12/11/2025
There is a Hidden Disease on The Appalachian Trail that Nobody talks about and many don't even know exists. And some scientists believe an outbreak can come at anytime. Worse than Norovirus we all know about,, Worse than Pinworms than 20% of Long Distance Hikers get infected with, It's a disease that literally Kills!!!
It's called "Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome" (HPS). The disease is caused by the same pesty creatures that chew thru $600 sleeping bags like this one pictured. MICE!!!...and they infest every single Shelter along The Appalachian Trail.
The disease is contained in the Urine, Droppings, and nests of Mice. The particles get stirred up into the air and once a person breathes them in, it can be deadly. There's a fatality rate of 30-50% and this disease is already known to be on and around The Appalachian Trail. One thing that increases the odds of getting infected is that every single shelter on the AT has a broom in it and hikers sweep the floor with it before setting up camp for the night. In the process, sending these particles flying into the air as they breathe in microscopic particles of mouse f***s and urine.
There's been one confirmed case on The Appalachian Trail back in 1993 in Virginia where an adult was infected sometime between the end of May and the beginning of June. He confirmed that he was using the shelters for camp every night and that they all had signs of mice. Luckily, he recovered but, not before a lengthy stay in a hospital with aggressive treatment.
Between the years 2000 and 2001, scientists studied small mammals in the Great Smoky National Park. The survey concluded that many were seropositive for The Hantavirus Strain, especially Deer Mice. This proved that there is a reservoir for the disease and that it is a known risk for Hikers along The Appalachian Trail. The main risk for Hikers being the aerosolization of rodent excreta or direct contact...something every hiker encounters while sleeping in an Appalachian Trail Shelter.
There's been many who say that with the dryer weather over the past few seasons and the drop in humidity from changes in the climate that it's not a question of IF an outbreak will occur but, only WHEN it will occur. With many Trail Maintainers and Trail Organizations focusing on sanding out names of Thru Hikers who passed thru and left their "mark", it only adds to the debris and dust within the structures. The debris that when swept helps to release the Hantavirus particles into the air.
There isn't much rodent control going on in any of the Shelters along the trail due to the never stopping voices of activists with the common refrain of "You're in THEIR home" showing the detachment of reality when calling a structure that by it's very existence is not natural...It's a structure that shouldn't exist because it gives them a home. Not, because it is their home.
This is Food for Thought for All Hikers to consider when staying in shelters along the trail and especially when they grab that broom and start sweeping adding to their risk of being infected with a disease that very well can cause death.
