A listener writes “Hi Wes, I live in Franklin, NC. In November of 2014 I was confronted by a large male on The River Loop trail at the base of Mt. Mitchell. This started months earlier on the difficult Crest Trail. I am looking for anyone who wants to spend time in that area with me as I want to go back but not alone. I would like to share my experiences on your share in the hopes of kindling some interest in the area. Here in brief is what happened:
While living in Burnsville, NC I frequented the Crest Trail quite a bit in the summer/fall of 2014. The Crest Trail is difficult as it gains several thousand feet elevation over a few miles on its way to Mt. Mitchell by way of the Black Mountains ridge line. I saw a small, toed track toward the beginning of the trail in late August. That same day I hiked up a few miles and turned around by a weird series of small, living trees sort of braided together at their tops. When I arrived back down the trail a tree branch had been snapped off about 7 feet from the ground and laid neatly across the trail. I thought a bit about all of this but this experience increased in meaning when later, in November, after frequenting all the Mt Mitchell trails on a regular basis, a large male straddled the River Trail I was on at the Briar Creek Primitive Campground location.
Perhaps the strangest detail in the event is that at the base of another trail whose beginning is obscured by plant growth, I had tied a tan, chiffon scarf to signal me as to where the trail started. This huge creature had untied my scarf and was holding it when he confronted me and my dog on the trail. I think they smelled me, had seen me there repeatedly. I believe he thought I was territory marking. I would like to go back, but not alone.”