The Appalachian Mountains can be scary and mysterious to people who aren’t used to them.
The trees feel taller there and the hills feel steeper. At night time especially, you never want to be caught out there alone. First and foremost for all of the normal reasons, you shouldn’t be alone in the woods at night. Safety, fear of getting lost, and dangerous animals may all deter you from making an evening trek in the woods.
But the Appalachians believe there’s another thing that should deter you from going into the mountains with the setting sun, and it’s trending on TikTok.
Many people have recounted stories of hearing a low and loud whistle as the sun disappears over the horizon. As spooky as that sounds, if you ever find yourself in that situation you should not make any sudden movements. To quote popular TikToker @LatinosAgainstSpookySh*t, if you heard something, no you didn’t. If you saw something, no you didn’t.
And never whistle back.
You should continue walking as if you always planned to. Don’t outwardly acknowledge what you heard and don’t talk about it. When you get back to your car, don’t speed away. Continue everything as if it’s normal. When you get back home close the blinds and lock the door as if it’s something you always do.
In Appalachian culture, it’s believed that whistling summons evil spirits. If you call back to them or acknowledge them, they will come to you. Some believe these to be Indigenous spirits called “skinwalkers.” According to an interview on Arts WA with Navajo contemporary artist John Feodorov, “a skinwalker is a Navajo witch who has the ability to change into animal forms… My cousin swears that while following coyote tracks they became human footprints.”
The Navajo, or Diné, it’s worth noting, are are rooted in the American Southwest, thousands of miles from Appalachia, but who knows, maybe skinwalkers head East for trail hiking vacations. In any case, they’re bad news.
One person on Tiktok relayed the story of seeing a demon in the Appalachian mountains and being tortured by it, he felt uneasy and nauseous for hours after coming in contact with the demon.
Sure, this may all be just folklore. You may not believe in demons or witches or think whistling is anything more than whistling. But, many Appalachians take this very seriously, and maybe there is some validity to it.
It may not be real but just in case it is. leave the woods before dusk, never whistle back, and never say “skinwalker” out loud.