It was a clear night when Beth “Tree Hugger” Feret set up camp in Virginia’s Jefferson National Forest on her 2022 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. She had decided to pitch her tent in a clearing by some trees when some rhododendrons caught her eye. Those were her mother’s favorite flowers, so she decided to move her tent to be closer to them. 

She was lucky she did: Overnight, a tree near where she had originally set up camp toppled over, crashing right into the spot where she had planned to pitch her tent. Feret later said that the fallen tree seemed perfectly healthy, up until it came crashing down.

Feret’s daughter Emily, who chronicled her mom’s hike via TikTok to raise money for Feret’s travel, says that hiking the AT was her mom’s lifelong dream since first hearing about the trail 30 years ago in college. In 2022, a lucky leave of absence from her high school teaching job made her dream possible. It was Emily who posted the video detailing her mother’s close call with a big tree.

Although it certainly feels like fate that pulled Feret closer to the rhododendrons, you don’t need to leave your safety entirely up to chance when picking a campsite. Here are a few things to look out for.

Before setting up your tent, look above you: Do you see any dead branches still hanging onto a living tree or other potential overhead hazards? Dead limbs and tree tops are called widowmakers for a reason. If the wind breaks one of those off a tree and sends it crashing down on you in the middle of the night…well, you get it. 

That doesn’t mean you should avoid all tree cover. Trees can provide nice protection, and in windy conditions, trees can block the wind outright, or you can guy out your tent to sturdy trees to prevent flapping from keeping you up at night. Just make sure those trees are living and sturdy. 

Some warning signs to look out for: 

From 2024