues. "Sanitation" should be itemized.
Also, the wild hog problem in the south could get to the point it might be impacting hikers especially in GSMNP. A wild boar can be extremely dangerous.
Just finished HMW. Not sure why that it on the list. It is no more of a "wilderness" than many other portions of the A.T.
We were warned about that by a hostel owner, the late Jeff, who told us "Don't walk around after dark in the Smokies. There are things out there that will eat you". Sure got out attention...
I'm surprised no one listed the White Mountains and Mount Washington specifically. They ended my hike two years in a row thanks to a fall and a strained hamstring (thank you Wild Cats).
By far, the most common cause of death in GSMNP is some sort of vehicle accident along a park road (automobile, motor cycle, bicycle).
I would have guessed the 2nd leading cause of death in GSMNP was hypothermia.
But according to the book "Death in the Great Smoky Mountains: Stories of Accidents and Foolhardiness in the Most Popular Park", the 2nd leading cause of death is drowning.
I can only guess that the reason I thought hypothermia over drowning is because over the years, I've seen numerous news articles of people who have died of exposure in GSMNP (like the story of the Ohio woman last year, or other stories of hikers encountering weather conditions they were not prepared for). But the only news story regarding a drowning in GSMNP that I've encountered in the last 20 years was the story of a boy who died at Abrams Falls while on a school field trip (over 10 years ago). It would seem that deaths due to exposure are more likely to garnish national news, where as drownings are common enough, they only make the local news unless there is something particularly news worthy about the situation.
Side Note: Apparently Abrams Falls trail is considered the most dangerous hike in the park because of the number of drowning that have occurred.
I also like that the book mentioned above wraps up it's introduction claiming the most dangerous animal in the park is YOU.
Fear. Didn't check the list (TLDR), but FEAR should be #1.