To the poor OP if he is still with us-you stand about as much chance of being struck by lightning on the AT as you do being attacked by a black bear or a mountain lion.
Probably, no mountain lions in that area but don't discount the bears on the AT. In GA at the Blood Mountain shelter, a BIG blackie ran everyone out of the building (it looks like a Haitian jail) and helped himself to everyone's chow. Of course, they were all granola heads who'd been told they didn't need to ever worry about the bears.
They didn't install "bear cables" at the shelters in NC and VA for no reason.
