Editing Appalachian Trail (section)

===Hazards===
[[File:Appalachian Trail winter sign.jpg|thumb|AT crossing sign on [[New Hampshire Route 112|New Hampshire State Route 112]]]]

The Appalachian Trail is relatively safe. Most injuries or incidents are consistent with comparable outdoor activities. Most hazards are related to weather conditions, human error, plants, animals, diseases, and hostile humans encountered along the trail.<ref name=ATHS>[http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.794153/k.9D5E/Health_and_Safety.htm "Health and Safety"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104072239/http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site/c.jkLXJ8MQKtH/b.794153/k.9D5E/Health_and_Safety.htm |date=November 4, 2006 }} AppalachianTrail.org (accessed September 15, 2006)</ref>

Many animals live around the trail, with bears, snakes, and [[wild boar]]s posing the greatest threat to human safety. Several rodent- and bug-borne illnesses are also a potential hazard. In scattered instances, foxes, [[raccoon]]s, and other small animals may bite hikers, posing risk of [[rabies]] and other diseases. There has been one reported case (in 1993) of [[hantavirus]] (HPS), a rare but dangerous rodent-borne disease affecting the lungs. The affected hiker recovered and hiked the trail the following year.<ref name=ATHS/> The section of the trail that runs through the Mid-Atlantic and New England states has a very high population of [[Ixodes scapularis|deer ticks]] carrying [[Lyme disease|Lyme]] and other tick-borne diseases, and corresponds to the highest density of reported Lyme disease in the country.<ref name=ATHS/>

The weather is a major consideration for hikers. Hiking season of the trail generally starts in mid-to-late spring, when conditions are much more favorable in the South. However, this time may also be characterized by extreme heat, sometimes in excess of {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Farther north and at higher elevations, the weather can be characterized by low temperatures, strong winds, hail or snow storms and reduced visibility. Prolonged rain, though not typically life-threatening, can undermine stamina and ruin supplies.<ref name=ATW>[http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/hiking-basics/safety#environment "Environmental Considerations"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713141147/http://www.appalachiantrail.org/home/explore-the-trail/hiking-basics/safety#environment |date=July 13, 2016 }} AppalachianTrail.org (accessed July 15, 2016)</ref> In March 2015, a hiker was killed on the trail in Maryland when a large tree blew over and fell onto him.<ref name="Associated Press">{{cite news |title=Pa. man dies after tree falls on him on Appalachian Trail |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/15/man-dies-after-tree-falls-on-him-on-appalachian-tr/ |access-date=May 13, 2019 |work=The Washington Times |agency=Associated Press |date=March 15, 2015 |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513182459/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/15/man-dies-after-tree-falls-on-him-on-appalachian-tr/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Violent crime]] is rare but has occurred in a few instances. The first reported homicide on the trail was in 1974 in Georgia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appalachian Trail Murders |url=http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/outdoors/shooting/crime/appalachian-trail-murders.html |access-date=August 29, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101221632/http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/outdoors/shooting/crime/appalachian-trail-murders.html |archive-date=November 1, 2010 |url-status=live  }}</ref> In 1981, the issue of violence on the Appalachian Trail received national attention when Robert Mountford, Jr. and Laura Susan Ramsay, both social workers in [[Ellsworth, Maine]], were murdered by [[Randall Lee Smith]].<ref name="WPBM">{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR2008070702332.html | title=Blood on the Mountain | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=July 8, 2008 | last=Haygood | first=Wil | access-date=October 30, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820152354/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR2008070702332.html | archive-date=August 20, 2008 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> Another homicide occurred in May 1996, when two women were abducted, bound and murdered near the trail in Shenandoah National Park. The primary suspect was later discovered harassing a female cyclist in the vicinity,<ref>"[http://www.aldha.org/arrest02.htm Trail Murders] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005204836/http://www.aldha.org/arrest02.htm |date=October 5, 2006 }}" Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association website (accessed September 14, 2006)</ref> but charges against him were dropped and the case remained unsolved until 2024.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nordin|first=Barbara|year=2004|title=After Rice: New questions in Park murders|url=http://www.readthehook.com/94820/cover-after-rice-new-questions-park-murders|access-date=September 14, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723224535/http://www.readthehook.com/94820/cover-after-rice-new-questions-park-murders|archive-date=July 23, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last=Floro|first=Kelly|year=2024|title=1996 Shenandoah National Park Murders Finally Solved, According to FBI|url=https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/1996-shenandoah-national-park-murders-finally-solved-according-to-fbi/#:~:text=The%25201996%2520murders%2520of%2520two%2520female%2520backpackers%2520in,24%252C%2520and%2520her%2520partner%252C%2520Laura%2520%E2%80%9CLollie%E2%80%9D%2520Winans%252C%252026.|access-date=July 4, 2024}}</ref>

