u/froghorn76

At some point in an AT memoir, I read that the thing most likely to kill you on the Appalachian Trail was not a deranged psychopath, not a bear, but a virus transmitted by dried up mouse poop. And there are mice in every shelter, so be careful where you sleep! (As I write this, it sounds like Bill Bryson, so it was almost certainly “A Walk in the Woods.”) I accepted it as gospel, and I relayed the anecdote to other people.

In the nearly 20 years since I’ve read this, I’ve never heard of this virus since. Soooo…have there been any deaths from people inhaling a virus transmitted by dried up mouse poop on the AT? Or even anyone getting sick from this? Was this all a made-up fever dream?

Are there any veterans on here that hiked the trail while on terminal leave? I have a couple of questions, primarily about navigating the time after service and the hike.