In May 2019, Oklahoman Ronald S. Sanchez Jr., 43 years old, was murdered at a campsite near Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in western Virginia Jefferson National Forest. A female hiker who has not been identified was also injured by an assailant there. James L. Jordan, 30, of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts was found not guilty of the crimes by reason of insanity.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/appalachian-trail-attack-james-l-jordan.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/us/appalachian-trail-attack-james-l-jordan.html |archive-date=2021-12-28 |url-access=limited|title=Appalachian Trail Killer Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity|first=Christine|last=Hauser|newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 26, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Human error can lead to casualties as well. In July 2013, 66-year-old lone hiker Geraldine Largay disappeared on the trail in Maine. Largay became lost and survived 26 days before dying. Her remains were found two years later in October 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/26/hiker-who-went-missing-on-appalachian-trail-survived-26-days-before-dying|title=Hiker who went missing on Appalachian trail survived 26 days before dying|newspaper=The Guardian|date=May 25, 2016|access-date=May 27, 2016|first=Alan|last=Yuhas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527161837/http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/26/hiker-who-went-missing-on-appalachian-trail-survived-26-days-before-dying|archive-date=May 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2015, a hiker visiting from England was killed on the trail by falling while taking photos at the Annapolis Rocks overlook in Maryland.<ref>{{cite web | title =Professor Alexei Likhtman of University of Reading dies on US Appalachian Trail | website =[[BBC News]] | date =October 12, 2015 | url =https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-34503040 | access-date =May 31, 2016 | archive-date =December 2, 2016 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20161202103916/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-berkshire-34503040 | url-status =live }}</ref>

The 2020 [[COVID-19 pandemic]] prompted the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to discourage use of the trail and the National Park Service to close all AT-managed hiking shelters from Virginia to Maine.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A.T. Closures|url=https://wildeast.appalachiantrail.org/explore/plan-and-prepare/hiking-basics/health/covid19/a-t-closures/|website=Wild East {{!}} Appalachian Trail Conservancy|date=March 24, 2020 |access-date=2020-04-30|archive-date=April 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417123252/https://wildeast.appalachiantrail.org/explore/plan-and-prepare/hiking-basics/health/covid19/a-t-closures/|url-status=live}}</ref> The withdrawal of volunteers and trail-maintenance crews left the trail unprepared for the influx of users escaping home isolation.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://wildeast.appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/please-stay-off-the-appalachian-trail/ | title=Please stay off the Appalachian Trail | date=March 23, 2020 | access-date=April 30, 2020 | archive-date=April 17, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417012717/https://wildeast.appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/please-stay-off-the-appalachian-trail/ | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2021, the conservancy suspended issuing hang tags for through-hikers for a period during the continuing pandemic.<ref name="hangtags">{{Cite web | url=https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/answering-questions-about-2021-at-hangtags/ | title=Answering Questions About 2021 A.T. Hangtags and 2,000-Miler Recognition | access-date=March 14, 2021 | archive-date=March 23, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323115654/https://appalachiantrail.org/official-blog/answering-questions-about-2021-at-hangtags/ | url-status=live }}</ref>